PowerA Advantage Wireless Controller for Nintendo Switch 2 review: it’s no Pro Controller
Why you can trust TechRadar
We spend hours testing every product or service we review, so you can be sure you’re buying the best. Find out more about how we test.
PowerA Advantage Wireless Controller for Nintendo Switch 2: One-minute review
The PowerA Advantage Wireless Controller for Nintendo Switch 2 is just far too expensive to recommend.
As a Nintendo Switch 2 Pro Controller alternative that comes in at $69.99 / £49.99 (around AU$100) (that’s only $15 / £15 less than the going price of Nintendo’s official offering), it simply shouldn’t feel anywhere near as cheap and hollow as it does.
This is far from the only issue, as there is a raft of other problems to contend with. Although the PowerA Advantage Wireless Controller for Nintendo Switch 2 features all of the expected inputs (including two remappable rear ones), the Start and Select buttons are tiny and positioned right at the bottom of the pad’s face, making them difficult to press.
The triggers are also quite shallow, leading to a very unsatisfying pulling motion. If that wasn’t enough, the hard plastic and abrasive texture around the tips of the thumbsticks make them uncomfortable to use over long periods of time.
These are all issues that were present with the much cheaper PowerA Advantage Switch 2 Wired Controller, but it’s much easier to forgive on a model that starts at just $39.99 / £29.99. It’s especially egregious when even super budget controllers like the $24.99 / £29.99 GameSir Nova Lite don’t suffer from anywhere near the same number of problems.
The PowerA Advantage Wireless Controller for Nintendo Switch 2 isn’t a total lost cause, though. The battery life, which can reach up to 30 hours, is strong, and its motion controls work well. You also get the option of far more interesting designs than you would find with the official offering, which is pretty neat.
PowerA Advantage Wireless Controller for Nintendo Switch 2: Price and availability
- Costs $69.99 / £49.99 (around AU$100)
- Official Pro Controller goes for $85 / £64.99
- Not strong value for money
At $69.99 / £49.99 (around AU$100), the PowerA Advantage Wireless Controller for Nintendo Switch 2 is not particularly good value for money, especially when you can find the official Pro Controller for around $15 / £15 more in either the US or UK at the time of writing.
The hollow build quality is almost identical to the significantly cheaper $39.99 / £29.99 PowerA Advantage Switch 2 Wired Controller, so I don’t understand why PowerA thought it would be appropriate to hike up the price just for the addition of wireless connectivity and motion controls.
If this controller were to cost around $49.99 / £39.99, then this would be a much more positive review – but it’s just not competitive at its asking price. This is especially true when you factor in similar costing third-party options like the 8BitDo Ultimate 2, which is far superior in terms of build and features.
The PowerA Advantage Wireless Controller for Nintendo Switch 2 is at least widely available in the US and UK via the PowerA website or retailers like Amazon.
PowerA Advantage Wireless Controller for Nintendo Switch 2: Specs
|
Price |
$69.99 / £49.99 (around AU$100) |
|
Weight |
7.8oz / 222g |
|
Dimensions |
5.88 x 4.09 x 2.44in / 149 x 104 x 62mm |
|
Compatibility |
Nintendo Switch 2, Nintendo Switch |
|
Connection type |
Wireless |
|
Battery life |
Up to 30 hours |
PowerA Advantage Wireless Controller for Nintendo Switch 2: Design and features
- Standard controller shape
- Row of buttons at the bottom
- Features remappable rear inputs
The PowerA Advantage Wireless Controller for Nintendo Switch 2 looks like your standard Nintendo Switch or Nintendo Switch 2 controller, with the usual face buttons and asymmetrical thumbstick layout. Although this controller is compatible with both systems, it features a dedicated C button like the official Nintendo Switch 2 Pro Controller.
My only real issue with the design here is the positioning of the Start and Select buttons. They’re tiny and arranged as part of a row with the Capture, Home, and C buttons that are positioned right at the bottom of the face of the controller. They’re awkward to hit as a result, and frequently required me to reposition my hands a little in order to reach them, which is a frustrating oversight. They sit above a little LED light bar, which illuminates when the controller is in use.
I tested the ‘Mario and Friends’ variant of this pad, which has a colorful Super Mario-inspired pattern. The print is high quality, and the colors are pleasant, which definitely gives this controller some edge over Nintendo’s comparatively boring Switch 2 Pro Controller in terms of looks. There is also a cute Kirby design available, or a more subdued Pokémon one. The controller is also offered in plain black if you prefer.
On the back of the pad are the two programmable rear inputs and a dedicated programming button. Unlike the Nintendo Switch 2 Pro Controller, where everything is remapped through software, this pad requires a bit of fiddling with the programming button in order to get your desired bindings set up. The process is quick and intuitive, though, so it’s hard to dock PowerA any points for it.
The company does lose marks for its choice of plastics, though, which are noticeably lower quality than those found on Nintendo’s first-party hardware. The whole controller has an almost brittle feel to it, and I don’t think it would fare well if it were dropped on a hard floor, even from a modest height.
The huge visible screw holes on the back of the controller also don’t do it any favors, lending it a very cheap appearance from behind
PowerA Advantage Wireless Controller for Nintendo Switch 2: Performance
- Uncomfortable thumbsticks
- Shallow triggers
- Otherwise fairly solid
The best thing I can say about the PowerA Advantage Wireless Controller for Nintendo Switch 2 is that it does at least function, and is still suitable for casual players or as a spare in multiplayer environments. It’s not very pleasant to use, though, thanks to a few major flaws.
Firstly, while the thumbsticks here do contain Hall effect sensors, which is good for longevity, they’re made of a hard plastic and have an abrasive texture around their tips that becomes uncomfortable for the thumbs over extended play sessions.
The controller’s triggers are also very shallow but simultaneously rather spongy and thus almost impressively unsatisfying to pull. The D-pad is pretty bad too, with a similarly spongy feel and a very flat, broad shape that makes precise inputs difficult. This is definitely not a controller that you would want to dive into a shooter or retro platformer with.
As is common with third-party Nintendo Switch 2 controllers, you also don’t get support for HD rumble or amiibo. The PowerA Advantage Wireless Controller for Nintendo Switch 2 does gain points for its motion control support, however, and I found it more than accurate enough for pointer controls in games like Super Mario Galaxy 2.
The battery life is another strong suit. PowerA claims that you can achieve up to 30 hours per charge, and I found this figure to be accurate. It’s a bit less than the staggering 40 hours offered by the Nintendo Switch 2 Pro Controller, but still among the best in the third-party scene.
Once you get used to the positioning of the Start and Select buttons, the rest of the pad is perfectly solid to use. The buttons feel decent and all work as intended, and I never experienced any issues with connectivity or pairing.
Should I buy the PowerA Advantage Wireless Controller for Nintendo Switch 2?
Buy it if…
Don’t buy it if…
Also consider…
Not pleased by what the PowerA Advantage Wireless Controller for Nintendo Switch 2 brings to the table? Here are two more premium alternatives worth weighing up.
| Row 0 – Cell 0 |
PowerA Advantage Wireless Controller for Nintendo Switch 2 |
Nintendo Switch 2 Pro Controller |
8BitDo Ultimate 2 |
|
Price |
$69.99 / £49.99 (around AU$100) |
$84.99 / £74.99 / AU$119.95 |
$69.99 / £59.99 / AU$90 (or $59.99 / £49.99 for PC-only model) |
|
Weight |
7.8oz / 222g |
8.3oz / 235g |
8.7oz / 246g |
|
Dimensions |
5.88 x 4.09 x 2.44in / 149 x 104 x 62mm |
5.8 x 4.1 x 2.4in / 148 x 105 x 60mm |
5.7 x 4.1 x 2.4in / 147 x 103 x 61mm |
|
Compatibility |
Nintendo Switch 2, Nintendo Switch |
Nintendo Switch 2 |
PC, Android (Switch/Switch 2 version sold separately) |
|
Connection type |
Wireless |
Bluetooth, USB Type-C |
2.4GHz, Bluetooth, USB Type-C |
|
Battery life |
Up to 30 hours |
Around 40 hours |
10-15 hours |
How I tested the PowerA Advantage Wireless Controller for Nintendo Switch 2
- Tested for more than two weeks
- Tried with a wide range of games
- Compared to a range of other controllers
I tested the PowerA Advantage Wireless Controller for Nintendo Switch 2 for a period of two and a half weeks. During that time, I tested a wide range of Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch 2 games, such as Mario Kart World, Super Mario Galaxy 2, Cyberpunk 2077: Ultimate Edition, Hitman World of Assassination – Signature Edition, and more.
I frequently compared my experience to my hands-on testing of other Nintendo Switch 2 peripherals, including PowerA’s own PowerA Advantage Switch 2 Wired Controller and the Nintendo Switch 2 Pro Controller.
Read more about how we test
First reviewed January 2026
