The Nintendo Switch Pro Controller Works On PC

The Nintendo Switch is set to launch in just a couple of days and, with it, many folks will likely be shelling out an additional $70 to snag a Pro Controller. If that price point stings a bit, though, we've learned that the Pro will also work on a PC, so consider that an added bonus.

Yes, we know, both the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 controllers work on PC too, and they cost a good $10 cheaper than Nintendo's Pro Controller for the Switch. Still, if Nintendo is going to charge $70 for the thing, at least it will work on your home computer, too. We're still not sure why there's a premium on the things, but we suppose Nintendo has gotta be Nintendo.

This latest finding comes to us from Polygon, who came across a Youtube video posted by DreWoof. The video shows the Pro controller working perfectly fine on a PC with no lag, though there are a couple of caveats.

In the video, we see DreWoof booting up Super Smash Bros. Melee on his computer before going into a match. He tools around as Link for a while, showing that he's got everything mapped to various buttons and, yep, Smash works the way it is supposed to. DreWoof goes on to say that, after testing, he's confident the Switch Pro Controller works with pretty much anything that needs a gamepad.

But what about those caveats we mentioned? Well, for starters, the controller has to connect through Bluetooth rather than USB, and it can't charge and play games at the same time. That seems like a weird quirk, but it hopefully won't be too frustrating for those who decide to make a Pro Controller their go-to controller for PC gaming.

The other issue, which is likely to have a far more serious impact on certain gamers, is the fact that the triggers are not analog. Yes, we realize that this is basically a standard feature for any half-decent controller these days but, again, Nintendo is Nintendo. What this means for racing fans, for instance, is that you've basically got two speeds: Go and no-go. Analog triggers allow players to more precisely control aspects of their game, such as determining how much gas you want to give it in a racing game. Again, it's a weird thing to leave out, but there you have it. If you aren't playing a lot of games that require that kind of control on your PC, you'll probably never even notice it's missing.

As the original report points out, the controller uses DirectInput, so there's no support for XInput as of now. While there are workarounds available, we imagine that will be addressed more directly once the controller actually hits the market.