PowerA Enhanced Wireless Controller with Lumectra review: premium quality yet affordable
The Nintendo Switch is often considered to be amongst the greatest video games consoles of all time. It offers great versatility, namely due to its ability to be used both docked and as a handheld when on the go.
Here comes a confession. I can probably count the instances on one hand where I’ve actually docked the Nintendo Switch. In my mind, it’s a handheld and a handheld only. I’ve never found it comfortable to play when it’s docked. The supplied handheld JoyCon Comfort Grip is, for me, not comfortable at all. It doesn’t particularly feel natural or well proportioned in my hands.
I think I may have to change my stance on how the Nintendo Switch should be used though henceforth, because I’ve had the opportunity to give PowerA’s Nintendo Switch Enhanced Wireless Controller with Lumectra a whirl and now I’m fully sold on the console’s versatile use. Finally, docked play feels comfortable and on-par with the handheld experience, completely changing up the way I use this console.
The PowerA Lumectra Enhanced Wireless Controller is set up very similarly to an Xbox controller. The analogue sticks are diagonal to one another, more than exactly adjacent like you might find on PlayStation’s DualSense. While, I confess, I prefer the layout of a DualSense controller, I’ve spent many hours on my Xbox so immediately felt at home with the PowerA Lumectra Enhanced Wireless Controller’s set-up. I could quite easily dive straight into my games without any of the inputs feeling alien to me.
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If you do yearn to personalise the experience in any way, the buttons are mappable. I can’t say this is a feature that I personally tend to make use of, but for those of you who are used to acquiring pricey pro controllers to do this, you’ll find a great cheaper alternative here.
As for the set up, guess what? That was easy too. I headed over to the Nintendo Switch’s controller menu, pressed the relevant button on the PowerA Lumectra Enhanced Wireless Controller and within seconds, I was ready to go. You don’t need to worry about downloading any particular apps or trying to activate a complicated pairing mode.
With 20 hours of battery life, the PowerA Lumectra Enhanced Wireless Controller feels like great value. While, yes, it’s for a different console, when you consider that Sony’s pricey DualSense only offers around six to 12 hours, you’re getting a lot of bang for your buck here. When you do need to charge, the generous three-metre cable means you can charge the controller and continue using it without having to sit with your nose to the screen.
What is easily my favourite feature of this controller though is the way you can customise the Lumectra-powered lighting. The controller is surrounded by an LED strip, as are the analogue sticks, d-pad, and XAYB buttons. Not only can you choose between various colour tones (blue, red, green etc), you can customise individual sections of the controller
For example, you may want a red-hued surround but to illuminate the d-pad in green and the analogue sticks in purple. These aren’t one tone colours either. Once you’ve selected a colour family, the controller makes use of a lovely ombre effect. Does this add anything to your gaming experience? Not really. Did I like how aesthetically pleasing my controller looked as it hummed with the colours of a picturesque sunset? Absolutely.
I’m yet to touch on the price. The PowerA Lumectra Enhanced Wireless Controller retails for £59.99 so it’s by no means a purchase you can make thoughtlessly. That being said, this product practically offers every feature you could want in a controller, including many you might more often see on pro or premium products. The PowerA Lumectra Enhanced Wireless Controller is worth every penny and is a great buy for those looking to step up their docked Switch experience.
A review sample was provided by PowerA. A list of retailers can be found on the PowerA website.