The GameSir Super Nova has been popping up more and more in recent months. Originally launching in spring of 2025, the PC / Nintendo Switch / mobile controller was pitched as a $44.99 / £49.99 budget gamepad for Windows and Ninty users going big on customization without shelling out for a bona fide 'Pro' gamepad. That's a competitive proposition, but it's not what led me to getting the device in hand for myself.
The GameSir Super Nova wore me down. After months of seeing this gamepad at a $30 sale price, while also promising Switch 2 wake functionality, I had to give it a go. My results? Optimistically positive with one hearty disappointment.
Unfortunately, the one feature that had me seeking out the Super Nova in a sea of the best Switch 2 controllers is, at best, obtusely difficult to set up correctly and, at worst, non-functional. No, I never managed to get the GameSir Super Nova to reliably wake the Switch 2 as it promised. What I did find, though, is an impressively detailed gamepad taking on the best PC controllers on the market and waltzing away with value on its side.
Aha, another third-party Xbox clone. The GameSir Super Nova doesn't deviate too far from the playbook in its form and shape. This is a slightly lighter (263g) and slightly more compact Microsoft design complete with asymmetrical thumbsticks, your standard ABXY layout, and chunky, angled grips.
That Nintendo heritage isn't too far away, though. In place of the pause and menu buttons, we have a plus and minus, as well as a home and screenshot pairing just underneath.
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