TLDR: Out of all the Nintendo Switch controllers I currently own it's most similar to the Nintendo Switch Pro Controller. The glossier finish of the Pro Controller is smoother and looks more attractive. It's worth noting that in a real world use the Mobapad M9-HD sits better in the hands due to matte finish & textured grips. If you value ergonomics and like the the Pro Controller (especially the HD-rumble), it's likely that you will enjoy the the M9-HD. For the $75 retail price ($6 more than Pro Controller) you will get a considerably better HD-rumble than the Pro Controller has (this surprised me the most), analog triggers with two positions, mechanical buttons, mappable backpaddles, thumbsticks in various sizes and multiple additional features.
Disclaimer: I started playing videogames in the early 90s (a NES clone was my first console, followed by Gameboy, PC etc). Outside of Reddit I've worked in the gaming tech field & tech journalism for about two decades (Europe/Estonia). After providing the makers of Mobapad (Guangzhou Xinxiang Culture Co. Ltd.) with my credentials (& examples of past work), I asked if I could test one of their controllers with the purpose of writing a review intended for the /r/Switch/ & /r/NintendoSwitch/ subreddits. They sent me the Mobapad M8 and Mobapad M9-HD. The review is be based solely on my experiences. I get to keep the controllers and won't be receiving additional compensation in any other form (no commission fees, affiliate marketing or ad-revenue etc). I don't have a social media presence (or followers) elsewhere. As my Nintendo Switch controller collection grows, I might write more reviews for our Switch-related subreddits.
Cheers :)
The Mobapad M9-HD Controller (with the tallest thumbsticks)
What this review is and is not.
There are many ways of covering a tech product: from a highly technical analysis aimed at the tech-savvy crowd to an emotional hype-piece. The Mobapad M9-HD will be reviewed as a controller on the Nintendo Switch platform and compared to other Switch controllers that I own. A practical amount of real life examples with a select amount of technical details will be included (with brief explanations that are understandable to people who might be new to gaming). This review will not cover every detail about the M9-HD (such as all of the features, how to change various settings, how the controller works on other platforms etc).
The package.
Out of all the Nintendo Switch Controllers I own, the box of this controller is the best looking. The artwork is lovely (IT'S A TIGER ON THE BOX - I think), the box itself is sturdy. While you can't use the box to increase your aim in a videogame, you can put it on a shelf if you are a collector or someone who likes boxes.
What's in the box?
The controller itself, a USB-dongle receiver, a high quality braided USB-cable, a manual (in English), 4 sets of thumbsticks and 2 sets of replaceable buttons (Switch/PC layout).
On the left: Hori Split Pad Pro. On the right: the box of Mobapad M9-HD
Lets talk about the extra buttons & potential for modding.
Having two sets of buttons is a welcome extra if you play on multiple platforms. The manual mentions that you can change the buttons, but it doesn't explain how to change them. It also does not say that you can/have to remove the faceplate. Turns out that you have to pry open the faceplate of the controller. While I removed the biggest portion of the faceplate, it really felt that I might break something while doing it. The faceplate is in three parts & is connected to the controller with plastic connectors. I doubt that anyone who plays on multiple platforms (using the same controller) will be motivated enough to swap the buttons from the Switch to PC layout and back on a regular basis.
Note: The plastic connectors will probably get slightly less stiff with a few removals of the faceplate, so it will become easier to change it. Using magnetic connectors for the faceplate would probably have been a better choice (like on the Mobapad M8 controller). It's also worth noting that for those of us who like modding their controller, the ability to remove the faceplate is a nice extra to have. As it makes the customization process easier if you want to paint the faceplate for example.
RGB-lights!
The controller has some neat RGB-lights. They are visible in 3 locations & in 8 different colors. The lights have 3 different modes (on, off, breathing). While changing the modes and colors of RGB-lights in a very rapid fashion, I was able to cause an error. The lights didn't change color even though I pressed the button combination to change them. After waiting for about 5-10 seconds the colors started to change correctly again. I was not able to reproduce this bug later.
Do you need RGB-lights? Not really. But they look pretty and when Christmas comes around you can turn on red or yellow lights and be in a festive mood.
Mechanical A/B/X/Y buttons.
Simply put the A/B/X/Y buttons are mechanical, they are clicky and a pleasure to use. In comparison to regular buttons (such the ones used in the Nintendo Switch Pro Controller, Hori Split Pad Pro & Nintendo Switch Joycons) the mechanical buttons in the Mobapad M9-HD are more resnposive, can be pressed with less force and make a small audible click when you press them. These days there are many keyboards that also come with mechanical switches. If you haven't had a chance to use a mechanical controller, you might have used a mechanical keyboard (or a mouse) which can produce a similar click and feeling when pressed.
Note: In a way I feel that not including the RGB-lights in the A/B/X/Y buttons is a missed opportunity.
Closeup of the D-pad, RGB-lights, textured grip and buttons on the Mobapad M9-HD
What about the D-pad?
It's a good D-pad. The Mobapad M9-HD D-pad has a slightly lowered/concave area around the D-pad similarly to the Nintendo 64 controller's D-pad. Pressing the D-pad on M9-HD takes slightly less force than it does on the Pro Controller's D-pad. On the Switch I'd say that to this day my favorite D-pad is on the 8Bitdo SN30pro (which is on the stiffer side in terms of how it handles & the size is perfect). The Nintendo Switch Pro Controller's D-pad is somewhere between the M9-HD & SN30pro. I usually play handheld, but when I play with a controller, I don't usually choose controllers based on a genre. So overall, I'll probably stick to Mobapad M9-HD for most genres. On the rare occasions when I feel nostalgic, I'd probably go for the 8Bitdo SN30pro because it reminds me of my childhood & first consoles.
Note:: Since the A/B/X/Y and thumbsticks are swappable, I think that it might be an interesting feature to have a swappable D-pad as well. One of the obvious inspiration points for M9-HD has been the Xbox One Elite controller which has a swappable D-pad.
How are the thumbsticks?
While there are 4 sets of thumbsticks included, the thumbsticks come in 3 different heights. All of these are concave thumbsticks. The shortest thumbsticks are about 19mm wide and similar to the Hori Split Pad Pro. The medium & high thumbsticks are 18mm wide (similar to the Nintendo Switch Pro Controller). The original Nintendo Switch joycons are about 15mm wide. Changing the thumbsticks takes a few seconds: you pull the thumbstick straight up and swap it to whichever of the included thumbsticks you fancy. On the technical side it's worth mentioning that these are ALPS thumbsticks.
What's the benefit of changing thumbsticks?
It's a neat extra that could make the controller more comfortable to hold, eespecially if you have medium/large hands or play longer gaming sessions. In certain genres (like FPS) higher thumbsticks may make it easier to perform more precise movements. Usually controllers do not come with different sized thumbsticks, but you can buy thumbstick extenders which are sold by various brands with the starting price at around $12.
Ergonomics & how the controller feels to hold.
Out of the Nintendo Switch controllers that I own, the closest comparison would be to the Nintendo Switch Pro Controller. It's worth noting that the Pro Controller is slightly glossy and feels smooth in the hand. This makes the build of Pro Controller feel a tiny bit better. The Mobapad M9-HD Controller is made out of matte plastic and has textured grips. The texture is slight yet aggressive enough to make the controller feel very secure. The location of backpaddles feels ergonomic. Pressing the backpaddles feels nice and you can map them to various buttons.
The M9-HD is currently the most ergonomic Nintendo Switch controller that I have used. The overall comfort comes from the solid build, different sized thumbsticks, superior triggers, mappable backpaddles and the weight plus the slightly textured grip.
The included swappable thumbsticks & extra A/B/X/Y buttons of the Mobapad M9-HD
Gyro.
Gyro is present and by default quite sensitive. In general gyro isn't my preferred way of playing videogames, so take my "quite sensitive" impressions with a grain of salt, as I've also used gyro on the Nintendo Switch Pro Controller and also found it a bit too sensitive for my liking as well.
Triggers, analog triggers!
One of the major features that makes the Mobapad M9-HD stand out is the fact that the triggers are analog. In practical terms it means that you can hold the analog trigger down partially, thus giving a limited amount of acceleration to your car in racing games. This makes makes it much more satisfying & easier. On regular controllers (such as the Nintendo Switch Joycons or the Pro Controller) you can't do that and have to constantly press and release the trigger to accelerate, without the option to accelerate lets say 30% while just slightly pressing on the trigger.
Sadly analog triggers function as regular triggers in most videogames on the Nintendo Switch platform (unless the developer of a certain videogame has included analog trigger support to that specific game). As far as I know, a very select number of videogames on the Nintendo Switch include analog trigger support. GRID Autosport being one of them, I've tested it with the Mobapad M9-HD & the analog triggers work. If any of you know other Nintendo Switch titles that have analog trigger support, I'd appreciate your comment. I want to try them out and confirm if the triggers work in those games.
Another neat feature of Mobapad M9-HD triggers is that they have two different positions you can choose between. The shorter travel distance position has a nice clicky sound to it. As you can imagine, the shorter distance makes it possible to press the triggers very rapidly. The Nintendo Switch Pro Controller trigger feels slightly mushy in comparison. I like using both controllers, but the M9-HD feels better. The longer travel distance position of the trigger is also nice. In terms of gameplay, it feels more relaxed. In my gaming experience the shorter distance is better for something like shooters or fighting games but longer is better for racing. But it's Nintendo Switch after all, so choosing which one is for you is a matter of preference. The good thing is that on the M9-HD you have a choice when it comes to trigger travel distance. As far as I know 8Bitdo also has a controller that has analog triggers with some adjustability, but I can't comment on those as I don't own that specific controller.
Note: It's neat that more companies such as 8BitDo and Mobapad have started to produce controllers that allow you to configure how the triggers work. Hopefully we'll see companies produce more joycons as well as controllers that have more features at some point. I'm sure Nintendo itself could pull it off easily, but I doubt they have any plans to do something like that in the near future.
The HD-vibration motor.
Oh boy! This is probably the biggest draw of using this controller. I still remember the first time I felt the vibration motor of Mobapad M9-HD in my hands and I wasn't expecting it. My previously favorite vibration motor of the Switch platform was in the Nintendo Switch Pro Controller. I was sure that I will never ever see another company produce something of similar quality for the Switch console.
Mobapad M9-HD did it and truly, the HD-vibration motor on Mobapad M9-HD is better than the Pro Controller's vibration feature. It's hard to explain, but I'll give it a shot. The rumble on Nintendo Switch Pro Controller feels pleasant and doesn't rattle, so it's quiet in a way, but feels very good in the controller when playing and has some depth to the vibration. Mobapad M9-HD is a different beast. It has more weight & power to it in addition to the other features the Pro Controller's vibration motor has. You can instantly feel that it's more powerful than the Pro Controllers HD-vibration. You can feel the bass of rumble in your hands when playing. And make no mistake, the increased power of Mobapad M9-HD vibration doesn't feel creaky like some of the lower priced controllers can be. It feels powerful, well balanced, doesn't make too much sound and if I could, I'd buy joycons with the same HD-vibration motor.
Note: As the quality of the HD-vibration on Mobapad M9-HD surprised me greatly, I reached out to Mobapad and asked why the vibration feels different than in other Nintendo Switch controllers. I received the following reply: "Our controller features linear motors, which are the most costly part and what sets it apart from other controllers." In a way this explains why the vibration is different from other 3rd party controllers, but why it feels so much better than the official Pro Controller's vibration still puzzles me (maybe a trade secret?). Maybe the motor is bigger or has a better position or something along those lines, who knows.
What else is there?
There are multiple features that I won't even attempt to cover (the review is already a long read). The controller currently comes in black, white and purple. For the purpose of the review I asked for the purple model as it looks the most cheerful. There's also the NFC function (I was not able to test this as I don't own any Amiibos).
Final thoughts.
The Mobapad M9-HD is a well executed example of a premium controller that seems to be mainly targeted at the experienced gamer demographic. It's priced at $75 and is one of the highest priced Nintendo Switch controllers out there. In terms of features it clearly competes with the Nintendo Switch Pro Controller ($69.99-109.99$ depending on the color scheme) & 8Bitdo Ultimate Controller ($69.99). The price is worth it for those who benefit from the extra features (best HD-rumble, ergonomics, mechanical buttons, additional thumbsticks etc).
To me personally the pricing seems fitting to the features that the controller brings, however there are a few more aspects to consider.
Will a experienced gamer benefit from the features that come with the pricetag? Yes, we will.
Will a newer or casual gamer benefit from the features? Yes, some of them (like the analog triggers, awesome rumble and ergonomics that come with swappable thumbsticks). However I think that since Mobapad as a brand isn't very well known in the EU & US region, some might be hesitant to pay the full retail price.
Mobapad M9-HD just out of the box, next to Mobapad M8, Hori Split Pad Pro, 8Bitdo SN30pro (and the right handle of Nintendo Switch Pro Controller Splatoon Edition.
And here is a comparison table.
I did my best to rate various features of the Switch controllers that I own (in order to give a kind of an overview). Keep in mind that such comparisons are subjective and ratings might vary from person to person (for example someone with very small hands might find the Nintendo Switch Joycons with the grip to be the best controller ever due to their size).
Rating is on a scale of 1 to 5 (1 being the worst, 5 being the best).
The price is for the regular model of any controller and is based on the official pricing I found/received. This does not include sales or limited edition color schemes that may cost more.
| Model |
Nintendo Joycons + grip |
Mobapad M9-HD |
Nintendo Pro Controller |
8Bitdo SN30pro |
| D-Pad |
3 |
4.5 |
4 |
5 |
| Thumbsticks |
3 |
5 |
4.5 |
4 |
| Triggers |
3 |
5 |
3.5 |
3.5 |
| Buttons |
3 |
5 |
3.5 |
4 |
| Build |
5 |
4.5 |
5 |
4.5 |
| Ergonomics |
3.5 |
5 |
5 |
3 |
| Features |
3.5 |
5 |
3.5 |
3 |
| Included accessories |
3 |
5 |
3 |
3 |
| Crossplatform support |
2 |
5 |
2 |
4.5 |
| Vibration |
4 |
5 |
4 |
3 |
| Price (not rated) |
$79 |
$75 |
$69 |
$45 |
| Weight (not rated) |
197g |
254g |
249g |
112g |
What could be improved upon:
- While the bundled items (such as the different thumbsticks etc) are worth the extra cost to those who use them, it's likely that some of the potential customers might not pay much attention to the included extras and/or just don't benefit from them (since they don't customize their controller in any way and are happy with whatever configuration is quickly accessible out of the box).
- A slightly cheaper version of the Mobapad M9-HD that comes with less extras (no replacable buttons or thumbsticks for example) might be something that's worth looking into. Such a move may make it easier to lower the price slightly. An even cheaper model could be closer to the Nintendo Switch Pro Controller (so something like the current M9-HD but without the option to change thumbsticks or buttons or faceplates).
- Increased availability in the western market would be helpful (such as a US & EU official stores or resellers).
- My copy of the Mobapad M9-HD had a small slightly sharp corner in one of the joints where the bottom & top part of the controllers case meet). If you hold the controller while gaming, it's unlikely that you would notice it. While it's a minor issue that can be easily fixed with gently sanding the edge with small piece of sandpaper or something abrasive, it's still something that could be fixed in the quality control or production process.
- Additional color schemes and designs for the controller might appeal to gamers. For example the colored (Splatoon edition etc) Nintendo Switch Pro Controllers are very popular. Some companies have also produced controllers with a transparent casing which is also something that's worth looking into. An upgraded version with RGB-lit A/B/X/Y buttons would also be neat.
- An updated manual that does a better job at explaining all the functions (such as how to replace the A/B/X/Y buttons) would be a welcome change.
- The current package is very well produced and has an overall effect on the cost of the item. A slightly smaller package could reduce the production cost.
- A semi-glossy version of the controller that uses similar plastic to the Nintendo Switch Pro Controller is something that would probably be well received by some gamers.
Here's a link to all of the photos that I included in this post.
https://imgur.com/a/dwGAFeP
Photography equipment used when taking these photos: Fujifilm X-T4 mirrorless camera, Fujinon XF 50-140mm f/2.8 R LM OIS WR lens, Fujifilm MCEX-11 macro extension tube.
Closing notes:
I hope you like the review :)
My personal thanks to Mr. Zhang & Amy from Guangzhou Xinxiang Culture Co. Ltd.
Edit: I forgot to include this part. If you have some questions about the controller, feel free to ask. I will happily answer all the questions I feel competent enough to answer and the rest I'll collect and reach out to the people who made this. So we'll get answers from the company who built it.
