Review unit sent by Nyxi
Every time I boot up my Switch to play Smash Bros I always wished my Gamecube controller could do two things, boot up the Switch from the controller and for it to have good wireless. The Nyxi Wizard promises to be just that, but does it deliver everything it promises?
My Verdict
I evaluated this controller on the basis of it being a good Smash Bros controller because I think that’s the only reason the Gamecube controller still holds any relevance today. From that perspective, I don’t think the Nyxi Wireless is good enough for anyone who cares playing Smash. The buttons, shape and wireless performance fall short of a true Gamecube controller experience. The Nyxi Wireless is strictly for retro Gamecube gaming or casual Smash Bros.
Pros
- Backlit buttons
- Lots of customization
- Gamecube controller design is there
Cons
- Bulky design
- Higher latency
- Bad d-pad
- Light build quality
Almost like a Gamecube controller
Nyxi tried their darndest to capture the look of the OG Gamecube controller and I think they’ve done a great job from an appearance standpoint. The purple and spice orange definitely spark that nostalgia in me.
The shape of the controller feels quite a bit larger than the Gamecube and has more of that Wavebird chin.
The Nyxi Wizard can be split up into joycons with a middle plastic part that holds the rails together. The controller has a weird charging set up with each joy con being chargeable via USB-C, but the default middle rail doesn’t have a charging port to charge both sides at once. My review unit had a second middle rail with the charging port, so I’m not sure what the point of having both is. The two halves can also be charged via the switch rails like normal joy cons.
Sticks
The sticks are the best aspect of the Nyxi Wizard to me, both sticks are Hall Effect, which should mean that the Wizard is quite drift resilient. The stand out feature though is the swappable nature of the sticks and the gates of the controller. Swapping out the stick is easy, just rotate the ring counter clockwise to release.
The Nyxi Wizard comes with a selection of thumb sticks and gates. Obviously, being a Smash player, i chose the 8 way gates with the short nub C-stick. The sticks generally feel great.
Buttons & D-Pad
The d-pad is straight up bad, it’s stiff with little to no travel and a mushy bottom out. I don’t think anyone should try to play any retro games with this controller given the state of its d-pad.
The main ABXY buttons feel good with a snappy response. The position of the buttons are well placed and feel the same as the Gamecube controller. But the X and Y buttons are as tall as the original, I’m finding my muscle memory for the Gamecube controller didn’t translate. The buttons are backlit which is a welcome addition.
The back buttons on the controller are a nice addition, though I do find myself hitting them by accident here and there. The back buttons can be programmed for either a single button press or a macro which is all recorded on the controller.
There are two turbo button toggle at the bottom of each side of controller allowing you to spam a button without having to press repeatedly.
Handheld Mode
The handheld mode works quite well and is a welcome improvement in ergonomics and button feel over the joy cons if you care about a more precise handheld gaming session. The Nyxi Wizard’s rails slide into the Switch with little issue.
Latency
Unfortunately, the Nyxi Wizard is laggier than a wired Gamecube controller or a Switch Pro controller. This is not a perfect scientific test by any means, but I hit both buttons on each controller at the same time, meaning the 2 Mario’s with the same frame data should clank. The Nyxi Wizard was consistently behind compared to a wired Gamecube controller and a wireless Pro Controller. I even switch hands to make sure my left wasn’t laggier than my right, same deal.
The Wizard won’t cut it for any competitive Smash Bros.
