Are the Binbok Slim RGB Joy Cons Better Than The Split Pad Pro?

In this episode, we unbox and test out the Binbokslim wireless Joy-Con replacement controllers designed for the Nintendo Switch.

Some of the most common accessories for the Nintendo Switch are replacement Joy-Cons. Nintendo has offered a variety of different colors for a number of years, but third-party manufacturers also have their own take. Some manufacturers feature longer battery life, different case styles to change how it feels in the hand, others offer even more features. One of the most popular replacement Joy-Con style controllers is the Split Pad Pro from Hori. This allows you to have a larger overall grip while playing your Switch and handheld mode, however, it does not allow you to play wirelessly in docked mode at this time. I was not a fan of the Split Pad when I reviewed it here on the channel, as I thought it was far too massive and did not offer nearly enough features to justify using them as my daily driver in handheld mode.

The folks from Binbok reached out to us after a recent review of a product they thought was very similar to theirs and wanted us to check out their offering. I am always one who fosters communication and dialogues, I told them they could send me what they had and we will check it out and compare it to other products on the market.

Binbok actually offers two different replacement Joy-Cons, the slim ones that you see here and a larger set closer in size to the Split Pad Pro. They also offer them in both a black molded composite and a transparent case like what you see here. They provide features such as adjustable rumble intensity, turbo and auto fire, USB-C charging, and some really cool color changing LEDs.

Pairing to my Switch OLED was super easy, all I had to do was slide the controllers into the rails and they connected. I really appreciate this, it was so much easier than having to screw around with wireless communication for pairing. From here I adjusted some of the features such as the LED colors (I love the Super Famicom style LEDs the most) and adjusted the rumble settings. The default rumble was way too weak for my personal preference, but even at full intensity, it felt more like a buzz than a rumble. This is definitely one of the weak points of this controller.

Street Fighter is always a game that is terrific for testing out the response of an analog stick or a d-pad on the Nintendo Switch. I must admit, I don't know if it's vision issues that I've had lately or what, but I have not had good luck in testing the dragon uppercut in Street Fighter on a number of controllers. I can pull it off here and there, but not as consistently as I used to be able to. It could be my reaction time, it could be the controllers, but I did have issues pulling off the dragon uppercut using Ryu.

I've really gotten into Super Mario 3D World a lot again lately, it is such a great game. I found the analog stick to work perfectly for maneuvering around the different levels, and the face buttons on the right Joy-Con worked perfectly as well. I continued on with other games, including Gradius on the NES Online. I was able to test out both the auto fire and the rapid-fire, and while initially, I didn't activate the autofire properly, once I did, it worked flawlessly.

R-type Final 2 is a continuation of that amazing series from NIS America, and it looks and plays so amazingly well. I tried both the auto and rapid fire, but it's less beneficial in this game in my opinion. Horizon Chase Turbo is simply a great game that I love playing anytime I can. Unfortunately, the shoulder triggers are digital and not analog so I couldn't use it as a proper throttle and break, it was more of an on-off switch. Even so, I was able to navigate and negotiate around the tracks.

Why it RoX:
- Much more comfortable than the Hori Split Pad
- Can be charged via USB-C or on the Nintendo Switch itself
- I love the LEDs
- D-pad on left Joy-Con
- Good button responsiveness
- Turbo and Auto fire
- Can be used wirelessly

What could be improved:
- The rumble is not very impressive
- Lacks Amiibo support
- The breath mode for the LEDs didn't do much for me
- The clear plastic is rather slippery

Should you buy one?
If you're in the market for the Hori Split Pad Pro, but you don't like how large it is. The Binbok controllers should definitely be on your radar. I found these much more comfortable, and they simply had more features. The Binbok controllers can be used wirelessly as a Pro controller or like a Joy-Con grip as well. They can even charge via the rails on your Switch itself. For the money, if you don't need Amiibo support, these are a pretty good way to play. One disappointment was the rumble, it just isn't good. But overall, there's a lot of positive going on here that I really liked.

#Nintendo #Switch #Binbok