There are tons of Nintendo Switch controllers out there - some more popular than others
- but there is a new one that is taking the entire gaming world by storm.
It’s the NYXI Wizard Wireless Joy-Pad.
The main reason for all the excitement is that it looks and feels like something we
know and love.
Something we’re very familiar with…it's the good ol’ GameCube controller!
The Wizard is a GameCube-style controller for the Nintendo Switch that can either be
used wirelessly with the Switch or attached to the console in place of your regular Joy-Con.
However, the excitement doesn’t just stop at it’s form factor.
The Wizard is packed with tons of cool features like hall effect joysticks so there’ll be
no drifting, illuminated A-B-X-Y buttons, removable joysticks and replaceable joystick
rings, the ability to be used as a wireless controller or as Joy-Con attached to the Switch
and adjustable turbo and mapping functions as well as a 6-axis gyro for motion controls.
The Wizard controller here is definitely rich with features however, it isn’t perfect.
Throughout this video, I hope to share with you everything that you need to know about
this new controller - from its pros to its cons - and ultimately help you decide if it’s
right for you.
Before we get started on that though, let’s rewind to a quick unboxing and setup!
Ok so when you get the NYXI Wizard Joypad, you’ll notice that it arrives nicely packaged.
Inside, you’ll find the controller itself, 2 joystick rings that can swapped with the
ones on the controller, some documentation and a USB-C charging cable.
The Wizard is a very light controller.
That's the first thing that surprised me.
In fact, it’s a lot lighter than you would except it to be.
Part of the reason for this is that the controller is mostly made of plastic.
It does have a plasticky feel to it but it doesn’t feel cheap.
The controller can be used like this wirelessly with your Switch or attached to your Switch
like a pair of Joy-Con.
This makes your Switch setup absolutely massive but it makes for a unique experience.
Like who would have thought back in the day that we'd get to use a GameCube-style controller
like this.
It's pretty cool!
The buttons on the Wizard are also quite nice.
They’re all smooth and feel great when you press them.
To me, only the A button has a bit of a mushy feel to it.
The triggers are also nice and clicky.
They don't have has much travel as the original GameCube controller but they're still good.
I’ll do a comparison of the button sounds and feels between the Wizard and the original
GameCube controller later on in this video.
One of the cool features that the Wizard offers is turbo functionality, which is pretty cool
and is surprisingly easy to setup.
It's a great way to program some tricky combos to use in a flash.
You also have the ability to setup macros.
The Wizard let's you remap buttons anywhere, including to the two buttons on the back of
the controller.
These are both awesome features that I found to be easy to use and easy to setup.
They can definitely kick things up to a whole new level.
Another unique feature this controller offers is the ability to easily remove the joysticks
and the joystick rings around them.
The controller comes with 4 of them in total so you can swap them in and out anytime to
better suit the game that you’re playing.
It's super easy to remove these anytime you want.
All of this aside, I know a lot of you guys are wondering how this controller is for Super
Smash Bros. It’s actually pretty good for it!
Since it has a similar feel to a GameCube controller, it makes for an experience that
feels familiar but at the same time feels different.
The reason I say this is because the shape of this controller feels familiar but the
buttons aren't exactly the same.
It's very close to the original but not quite the same.
For casual fun Smash Bros, this controller is awesome, it works really well.
I don't see this being a controller pros would use though, especially with the turbo functionality.
Time will tell how it holds up with intense use but so far it has been going strong.
The Wizard is a great controller for Smash all things considered.
I was surprised how much I enjoyed using the Switch in handheld mode with these.
I thought it would be weird at first - and it was - but once I got used to it, it was
really nice.
It felt natural.
These things definitely make the Switch huge but the comfort and feel that they offer is
amazing.
I really like it.
One of the things that I was surprised to find out though is that the Wizard does have
rumble built in which is a cool touch.
Many controllers like this opt to skip out on adding rumble entirely but the Wizard has
it and it has good rumble at that.
It's not too over the top or anything like that.
In my opinion, it's just the right amount.
As far as battery life goes, the Wizard is just ok.
It’s rated at 8 hours of playtime per charge so battery life isn’t the greatest here.
Compared to the 70 hours that you get with official Switch Pro Controller or even the
20 hours that regular Joy-Con offer, the Wizard is quite low.
The good news is that you don’t have to worry about this when you have them attached
to you’re Switch so if you’re mainly using them that way, this isn’t a biggie.
If you aren’t, each piece of the controller has a USB-C port to power them up when you’re
low.
Now I think it’s time for a comparison between the Wizard and the original GameCube controller…3,
2, 1.
Here we go!
Ok so here we are with a quick comparison between the original GameCube controller and
the NYXI Joy-Pad now this is an original launch day GameCube controller so it's over 20 years
old.
Nonetheless, it's one of my favorite controllers of all time and I just want to do a little
comparison showcasing the difference in the buttons and things like that.
So first let's start things off with the trigger buttons [GameCube trigger button test] on
to the NYXI [NYXI Wizard trigger button test] you can hear they are much more clicky then
on the original GameCube controller.
Move on to the regular buttons [GameCube button test] over to the NYXI [NYXI Wizard button
test] feels kind of similar not quite the same.
On to the joysticks [NYXI joystick test] over to the original GameCube [GameCube joystick
test] C-stick is definitely different but the main stick here feels a little similar.
Nonetheless, the NYXI here is a great homage to the original GameCube controller that we
know and love.
It's not exactly the same, the buttons are different but this does do a good job replicating
the feel of this original classic controller.
So is the NYXI Wizard Wireless Joy-Pad worth it?
I would say yes!
I like this controller a lot.
If you like GameCube-styled controllers, I think you’ll love this thing too.
The Wizard is an awesome controller that feels familiar and has a ton of great features packed
inside.
I wouldn’t say this controller is great for competitive Smash or anything like that
but I would say it’s more than perfect for casual, fun gaming.
The hall effect joystick is great for eliminating any type of drift, the buttons are smooth
and feel nice, the triggers are clicky and responsive, the turbo functionality is cool,
it’s super easy to swap out the joysticks and rings around them if you want and overall,
it’s just a comfortable controller to hold in your hands.
However, as good as it is, it isn’t perfect.
Like I mentioned a few times, your Switch becomes huge when the Wizard is attached,
the build quality is kind of plasticky and battery life isn’t the best with about 8
hours of playtime so yeah it could definitely be better.
If you can live with its faults, the Wizard is an awesome controller to have around for
your Switch - especially if you’re a fan of the GameCube!
So that’s about all I got for this video my friends!
I hope you enjoyed it and found out helpful.
If you did and you liked what you saw, you know the drill, be sure to give it a thumbs
up and hit that subscribe button because it always helps out the channel.
Also, don’t forget to follow @raystrazdas on Twitter and Instagram for much more!
Until the next one, I will catch you guys later.
Peace!