snakebyte MULTI:PLAYCON review

by Ben Kirby
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Let’s be honest, first-party controllers, across the board, are expensive. Beyond that, in my experience, third-party controllers have been pretty hit-and-miss over the years. With the Switch specifically, I really struggle to justify the expense of a new pair of joy-cons. Good and versatile as they are, they’re bloody pricey. Enter Snakebyte, with their MULTI:PLAYCON.

Get a grip…

I think we can all agree that the JoyCon, as cool and versatile as it is, isn’t a great single controller when splitting into two. It’s tiny and relatively flat, making it hard to get your hands around. Especially when getting competitive in a round of Super Smash Bros.

So, the single biggest complaint I have with the JoyCon? Erased with the MULTI:PLAYCON. Two better, more ergonomic and useable as stand-alone devices. Bloody fantastic.

Better still, my little nephews found them ideal as a main controller. Not so big as to be too big for their hands, but not so small like the JoyCons to be a bit of a faff for them. The MULTI:PLAYCON absolutely smashes it out of the park here. Comfortable and practical. Really setting itself apart from the standard JoyCon.

White and Orange MULTI:PLAYCON controllers

Look and feel

Well, after the comfort and practicality, it’s a shame for snakebyte to really let themselves down on the MULTI:PLAYCON with the visual design.

Sure, they’re likely aimed at children. Ideally handed to them over their official counterparts, to save the potential cost for damage etc. But that doesn’t mean they have to look quite so…..well….naff.

The almost scary face, grinning at you is a little perturbing, and even though I’m colourblind I don’t find the choices of colour particularly appealing. Let’s be fair, though. It isn’t really about how they look, is it? It’s about how they work, how they feel to hold and how they perform.

Before we get on to performance, I just want to acknowledge that, comfy as they are, there’s no weight to them. Again, the MULTI:PLAYCON is likely aimed at children, so it makes sense, but sometimes you need a reassuring weight to a controller, to feel like it isn’t just going to break and fall apart.

Granted, you don’t pay a premium price, so as the old adage goes “you get what you pay for”. Just don’t expect to find a solid-feeling build here.

MULTI:PLAYCON controllers next to their box

Do they work?

Yes, yes they do.

A quick and slightly unusual connection process and you’re good to go. Admittedly, the MULTI:PLAYCON took me a few attempts to connect the controllers, but that was my neglect in reading the instructions properly.

Once connected, though. You’re good to go. I was using them in Smash Bros straight out of the gates and they were nicely responsive.

For a controller that looks like it might not be worth using, it was actually pretty decent. I can’t claim that any losses were due to the controllers, but sadly, my own ability (or lack thereof).

I ended up using these for about 10 hours, mostly in Smash Bros with friends and family, and a good few hours solo just getting a feel for them. Always sharp and responsive, even if the stick was a little spongy to start with.

Don’t forget that you’re looking at a good 10-hour battery life off a single charge (by all accounts the JoyCons have about 20), I think you’re well catered for when it comes to casual gaming with friends and family.

Drop the aesthetic off at the door, and you’re actually faced with a perfectly serviceable JoyCon replacement. Well done snakebyte. The MULTI:PLAYCON is a serviceable alternative to the first-party controller.

Instruction manual for snakebyte's nintendo switch controllers

snakebyte MULTI:PLAYCON Rating

Comfortable over their official counterpart, the MULTI:PLAYCON has a really great selling point. If you can forgive the visual aesthetic of them, and understand that you get what you pay for when it comes to feeling “premium”, you’re not going to be disappointed.

Clearly aimed at children, and I made sure they were tested as such. The MULTI:PLAYCON was a success! Ditch the ego at the door, accept that they’re a little cheaply built, but enjoy the comfort and the fact that they work perfectly well, and you’re in for a little treat.

Perfect for those occasions where nephews/siblings etc. come round and want to fight it out. You wouldn’t use them as your main controller, ever. So why look at them as if you would?

I reviewed the MULTI:PLAYCON as that third-party controller you want by your side to give out when there are a few of you. They service those needs comfortably and responsively. What more can you ask for?

Never will they be my “go-to” controller, because the build just isn’t there. But they’ll always be on standby for those multiplayer bouts when they arise.

2.5/5


You can get yourself a pair of the snakebyte MULTI:PLAYCON controllers for Nintendo Switch and find more info about them on the official snakebyte website. Just click HERE to head on over.


This review was written by none other than the coffee fiend Ben from NinjaRefinery.com. You can check out more of his reviews for us as well as those from our other writers by clicking right HERE.

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