Review: Satisfye SwitchGrip Pro
The best Switch accessory just got better
Back in 2018, an accessory company called Satisfye Kickstarted a campaign to fund a comfort grip for the Nintendo Switch. The product was called the Pro Gaming Grip, and it looked…odd. Rather than the nice symmetry of the Switch and all its other attendant third-party grips, the Pro Gaming Grip had one side that hugged the left Joy-Con as expected, and a right side that looked like it got drunk but was making a valiant effort to do its job on the right Joy-Con anyway. I’m a bit of an accessory nut, so I rolled the dice and backed it.
Now, full disclosure: I adore my Switch. Its announcement was the realization of a desire I’d had since I started playing video games on my Sega Master System: the ability to play on a TV, then pick up and take it with you to play on the go. I was in awe of how seamlessly Nintendo’s engineers had designed their console/handheld hybrid, and delighted at the versatility of the Joy-Cons. But I can’t pretend that the beautiful little beast is a darling to hold for long bouts of play; ergonomics have never been Nintendo’s strong suit. And the Switch was a technical marvel that nonetheless made my hands cramp over lengthy sessions of Breath of the Wild and Super Mario Odyssey.
I was shocked at how completely the Pro Gaming Grip fixed the issues. That cockeyed right handle felt perfectly natural in my hands, and suddenly, late-night rounds of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate or Pokemon: Let’s Go Pikachu! held no threat to my wrists, and the thick frame of the Grip offered my Switch a stability missing from its natural snap-in connections. So when Satisfye announced it was coming out with a successor to the PGG, I was all-in.
The changes break down to two major improvements: a new, slimmer form factor, and a change to how the Switch is held in the Grip. Despite seeing pictures, I wasn’t prepared for just how much more comfortable the new SwitchGrip Pro would be. The SGP is definitely slimmed down, most notably in the thick rubberized handles that abut the Joy-Con. It translates to a much more comfortable hold, even if you’re accustomed to the PGG’s chonkiness. Maybe if you’re the type who preferred The Duke, you might like the original PGG better, but for the rest of us, the SwitchGrip Pro is the way to go.
The original PGG had few flaws, but they were there; namely, its ultra-tight fit meant that the sturdy black plastic would sometimes scuff the more brightly-colored Joy-Con (I assume it’s hardly noticeable on the dark gray JCs, and even on the colored one it’s pretty easily removed). The new SGP takes the small silicone bumpers of the original and places them all around the Switch, including on its back, so the new design offers A) more flexibility with accessories (the semi-popular Hori D-Pad Controllers now fit); B) improved air flow all around the console, keeping everything nice and cool (I never had any issue with my Switch overheating in its black plastic harness, but more surface area to allow cooling is never a bad thing), and C) removes any part of the Switch or Joy-Con touching the Grip, so there’s no more scuffing.
All in all, I can’t speak highly enough of the SwitchGrip Pro. Satisfye lived up to their name, taking the single best Switch accessory and improving upon it in every way. I suppose as a criticism I should mention that mine suffers from a slight mismatch where the rubberized grip meets the hard plastic frame on the left handle, resulting in a slight “lip” that feels a little uncomfortable and chafes my palm a bit, but I’m sure that it’s just my own personal device that had a minor manufacturing oddity. Everything else about the SwitchGrip Pro feels solid, tight, and high-quality like a first-party Nintendo accessory. I don’t know where Satisfye will go from here, but I’m a big enough fan that I can’t wait to find out.
The Satisfye SwitchGrip Pro is available in regular and Switch Lite versions, as well as a “mini” version that replicates the ergonomics of the fullsize Grips and replaces the Joy-Con grip that Nintendo includes with the console. Satisfye also offers bundles including hardshell cases that fit the Switch in the Grip.
