Horipad Turbo review: goes above and beyond as a budget controller option for Switch
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Horipad Turbo: One Minute Comment
It’s hard to find good Nintendo switch controller Price is $30/£30. Often, budget gamepads around this point don’t feel great at all, and often have build quality, which is insufficient. That’s why I was surprised by the Horipad Turbo, a budget switch controller that certainly has some logos of cheap mats, but managed to make up for it in other key areas.
Obviously, some compromises have been made to keep the cost low. The Horipad Turbo does feel light and a little hollow in the hand. This is a strict wired controller, arguably the basic functions of the gyroscope, such as aiming, vibration or reproducible rear buttons. Nor am I the biggest fan of its simple, mushy D-Pad.
But Horipad Turbo gets most other things where it matters. Its thumbs and buttons feel great, and its satisfying direct digital trigger is perfect for Best Nintendo Switch Games. The nominal turbo feature is also very effective and is very robust with three different input settings.
Offer options for inspired formally licensed fats Extremely good Mario and this The Legend of Zelda The series, obviously, makes the Horipad Turbo an attractive budget option. If you are interested in buying a new Nintendo Switch Controller, then, but no funds can be splashed Nintendo Switch Pro Controller or 8bitdo ultimateI highly recommend using Horipad Turbo instead.
Horipad Turbo: Price and Availability
- $29.99 / £29.99
- There are three colors
- Availability in the UK seems to be very limited
Horipad Turbo is available for purchase at $29.99/£29.99. In the United States, it is available on Hori’s own website as Amazon. Unfortunately, tracking in the UK is much more difficult. Here, Hori’s website currently has no inventory, and retailers like Amazon have limited listings (although there are often high prices below the retail price).
Horipad Turbo can be used in three different colors. There is a standard black version, and more exotic materials The Legend of Zelda and Super Mario. These don’t cost any extra money either, so you’re free to choose the one that suits your taste best without creating a bigger dent in your wallet.
However, before you decide to pull the trigger, I also recommend that you check it out Gamesir Nova Lite. The controller is priced at $24.99 / £29.99 and is widely available in both regions. It also made some key upgrades to the Horipad Turbo, including Hall effect Stick and wireless connection. However, it still lacks the aim of the gyroscope.
Horipad Turbo: Specifications
|
price |
$29.99 / £29.99 |
|
aspect |
6.1 x 4.7 x 2.5 inches / 155 x 119 x 64mm |
|
weight |
0.77 lbs/ 0.35kg |
|
Connection type |
Wired (USB) |
|
compatibility |
Nintendo Switch, PC |
|
software |
N/A. |
Horipad Turbo: Design and Features
- Lightweight, but certainly uncomfortable
- Standard asymmetric layouts such as switch professional controllers
- Too mushy D-Pad
Horipad Turbo is perfect for advertising (well, except for one thing I touched on in the performance section below). The box contains a wired controller, a command manual, and that’s it. No fancy extra extra extra extra thumbs, carry a box or all jazz. But this is expected for gamepads that are firmly placed within the budget price range.
The controller itself is of course budget, plastic feels, and is very lightweight. As a result, it was almost listless in the hands. However, this is not to say that holding the controller is unpleasant. While lacking textured grip, in the Nintendo Switch Pro controller, it is comfortable enough and easy to maintain a firm grip while playing games.
Both the stick and the face buttons feel great, and the bumper, while a little short, is still enough. Digital ZL and ZR Triggers are the real stars of the show, and the news released directly is perfect for the vast majority of first-party Nintendo Switch game libraries.
When it comes to the main features of Horipad Turbo, the clue’s name is. Its turbo function allows for quick input by simply pressing the button assigned to it.
To do this, simply place the turbo button in the center of the game board, followed by the face button of your choice. There are options for 5, 10 and 20 inputs per second. So you might find a simpler, arcade-like title in the Nintendo Switch online retro library. I prefer to be able to quickly fire the bullet in the game Blaster Master and Super R-type? Turbo buttons can help scratch some difficulties while keeping your thumb completely free of blisters.
The controller’s 10-foot (3M) cable is industry standard, but it’s really bigger than I’d like because of its unbraided. The D-Pad is also a real disappointment here. First, it’s really thin, making the touch of angle input harder than needed. The press is also very mushy, which leads to a very unsatisfactory gaming experience. If you can, stick to those simulated sticks for exercise.
Horipad Turbo: Performance
- Fully responded in every aspect
- Working on PC and Nintendo Switch
- Missing features include rumble and gyroscope aiming
Horipad Turbo Nintendo switch and Nintendo Switch OLED model. You won’t get PlayStation or Xbox functionality here, but the controller is compatible with your PC. This is not mentioned on Hori’s website or the box itself, but I was able to connect the controller to my PC via USB and it’s no doubt here.
That said, I think Horipad Turbo is more suitable for that conversion than just because of those officially licensed fats. It has a “reverse” face-style button layout of the switch (X/Y, A/B swaps from a typical Xinput layout), and its digital triggers are perfect for gaming libraries where pressure-sensitive triggers have never really been needed.
As a result, it fits well with several games I tested, including Super Mario Odyssey, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, and The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom – Regularly use all games that quickly trigger the press. Although these two Zelda and Splatoon 3,,,,, Of course I regret the insufficient maternity and gynecology here. In fact, there is no rumble, although overall a sabotage, it is also a shame.
Should I buy a Horipad Turbo?
If…buy it
if…
Consider also…
The Horipad Turbo is a reliable controller, but if you are pursuing a new Nintendo Switch gaming board, you may also want to consider these budget-friendly options.
| Line 0 – Unit 0 |
Horipad Turbo |
Gamesir Nova Lite |
8bitdo ultimate c |
|
price |
$29.99 / £29.99 |
$24.99 / £29.99 |
$29.99 / £24.99 |
|
aspect |
6.1 x 4.7 x 2.5 inches / 155 x 119 x 64mm |
6.1 x 4.1 x 2.4 inches / 155 x 104 x 61mm |
5.8 x 4.1 x 2.4 inches / 147 x 104 x 61mm |
|
weight |
0.77 lbs/ 0.35kg |
0.66 lbs/0.3kg |
0.45 lbs/0.2kg |
|
Connection type |
Wired (USB) |
Wireless (2.4GHz, Bluetooth), wired (USB Type-C) |
Wireless (Bluetooth), Wired (USB Type-C) |
|
compatibility |
Nintendo Switch, PC |
Nintendo Switch, PC, Android, iOS |
Nintendo Switch, PC, Android, iOS |
How do I test Horipad Turbo
- Tested in a week
- Mainly played some PCs on Nintendo Switch
- Compare and mainly compare with Gamesir Nova Lite
I tested this review by Horipad Turbo for about a week. During that time, I tried the game board, which included Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, Super Mario Odyssey, Stars chain, and The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. I also put the Turbo button through its pace by playing various suitable retro titles on the Nintendo Switch Online. These include Blaster Master, Ninja Gaiden, Mario Party 3, and Super R-type.
I also spent some time comparing the Horipad Turbo to the Gamesir Nova Lite, which I think is the closest budget equivalent. I do prefer Gamesir’s controller due to the Hall effect stick and wireless connectivity options. But the Horipad Turbo is not far away, with similar build quality and good turbo buttons. However, both controllers lack gyroscope aiming, which is a bit shameful.
First reviewed February 2025
