If you’re a gamer (and you probably are!) it’s likely because you think playing games is fun. You know what’s not fun? Carpal tunnel syndrome.  Your family complaining about your game or television’s volume isn’t great either. Dropping your handheld console and picking it up to realize it’s damaged? Not the best experience.

Comfort Grips

There are accessories that solve or greatly reduce the incidence of such issues! What’s more, they can significantly improve your gaming experience in the process, and many of them are surprisingly affordable. Those featured today are licensed by Nintendo. Voiding your warranty is not a fear, here!

One type of accessory that is near and dear to these potatoes’ starchy hearts is the comfort grip. Ever since finding a cozy, densely squishy grip called Dream Gear for the 3DS (comes in multiple colours and reduces the chance of the 3DS being damaged if dropped) these potato gamers have been big fans.

The Switch already has many comfort grip options too, including colourful rubbery ones like the Dream Gear for 3DS. This time, we chose the firmer GoPlay Grip for the angled hand holds.  It offers less protection, but makes handheld gaming a joy. It keeps your wrist position straighter and your grip more secure due to the shape and texture of the rubberized hold. The joy-cons can be removed easily with the grip still attached so that you can use it as a stand to play in tabletop mode. If you decide to get the packaged set, the grip will also come with a carrying case which the Switch will fit into even with the grip still on.

Comfort grips can be great for anyone, allowing you to hold the system in a more comfortable way, but tend to be especially helpful for those of us with bigger or longer hands. Portable gaming suddenly feels so much better. These spuds are in love!

Audio Controller

Released for sale very recently is also the first integrated audio controller.  It has an audio jack, into which you could plug earphones or even a full headset (if using an integrated voice chat feature as in Fortnite). In shape and layout, it is nearly identical to Nintendo’s own pro-controller, though it is a third of the price. 

Keep in mind that it cannot be played wirelessly, and it doesn’t use rumble or motion controls. If those features are important to the games you play most, PDP’s Faceoff Deluxe+ audio wired controller probably isn’t for you. But if you want to be able to play your Switch docked and still keep the sound to yourself in crisp quality, and at whatever volume you like, this isn’t a controller to overlook.  It also comes in 4 colour options.

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These are just the accessories we’ve tried ourselves…there is an entire world of options out there to let you customize your playing experience and improve your physical comfort at the same time.  If you know of any gems, or discover new ones, please tell us about them!

We’re sure the upcoming Nintendo Switch Lite will also soon have a plethora of great accessories. You can even pre-order the Lite itself right now!