Skip to main content

NES-themed Joy-Cons cost half as much as the Switch itself

nintendo switch joy con nes retro switchnes02
Image used with permission by copyright holder
In these troubled times when Switch shortages are leading to hefty pricing for Nintendo’s current flagship console, the only real silver lining is that accessories don’t seem quite as expensive in comparison. Still, the NES-themed Joy-Con controllers from Colorware are not cheap. Putting an order in for a pair will set you back $200.

Coloware offers a number of different controllers and system skins, with a wide color palette to choose from, each offering a unique look for a system. With the Joy-Con Classic design though, Coloware has gone decidedly retro, hearkening back to the days of gaming’s past, with two controllers that look very much like the classic NES controller.

Recommended Videos

The main body of the Joy-Cons are classic NES gray, with a black backdrop for the buttons and joysticks themselves. The main buttons are of course red, and designated with little indicators alongside their diagonal layout. The D-Pad face buttons have also been given a light-gray surround to make them look much more like the D-Pad of old.

Please enable Javascript to view this content

The Joy-Con Classic controllers cost $200 at the point of ordering and have all of the abilities of the standard Joy-Cons, as well as having a unique look. They also come with a Colorware warranty, which covers them for 12 months after purchase.

This isn’t the first time Colorware has launched a retro-themed controller or system. It also sells a “PlayStation 4 Pro Retro,” which features a PSX-style grey paint job and classic PlayStation Logo in its center, as well as controller indicators much like the original PlayStation console. There’s even a Dualshock 4 controller made with the classic gray styling of its predecessors. It can be purchased separately, though one does come with the retro PS4 Pro as well.

Neither are cheap, though. The Retro PS4 will set you back a whopping $900, while the retro Dualshock controller has a price tag of $120.

Of course, you don’t need to use Colorware products to make your system look retro. When it comes to the Nintendo Switch, you can change its look dramatically yourself, as many others have done. Some of the best Nintendo Switch mods have seen Joy-Cons given traditional D-Pad designs and there are plenty of others which change how it looks and operates.

Jon Martindale
Jon Martindale is a freelance evergreen writer and occasional section coordinator, covering how to guides, best-of lists, and…
Switch Online + Expansion Pack’s pricing gives the service too much credit
Playing games via Nintendo Switch Online.

I don't pay for online services anymore. Not frequently, anyways, since almost all of my online gaming is done on my PC. If I'm getting a new co-op game or multiplayer shooter, it's exclusively going to end up in my Steam library, because I don't have to shell out a single extra cent to properly play the game.

But I can still at least acknowledge that some online services are worth the $60 they charge each year. Xbox Gold gives players free games, and so does PlayStation+. Nintendo Switch Online, on the other hand, has never felt worth the $20, and now Nintendo's asking players for $50 for the service's upgraded version, Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack. I'm not sure if the company has been listening to its users for the past three years.

Read more
The Switch OLED ships with ‘improved’ Joy-Con controllers, says Nintendo
Two people playing a game on an OLED Switch.

The Nintendo Switch OLED, along with any other recently shipped Switch models, will include improved Joy-Con controllers, according to an ask-the-developer post on Nintendo's website.

Ko Shiota, technology development division director, and Toru Yamashita, technology development department deputy general manager, seemed to allude to Joy-Con drift when speaking about the actual improvements in the latest version of the Joy-Con Controllers. That's an issue where the analog sticks on the Switch controllers will degrade over time, causing unintended movement inputs.

Read more
11 N64 games that should come to Nintendo Switch Online next
Rap intro from Donkey Kong 64.

A handful of classic Nintendo 64 games will soon be available for modern gamers on Nintendo Switch Online through an "expansion pack." While the expansion is set to include some of the best N64 games of all time, such as Super Mario 64, Star Fox 64, and The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, there were quite a few gems from the N64's unique library that have been passed over in the first batch of games.

We know Nintendo likely isn't going to be bringing every single N64 title to Nintendo Switch Online, but a handful of essentials are currently missing. Here are 11 games that the online service needs to better complete its retro catalog.
Pokémon Stadium

Read more