Gioteck JC-20 Minecraft Controller for Nintendo Switch

The Nintendo Switch has been one of the most sought after consoles since it was released in 2017, and it’s clear to see why parents with young children would chose it as a first console. For my two (aged 8 and 6) I chose the Switch because of the amount of age appropriate games, but almost as important was the fact that the console can be used as a handheld as well a traditional console that plugs into the TV.

That said, when things go wrong with the controllers the official ones cost an arm and a leg to replace. Unfortunately for us, we’ve had two official controllers break down on us since we bought our Switch, and we are by no means alone when you Google this issue. So I baulked at paying £80 for another pair when we last had an issue in November 2020, and decided instead to consider a third party alternative instead.

I came across the Gioteck JC-20 Minecraft Switch controllers in Argos and Smyths and noticed that they were priced at £24.99 and £34.99 respectively. This seemed like a bargain in comparison to the official ones, and I knew from previous experience with Gioteck controllers that they were at least sturdy and reliable. Indeed we still have a Playstation 3 controller from them that has outlived our official one by a long margin.

I was even more pleased to find that these controllers came in a novel Minecraft design as well as the standard Red/Blue.

So how do they compare to the official ones besides price?
The first thing you notice about the Gioteck controllers is that they are much lighter than the official ones, despite being a wider half-moon shape. This certainly has its benefits when you’ve got kids like mine that are prone to dropping things on the floor so often! Our six year old daughter also swears that they feel better in her hands – because of the weight.

The second thing I noticed was that they come with a double charging cable, because they don’t charge directly from the Switch like the official ones do. Some people might find this inconvenient but for us it’s actually much better. The reason for this is that for the most part our kids play the Switch in TV mode, and when you do this there is no way to charge the official controllers, which seems like a really odd design flaw from Nintendo. Either that or it was intentionally done by Nintendo to get buyers to invest in their charger, that can be purchased separately. No such issue with the Gioteck controllers, just plug them into any USB charger and hey presto you’re good to go for 12 hours of use before charging again.

Control wise, there’s no noticeable difference in the controllers, they’re still wireless Bluetooth and have motion controls. They’re actually easier to hold than the official controllers too, thanks to an ergonomic design on the rear that allows a proper grip for big hands or small. They even come with a joypad adapter, so can be used as a spare controller in TV mode as well as clipped onto the side of the Switch in handheld mode. The buttons feel a little more clicky than the official ones but this is barely noticeable and certainly a price worth paying for the much smaller price tag.

Currently at £19.99 on sale in Smyths these are well worth buying even if you have fully functioning controllers already. They make a great extra gamepad for multi-player games and the Minecraft design is a real novelty for both my kids. I was so impressed that I went and bought a second pair in red and blue for three player games, at that price why not?

Kids verdict– 10/10 –Ella loves the feel of the controllers in her hand, because they’re lighter and easier to grip. Both kids love the Minecraft design, and the fact that if they run out of charge they don’t have to go into handheld mode, but can just plug them in and play while they charge.

My verdict– 10/10 -I loved the price tag, and giving a Minecraft branded pair felt more like a special gift than a standard pair.

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