Options are never a bad thing. Over the years, different peripheral manufacturers have made sure that console makers can never rest on their laurels, often besting and improving on the official controller designs by adding extra features or updating the technology within them. The new wireless Turtle Beach Rematch controller focuses more on providing a similar experience to the Switch Pro Controller, while cutting into Nintendo’s fairly steep asking price. In this case, however, it’s not a steep enough price cut for the reduction in quality.
I’ve loved many of Turtle Beach’s most recent controllers, from the Stealth Ultra Pro to the Stealth Pivot. They’re doing things differently and bringing new features to bear that have a real-world use case. The Rematch slightly glows in the dark. Fundamentally, its looks are its best feature, with its green and purple Mario-toting livery very pleasing to the eye, and certainly bright enough to stand out next to all those bland black and grey controllers you’ll find elsewhere. The glow-in-the-dark effect isn’t really bright enough to warrant its inclusion, and it’s not applied to the buttons, which are, surely, the most important thing you’d want to glance at in the dark.
The top shell is made from a great-feeling soft-touch plastic, to lift the experience somewhat, but the lightly-textured purple underside doesn’t carry that through, and you get two, very different, sensations when you’re holding the controller in your hands.
Designed with the original Switch in mind, the Rematch works with both of Nintendo’s consoles, though it lacks the Switch 2’s C button for opening up GameChat. That’s not the biggest problem when it’s accessible via the central menu, but it’s odd to release it at the same time as the Switch 2 without the new console’s full functionality. For all that it feels like an omission, that’s balanced out by an impressive 40 hours of battery life, which makes the Rematch a very easy controller to live with.
The most immediately gratifying aspect of the Rematch are its well-tuned analogue sticks. They feel great in use, with a nice level of tautness, and a quick return to centre. Now, that’s balanced with the disappointing fact that these are not Hall Effect or TMR type sticks, meaning they’re using the old style of stick tech that has a far higher chance of wearing out. When other manufacturers, Gamesir in particular, are putting out similarly priced hardware, with improved analogue sticks, it feels like Turtle Beach are a step behind with the Rematch.
As the Rematch is targeted as an entry-level pro-styled device, it’s little surprise to find the inclusion of two additional grip inputs, the flared, decently-sized buttons sitting easily beneath your middle fingers, and activating reassuringly with a press or even just a squeeze of the grip. They feel great in use, and are a real boon to players looking for an edge in competitive games.
Unfortunately, the rest of the inputs don’t feel as good. The main face buttons are overly firm, and feel a fraction too high, making them feel slower in use. The digital triggers maintain some of that firmness, but they also make a slightly loose clacking sound that lends a sense of cheapness each time you use them. The shoulder buttons, at least, are fine, and benefit from activation across their entire length, but no interaction with the Rematch makes it feel as if this is a £50 controller.
There’s a lot of alternatives out there. If you own a Switch 2, the official Switch Pro Controller 2 is an easy choice, and while it’s more expensive, the overall build, the inclusion of a 3.5mm headphone socket, and the console-level customisation for the grip inputs, are streets ahead of what the Rematch offers. As mentioned before, Gamesir is the current champion of this category, and both the Cyclone 2 and Super Nova are fantastic. They’re fully featured pro controllers, with Hall Effect Sticks, better-feeling inputs, and a charging stand, and they come in at more or less the same price as the Rematch. The only downside is the need for an additional dongle that the Rematch doesn’t need.