Looks / Aesthetics
I know form should always follow function, but the first impression for a gaming accessory will always be visual. And when it comes to looks, the NYXI Hyperion Pro is a winner. These joycons, obviously inspired by the Nintendo Gamecube, are very sharp. The purple color is NYXI’s second color variant (green being their first), and this one improves on the overall look in my opinion. I dig the white left-stick vs. the yellow right-stick, and I absolutely love the red B-button and green A-button. Verdict: WINNER
Hyperion Pro Tour: Face Buttons
The Hyperion Pro has RGB LEDs (more on that later), and this feature extends to the face buttons. They are made of a clear plastic material, and are lighted from behind via LED which really brings out the different colors in the A and B buttons. The buttons are slightly rounded, spaced apart very well, and are big enough that someone with larger hands will be very comfortable using them. Build quality here is top notch – the buttons all have zero pre- or post-travel, making them very accurate to press. While I wouldn’t describe them as clicky, they certainly aren’t mushy either. If I had to use one word to describe them, it would be solid. Verdict: WINNER.
Hyperion Pro Tour: D-Pad
This one’s a bit tricky, and I think opinions will vary widely depending on what kind of games you typically play. First, I will say that this is a well-built D-Pad. It doesn’t float around, and it’s very accurate. I’ve seen some independent joy-con models where, when you press down on the D-Pad, left or right register at the same time, making the D-Pad almost unusable. That’s not the case with the Hyperion Pro. The D-Pad is accurate, solid, clicky, and stiff, and that’s where some people may have a problem with it. The D-Pad is quite stiff – so much that you might feel fatigue if you really like retro games that rely on the D-Pad rather than the left stick. Is this a major gripe? No, but it’s something worth noting, and also something that might wear in over time. Verdict: DEPENDS
Hyperion Pro Tour: Bumpers and Triggers
I was very pleased with both the bumpers and trigger buttons on the Hyperion Pro. They were even and consistent from left to right joy-con. The bumpers have no pre- or post-travel and and feel very clicky, resulting in very accurate performance while gaming. The triggers were equally accurate, given they too had no pre- or post-travel. When you lightly tap them, they don’t move at all, which is something I look for in a good Switch trigger button. They aren’t very clicky at all – if I had to describe them in a concise manner, I’d have to say they are firm, yet smooth. They just feel solid and perform very well. Verdict: WINNER
Hyperion Pro Tour: Back Buttons
The back buttons are the mushiest of all the buttons on the Hyperion Pro. There is a small amount of travel before and after the button engages, which may be a problem for someone who relies heavily on the macro features of this controller and needs them to be very precise. This is not a priority for me, so I don’t see this as a huge negative here. But, for me, button placement was not ideal. I know everyone has different hand sizes, and these back buttons might work really well for other players. For me, they sit right at my ring finger, if not maybe a quarter inch too high. This causes me to either use my ring finger to press them, or to stretch my middle finger down to press them. Neither situation felt very comfortable for me, but again, I don’t find that I use the macro buttons at all when I play. So this really wasn’t a negative for me, but your experience may differ. Verdict: DEPENDS
Hyperion Pro Tour: Joysticks
This is another mixed bag, at least for me. First, the positive – NYXI uses hall effect sticks on their Hyperion Pro. Hall effect joysticks use magnets and electrical conductors to measure their position, distance and movement. Because of this, they will not drift. In my mind, this provides huge peace of mind, as that is a major complaint of the original joy-cons. The sticks are very sensitive and highly accurate. They have almost no dead zone in the center – that is, they start registering almost immediately once you move them from dead center. So, in terms of build quality and mechanical performance, these sticks are wonderful.
Get a Grip!
The biggest issue I had with the joysticks here is the material choice, and perhaps the physical design of the cap itself. NYXI uses a plastic TPU material for their sticks. This material, by its very nature, is quite slippery. The sticks feature a slightly concave top surface, paired with a fairly sharp top edge and a textured ring along the edge of the cap. I found that, while playing, my thumb was floating around the joystick quite a bit, causing me to apply more pressure in order to maintain accuracy. Playing with undue pressure over time is going to cause players to experience discomfort and fatigue. For me, this was a big negative.
I alleviated this issue by applying a pair of Skull & Co. convex thumb grip caps to the Hyperion Pro sticks. They fit, albeit just barely. The caps solve the two biggest issues with the joysticks – they remove the sharp edge, and provide a grippy convex surface over the entire top of the joystick. Once applied, the Hyperion Pro felt like a completely different product, as all of the discomfort in my left thumb was gone. If you are considering purchasing the Hyperion Pro, save yourself the trouble and just order the Skull & Co. caps at the same time.
If I’m being honest, it just bothers me that this product requires an additional purchase to make it usable. I would highly recommend a reboot of the joysticks in both design and material. The sticks are removable, and NYXI’s website states that they are replaceable, so this should be an easily remedied problem with a Joystick 2.0. Verdict: NOT FOR ME
Hyperion Pro Tour: RGB LEDs
The Hyperion Pro features RGB LED’s around both joysticks and in a vertical line near the rail. They have to ability to cycle through several colors (red, yellow, blue, green, purple, orange, white, and rainbow), as well as the ability to “breath” by fading and cycling through the colors. These are independent left vs. right, meaning you could have the left controller on a solid white while the right controller is “breathing.” I honestly have never been a big fan of RGB in any of my gaming hardware, but these just look awesome. If you had asked me which color I would like most before trying them, I probably would have said white or nothing. But I find the rainbow setting just looks so nice on the purple controller.
To change color on each controller, hold the turbo button and press the stick in, then let go. Doing so will change to the next color and end with the rainbow option. Holding turbo and double-clicking the stick will enable the “breathing” mode, where the controller will automatically fade in and out of each color. To turn the LEDs off, hold turbo and double-click the stick while it is in “breathing” mode. You can also hold turbo and move the stick up and down to change the brightness on each controller.
The best use of the LEDs is to light up the face buttons. They look SO good, particularly the green and red buttons. They truly are an eye-catcher, and they make the controller look so very premium. Verdict: WINNER
Extras
The NYXI Hyperion Pro features Turbo, Button Swap, and Macros, and they all just work really well. You can assign any button to turbo mode quickly and easily. You can assign an auto-turbo mode, where the controller will spam a button without you touching it. The back buttons have the ability to function as any button on the same controller. For example, if D-Pad Up brings up the map in the game you’re playing, as you’d rather use the back button to do so, it’s very easy to assign it as such. You can also assign macros to the back buttons, where pressing the back button will execute a string of button presses. These functions make certain games so much easier and more enjoyable. Verdict: WINNER
Comfort
In short, the NYXI Hyperion Pro controllers are a joy to hold! When attached to the Switch, they give the console a slightly trapezoidal shape. For players with medium to large hands, this places the largest part of the grip right in the palm of your hand, allowing your thumbs to sit very naturally on the left stick and face buttons, while not overly stretching to reach the D-Pad and right stick. Everything on the front of the controller is placed exactly where it should be, and it just works! I can honestly say that this is the most comfortable way to play the Switch that I’ve ever experienced. Verdict: WINNER
Final Thoughts
The NYXI Hyperion Pro controller for the Nintendo Switch offers a compelling blend of aesthetics and functionality. While its design draws inspiration from the iconic Nintendo Gamecube controller, the Hyperion Pro introduces modern features like RGB LEDs and customizable buttons. The controller’s face buttons and triggers excel in terms of build quality and responsiveness, though the stiffness of the D-Pad and the slippery material of the joysticks may pose issues for some users. Despite these concerns, the controller’s comfortable grip and additional features such as Turbo and Macros enhance the gaming experience. Overall, the NYXI Hyperion Pro presents a visually appealing and feature-rich option for Switch enthusiasts, delivering on both style and substance.
For more information, or to purchase a Hyperion Pro controller for the Nintendo Switch, please visit NYXI’s website, visit their Facebook page, or check them out on Twitter. To see more of our joy-con reviews, as well as our other accessory reviews, be sure to visit our Handheld Gaming Community Accessory review page!
