Last week, I reviewed not one, but two sets of Nintendo Switch controllers that try to address some of the faults of Nintendo's Joy-Con. These controllers have larger grips, hall effect analog sticks, and nicer-feeling buttons. In many ways, they feel like the complete package for any Nintendo Switch owner.

But swapping between these sets of controllers and Nintendo's official ones has helped make it clear to me that, even with all their imperfections, the official Joy-Con are the best controllers you can have for the Switch. They're the perfect fit for what the console wants to do. And I hope that doesn't change.

Joy-Con are an integral part of the Switch

Changing the controllers too much would ruin part of the appeal

This might sound like stating the obvious, but here's the thing about the Joy-Con controllers: The entire concept and the way they are designed is integral to the way Nintendo envisioned the Switch. The more I think aboutit, the more I realize how things really couldn't be any different while still keeping the Switch concept as great as it is.

For example, the Mobapad M6 HD is a nearly perfect controller in terms of comfort and the overall feel of both the controller itself and the buttons. It even supports almost every feature that the Joy-Con does, so you're making very few compromises in terms of the gameplay experience. In fact, these are pretty much my go-to controllers now a lot of the time, but there are a couple of exceptions that are pretty big when you think about it.

First off, portability and one-handed use. One thing I haven't been doing with these Mobapad controllers is take them outside, and a lot of these alternatives that "fix" the Joy-Con are much bigger, which makes it harder to carry the Switch with you. Size is a problem I have with many competing handhelds, too, and something I really like about the Switch.

And then there's the fact that these large controllers, even though they work wirelessly, are just a bit unwieldy to have one in each hand. I mentioned in my review that I can play The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD with motion controls, but you have to hold on pretty tightly if you want to keep the controller in your hands. The Joy-Con are tiny, but that means they're not going anywhere unless you're completely reckless, and since a lot of games use motion controls in different ways, that's a pretty important aspect.

Then there's the ability to share the controller. Back in January 2017, when the Switch was fully revealed, Nintendo made a big deal about how the Joy-Con allowed you to "share the joy" by passing one of the Joy-Con controllers to a friend, who could use it sideways. Again, this aspect is retained in some alternative controllers, but because they're designed to be comfortable in handheld mode, the shape is terrible if you try to use them like this. It's just totally uneven and uncomfortable. The flat design of the Joy-Con may be imperfect for a standard controller, but it works perfectly for versatility. I still remember one day early in the Switch's life when I played a racing game with a friend of mine on a window sill when we were out on the street because I could just hand them half of the controller. I couldn't do that comfortably with some of these larger alternatives.

Everything is built for them

Third-party controllers almost always miss something

This isn't necessarily a merit of the Joy-Con, but of course, being the default and official controllers, all the biggest experiences are designed around them. Most of the alternatives are going to sacrifice something, with the most common examples being HD rumble or amiibo support. These may seem like small things, but HD rumble can be detrimental in some experiences. For example, Super Mario Odyssey has a few hidden moons that require you to feel the vibrations to determine where the moon is hidden under the floor. In Super Mario Bros. Wonder, some levels actually manage to play music notes using the vibration motors on the Joy-Con, which is completely ruined in third-party controllers. Even the Mobapad M6 HD, which are the only controllers I know to have HD rumble, lose a lot of the detail of the official Joy-Con.

And then there's hardware, of course. Most controllers that have different shapes are also available in bundles with special cases, and they're pretty much mandatory if you want to take those controllers anywhere. No other company is going to be manufacturing cases for the Switch taking random controllers into account, it's all made for the Joy-Con. And many times, these cases aren't even sold separately, so if you don't buy them from the get-go, you're in trouble.

Are Joy-Con really that uncomfortable?

They're not as bad as we make them out to be

I think it's also worth pondering how uncomfortable the Joy-Con controllers really are, even in handheld mode. Yes, the flat design doesn't fit neatly into your hands, especially bigger ones, but is it really that bad? With the overall size of the console, I don't find it that uncomfortable to play with the Joy-Con. It's not perfect, and maybe I'm just too young to have joint pains like that, but I never had big issues.

Even in TV mode, the Joy-Con grip that comes in the box with the Switch is quite nice. It's simple, but it gives you the grips you need for more comfort, even if you have bigger hands. And it's actually quite solidly built, too. Something like the Nintendo Switch Pro Controller is better, but I held off on buying new controllers for a long time and never had any complaints in terms of comfort.

The Switch 2 might not change things

At least if the latest rumors are to be believed

In recent months, some shipping data has pointed to potential new controllers from Nintendo that will be made for the Switch 2, and if the dimensions are to be taken at face value, it looks like the Switch 2 will just have slightly larger Joy-Con. This, mixed with some recent patents, has suggested that the Switch 2 may just come with slightly larger Joy-Con.

Of course, patent information shouldn't be taken at face value, and final products often differ wildly from what we see in these patents. But everything points to Nintendo keeping the same overall design, but larger, and if that holds up, it just goes to show how well this concept works for the Switch. I think it's important for Nintendo to keep everything that makes the Switch the excellent hardware that it is.

If anything, the larger size is all Nintendo really needs to make the Joy-Con nearly perfect. If a slightly bigger Joy-Con means there's more space for a better analog stick and an improved wireless antenna, that fixes the biggest pain points of the controllers right there.

You don't have to love them, but they're not bad

I'm not trying to tell you that you should shower the Joy-Con with praise or say they're flawless. There are clearly some problems with it, and I've even asked for very specific improvements to the Joy-Con in the past. But with all the criticism that seems to be thrown at them on a regular basis, I think it's important to remember all the things they get right, and how important they are to making the Switch concept work.

If you're an avid gamer and have the extra budget, you can always buy specialized controllers for different use cases. But nothing will get you the flexibility and versatility that the Joy-Con do, and that's commendable.