PowerA Enhanced Wireless Controller Review (Peely/Pikachu Garden)

The PowerA Enhanced Wireless Controller for Nintendo Switch is widely regarded as the go-to third-party controller, especially when it’s discounted in a sale. For this review, I’m looking at the Fortnite Peely and Pikachu Garden variants, designs that, while very different, both seek to satisfy different player bases.

Competitive features

For those unfamiliar with this now-legendary pad, the PowerA Enhanced Wireless Controller offers two remappable buttons on the rear — a feature that comes at a high premium for similar Xbox and PlayStation controllers — which makes it easy for players to perform functions all while keeping their thumbs locked onto the analog sticks.

Battery life is impressive, the D-pad is solid, and the analog stick controls are comparable with Nintendo’s own Pro Controller.

Pick your theme

Where PowerA stands out is with its huge number of themed designs. There are honestly too many to list. For my review, I have two new designs.

Looking first at the Fortnite design, we get a controller themed around the fan-favorite Peely character. It’s vibrant and very fun. What’s more, there’s a redeemable skin code included in the box, which is a great bonus extra for players of the game.

The other design is my new favorite PowerA theme, with Pikachu Garden bringing a more beautiful design to the Switch controller. I think it looks superb and is a real achievement.

Comfort and usability

The Enhanced Wireless Controller is a simple yet highly effective option. The back buttons are a personal highlight of mine, especially in fast-paced games like Fortnite, as are the designs on offer. Comfort is another win, too.

Third-party controllers have a reputation for “feeling bad” with poor ergonomics when compared to the official versions. Well, there’s no such issues with the Enhanced Wireless Controller, as it feels just as good as anything Nintendo has released.

Downsides

The main downsides of the Enhanced Wireless Controller are objective and fairly obvious for anyone looking at the spec sheet. There’s no NFC support for Amiibo here, nor is there any HD rumble.

The other negative point against this controller is the RRP, as it is a bit too expensive and closes the gap a little too closely to the official Nintendo options. At RRP, I’d expect a little better build quality, as the Enhanced Wireless Controller feels a little cheap in places.

Thankfully, PowerA’s pads seem to always be on sale, in some form or another, which is something that I’d definitely pounce on.

Disclosure: Review sample provided by PowerA.

Peely version available here. Pikachu Garden version available here.