Gioteck WX4 controller review

The one downside to the Nintendo Switch is that official accessories can quite often cost you a pretty penny. Your console obviously comes with one set of Joy-Cons, but another set will set you back around £40.00. And if you want a Pro Controller, you can add another £10.00-£15.00 onto that at the minimum. But there are more and more third-party controllers coming to market like the Gioteck WX4, and that’s what we’re testing today.

BUILD QUALITY & DESIGN – 4/5

When you’re testing a controller that is practically half the cost of the official one, you have to question. Is Nintendo ripping us off? Or are Gioteck giving us a cheap piece of trash? Well, in terms of build quality, the WX4 probably falls somewhere in between. Whilst it doesn’t feel like trash, the lightweight design does leave it with that budget feel you sometimes get, as opposed to Nintendo’s premium feel of their Pro Controller.

The controller casing is made from a combination of textured and glossy lightweight plastic which houses the magical circuitry inside. But being so lightweight it doesn’t feel as though it could handle a beating. But, first impressions can soon be forgiven because it is extremely solid and having performed a couple of drop tests, it doesn’t even have a scratch on it. And although the case feels budget, the buttons and triggers feel of a much higher quality.

Design-wise, it is similar to the pro controller, with some slight modification. The top of the WX4 is not completely straight, instead, the two bumper buttons are slightly raised. You then have the two quick-fire triggers on the reverse, designed to increase reaction times. The front then houses the remaining buttons, with the screenshot button being switched for a turbo button, and a Gioteck logo located at the top.

COMFORT – 4/5

In terms of comfort, they feel great for the most part. Following the similar design of the Pro Controller, they are ergonomic meaning they have been crafted to be comfortable by fitting to the contours of your hand like a glove. And, with the textured casing, it even offers a slightly better grip than when you have a completely smooth-faced case.

However, I do feel that after prolonged use, if the battery hasn’t run low by then, the controller does become a bit sweaty in my hand. Not a massive issue, probably more a sign that I need to take a break, but again, with some more premium controllers on other consoles, I’ve not had this issue. Fortunately, the rubberised thumb grips mean that even with sweaty hands, your thumbs tend to stay on the analogue sticks.

And whilst not necessarily contributing to the comfort too much, I would prefer the controller to be weighted down more. Lightweight is great for those travelling around, but I just feel heavier controllers feel better in my hand and also give off a more quality feel.

FUNCTIONALITY – 4.5/5

In terms of functionality, the controllers are impressive considering the price. They offer pretty much everything you’d expect from Nintendo’s Pro Controller at the fraction of the cost. Ok, so not quite every feature because it does lack built-in amiibo functionality, but it does have both motion control and rumble functionality built-in, both of which work well.

Another positive feature is as well as working wirelessly, the WX4 can also be used when plugged in too. Just connect via the micro-USB cable provided, plugging the USB end into the socket at the back of your Switch dock. And it doesn’t stop there, the controller will also work with your PC and PS3 as well as it connects wirelessly through Bluetooth.

The only issue I can really find is that the way to pair the controller seems bizarre. You have to hold the + button and Y button together, and on the controller screen it will pop up. There’s nothing else then, it’ll work as soon as you do the usual holding the L & R buttons so it knows what style controller you’re using. But why hold the two buttons to pair? It could literally have been programmed to just hold the turbo button or have a pairing button. It’s not a major issue just a small niggle I had.

PERFORMANCE 4/5

It’s all well and good being packed with features though, but how does it perform? Well, we tried it out on a few titles including New Super Luck’s Tale which we recently reviewed, and it wasn’t bad. Reaction speed was good, although when playing the game handheld it felt slightly more responsive. Not that we had any issues with the WX4 but it did feel noticeable that there was maybe some slight input lag.

One thing I did notice though was the battery died a little quickly. I say quickly, but I was on for a couple of hours before it died, although I didn’t time it specifically. Good news is that is charges up pretty quickly though, and because it can be plugged in too, it’s not all that bad.

VALUE FOR MONEY – 5/5

Except for the lack of the built-in amiibo functionality, it does everything else you’d expect of an official controller. And at such a low price as well. It’s actually quite surprising. You can find them for anywhere between £15.00 and £25.00, although the lower-priced ones are on eBay and we can’t vouch for seller reliability.

I mean it does feel slightly budget, but for those on a budget, this is an ideal alternative for anyone who needs an extra controller. And not just that, if you game on multiple platforms, this could well triple up for you as it also connects to PC and PS3.

I questioned at the start whether Nintendo was ripping us off with its Pro Controller or if Gioteck were fobbing us off with rubbish, and I have to say, I’m surprised how good the WX4 is for the price. So it would seem that in fact, Nintendo is having us off a bit because for the extra you get, I don’t think it’s worth double the cost of this. It’s packed full of features, performs really well and despite first impressions of it being budget, it’s much better than I was expecting.

The Gioteck WX4 controller is available to buy now. For more information visit the official Gioteck website by clicking HERE.

Find more of our FULLSYNC reviews by clicking HERE.