It is my belief that every Nintendo system needs a proper D-pad. I feel so strongly about this, in fact, that I one took apart my original Joy-cons and reassembled them in new shells in order to satisfy my burning desire for a good crosskey. While that project was mostly a success, I found myself not entirely happy with my custom Joy-cons. Plus, after all my inexperienced tinkering, I genuinely didn’t feel comfortable bringing them on a plane.

There was another option though, a third-party peripheral made by HORI, available in Japan. I was familiar with HORI from devices they’d made in the past, and knew they had a good reputation for high-quality products. (I actually still have HORI’s Game Boy Player Digital Controller, which was always my favorite way to play Capcom Vs. SNK 2:EO on GameCube back in the day.) And hey, at $25, HORI’s D-pad Joy-con seemed like a pretty good deal.

One potential problem though: Initial reviews of the HORI D-Pad Controller complained of its substantial drain on the Switch’s battery life. That would really suck the appeal out of a handheld-only peripheral. However, as of Sept 2018, that issue had been completely resolved with a Switch firmware update. Having now used the device quite a lot by this point, I can confirm that battery drain is not a problem.

When I visited Japan in July 2019, the HORI Joy-con was on the top of my shopping list. Or perhaps it was #2—I was pretty obsessed with picking up a copy of Nintendo Puzzle Collection for GameCube. After perusing Sapporo’s game stores, I found precisely what I was looking for.

Here’s the thing about the HORI D-Pad Controller: it has no internal battery. This means it will work in handheld mode only. Unlike a regular Joy-con, it has no bluetooth, no rumble, no motion controls, and doesn’t even have those little SL and SR buttons (since it can’t use them). This also makes the Joy-con surprisingly lightweight. Honestly, it feels almost hollow.

So this device is not a full replacement of the left Joy-con you already have. Especially if you play with two Joy-cons cradled, Pro Controller-style. And it also won’t work as an individual Joy-con held sideways, of course. If you’re like me though, then you probably have a dedicated controller for playing in docked mode.

My 2019 Japan shopping. (Omiyage not pictured.) — My 2019 Japan shopping. (*Omiyage* not pictured.)

Perhaps you use Nintendo’s own Pro Controller, or a GameCube controller. Or maybe you prefer a third party option, like any of the quality controllers from 8bitdo. (I generally use the SN30 Pro+, myself.) With docked mode taken care of, you simply need a D-pad solution for handheld mode.

And when it comes to gaming on the go, HORI’s D-pad Joy-con works incredibly well! My only real complaint here is that the Screenshot button is a little hard to press, and that’s about as trivial as it gets. This is definitely a quality device.

Despite criticism from some reviewers that the D-pad is “mushy”, I think it actually feels great. The crosskey is made of a softer, more rubber-like material, but it’s perfectly responsive in use. Plus, the softer material is easier on the thumb after a long sessions of Street Fighter. Having converted my own Joy-con to a D-pad setup, I must admit that this is far superior to my own efforts. Don’t believe the naysayers, this D-pad is excellent.

To sum up, I highly recommend the HORI D-Pad Controller. It’s cheap, lightweight, and feels great to use. Just keep in mind that it has limitations—this thing will only work when it’s attached to the side of your Switch—and you’ll have a great time playing 2D titles on your next flight. In North America, the D-Pad Controller is offered in Super Mario, Zelda, and Pokémon (Pikachu) variations, all available on Amazon. However, my plain blue one appears to be limited to Japan.