There have been a lot of controversies concerning third-party accessories for Nintendo Switch. Stories of how some third-party docks are either damaging or bricking the hybrid console. Details about how often this is happening and which docks are actually doing this are sketchy, to say the least. It’s pretty much stopped me from buying any third-party docks for my Nintendo Switch. You don’t get any such trouble with the Gioteck Duo Wheel pack.
A pair of official Nintendo Joy-Con wheels aren’t the most expensive things in the world as they only cost £12.99. I do love to find myself a bargain though. Check out my post about my Amiibo finds for more proof of this! At my local Poundland, I came across something else other than Amiibo that I’ve wanted for a while. A pair of super cheap wheel peripherals to pop my Joy-Cons into!
Light on the packaging
I must admit that the only two boxes left on the shelves were extremely battered. One box only had a single wheel left inside but for £5 I thought it was worth the risk. When I got them home, the contents of the box were very barebones. The two wheels, a bit of cardboard packaging and a user manual type thing. I honestly don’t know if there were some things missing or not.
Regardless, the box itself was well designed, with a great red and black motif. It advertised the wheels in a way that promoted them to have a premium finish. To provide enhanced comfort for the player and that they were designed to be very ergonomic. Overall, I think my actual experience with them mostly matched what was advertised. The wheels are solidly built from plastic. Small amounts of rubber were situated on the bottom of the indented area which holds the Joy-Con very securely. Each wheel can hold either Joy-Con thanks to the shape and depth of the indented area which is a great.
Sparking Joy…Con
The plastic is mostly smooth with a few small cosmetic details but no additional texture to help a person grip it, so they could be quite susceptible to falling out of a pair of clumsy hands. The only moving parts are the shoulder buttons, whose motion translates well to the smaller Joy-Con equivalents. They are very noisy though, with no kind of noise-dampening material applied to them. The size and shape of the wheel makes it easier to grip compared to the Joy-Con itself, and is much better than the small strap attachment that comes as standard with a Nintendo Switch. I’m very tempted to use them for other multiplayer games that only use one Joy-Con because of this very reason.
After doing a bit of investigating, I found that Gioteck also do a pair of wheels that consist of less plastic. The top and bottom arches of the wheel aren’t there, giving them a more sporty look. No doubt these are a newer model, but for what I spent on the ones I have, I’m really happy.
The Duo Wheel Pack is a great introduction for me to the things that Gioteck makes. If their more complex products are as solid and robust as these are, then count me as a fan. They have definitely made me more interested in buying their products at the very least but i’ll have to see what their other products are like.
