Reddit reviews BASSTOP NS Joycon Handheld Controller Housing with D-Pad Button DIY Replacement Shell Case for Nintendo Switch Joy-Con (L/R) Without Electronics (Joycon D-Pad-White)

If you have $30 and a little patience, you can also do it yourself by swapping the joycon case and keeping the internals. It's a little tricky but not difficult at all.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B076SN9G5Y

Here is mine:

Nintendo Switch with white joycons

For the joycon, I have this and it's pretty great if you're comfortable opening up your joycon. For a separate controller, I second the 8bitdo SNES controller recommendation!

Yeah they’ve got them for the console itself and the joycons it looks real nice

link

I agree the color looks cool, that's why I'm really tempted to buy this

But I would keep the original buttons because I hate the Super Famicom colors. Purple ones like the SNES would be perfect, and concave X et Y would be the icing on top.

https://www.amazon.com/BASSTOP-Replacement-Controller-Electronics-Joycon-Atomic/dp/B076SN9G5Y?th=1

If you're up for it, you could put a basstop shell on it with a dpad. Finicky as hell to take the joycon apart, but so so worth it. I got mine done in about an hour with an online guide.

BASSTOP NS Joycon Handheld Controller Housing With D-Pad Button DIY Replacement Shell Case for Nintendo Switch Joy-Con (L/R) Without Electronics (Joycon D-Pad-White) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B076SN9G5Y/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_FhyMAbBSTHAHG

Obligatory 'You'll void your warranty!' disclaimer.

But these exist if you want an improved dpad.

I bought custom joy-con enclosures with a D-pad built in similar to [this].(https://www.amazon.com/dp/B076SN9G5Y/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_PF6NBbCDFQFQM)

It may not be what you're looking for if you only want D-pad functionality some of the time. In case you do go for something like this, I'll give you a bit of info. I really enjoy having the D-pad and find that it does indeed work well and feels good. Two warnings about a product like this:

1. The print on the buttons/D-pad is low-quality and may rub off over time. The A,B,X,Y text on my buttons are halfway gone, and the printed lines on the D-pad are beginning to as well. You could keep the original A,B,X,Y buttons though and not worry about those.
   
   
2. 3rd party enclosures for your joy-con are often cheap plastic, and may not exactly match the tolerances of the joy-con internals you are putting inside of them. I had an issue with this, and it caused my plus button to become very hard to press. I could have returned the product, but instead I shaved off a bit of plastic on the inside ridge near the button with a small knife so the fit wasn't so tight and this fixed the issue.
   
   I hope you find a controller that works well!

Any benefit compared to just buying this? https://www.amazon.com/BASSTOP-Controller-Replacement-Electronics-D-Pad-White/dp/B076SN9G5Y/ref=olp_product_details?_encoding=UTF8&me=

Here

Thanks for the information!
The glue-on options are not for me. I usually like to press hard in the heat of the moment, so I doubt those will hold for more than a few minutes.

I will probably do the swap. I don't like the clear ones either, and it's a shame only white ones exist (https://www.amazon.com/BASSTOP-Replacement-Controller-Electronics-Joycon-Atomic/dp/B076SN9G5Y?th=1). I will purchase another set of joycons so I don't ruin my only ones, and do the swap there.

I bought this, slightly modified the d pad with a very small ball bearing on the bottom centet to prevent all 4 contacts from touching, and it works AMAZING! I can even play Tetris 99, Mortal Kombat 11, and Street Fighter 2 with no issues at all.

https://www.amazon.com/BASSTOP-Controller-Replacement-Electronics-D-Pad-White/dp/B076SN9G5Y/ref=mp_s_a_1_7?keywords=dpad+joycon&qid=1575048469&sprefix=d+pad&sr=8-7

No rumble, no battery, for 26 bucks.

I see what they are getting at, but that thing is a turd. get these:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B076SN9G5Y/

and DIY it up.

Pretty much actually: https://www.amazon.com/BASSTOP-Controller-Replacement-Electronics-D-Pad-White/dp/B076SN9G5Y

At that price point, I'd rather just buy and swap the shells myself.

Mod your controllers to have a D-Pad, or buy one of these. Problem solved.

The analog stick isn't that terrible, aside from the high failure rate due to things getting inside of it.

I just did this joycon replacement last week. It feels a bit stiffer/clicky versus the Pro Controller, which is actually great for single-direction inputs.

Amazon link

No. As of February, inputs from classic controllers connected through Wii Remotes, were not properly mapped. rendering the controller mostly useless.

I would look into cheap pro controller alternatives from hori or PowerA, 3d printed dpad covers for the joycon buttons, or replacing your joycon shells with a dpad shell.

Or if you already have a pro controller, you can get the conductive pad and Dpad piece from a Wii/ Wii U controller (eBay, like $8) and just replace the stock one.

Been done already and retains everything... [Linky] (https://www.amazon.com/BASSTOP-Controller-Replacement-Electronics-D-Pad-White/dp/B076SN9G5Y)