It’s been a few years since we reviewed something from EasySMX. The company reached out again with an offer to review one of their Nintendo Switch Bluetooth controllers. Meant to compete with the Nintendo Switch Pro controller but at a much more affordable price, we (of course) jumped at the opportunity.
Our EasySMX ESM 4108 Wireless Controller for Nintendo Switch (and other Bluetooth devices) review takes a look at an affordable full-sized game controller. Read on for our full review!
Specifications
The EasySMX ESM 4108 Wireless (Bluetooth) Controller for Nintendo Switch/Switch Lite/PC has the following features and specifications:
- Compatible with Nintendo Switch console, PC
- Operation range up to 10M
- Built-in Li-polymer battery 600mA
- Charging time: 2.5 hours
- Playing time: more than 8 hours
- Sensitive LB RB button, joystick, and Trigger design, core gamer loved D-pad design
- 2 vibration motors
- Laser engraved mold texture on the handle, ergonomic design for comfortable use
- With LED under face buttons and right joystick
What’s in the box
- EasySMX ESM 4108 Game Controller
- USB-A to USB Type-C Cable
- User Manual
Design
The EasySMX ESM 4108 Game Controller looks pretty identical to the Nintendo Switch Pro Controller. Which isn’t a bad thing considering it’s the main controller it is competing against. The controller is roughly 6-inches wide at the bottom near the handles and about 5-inches wide near the top buttons. It is 4 1/2-inches high (from handle tip to the top) and just over 1 3/4-inches thick.
The face of the controller has your various joysticks and buttons. The top row, so to speak, has a left joystick, a – button, print screen/TURBO button, HOME button, + button and your A/B/X/Y button array. Below that is the D-Pad, two columns of four LED lights, and the right joystick.
When plugged in, the A/B/X/Y buttons light up as does a ring around the right joystick. This can be toggled by holding the L + R shoulder buttons for 5 seconds.
The top of the controller has your L shoulder button and LZ trigger on the left and an R should button and RZ trigger on the right. Centered between these is the USB-C charging port. The backside of the controller is pretty plain but has textured grips on the back of the handles and a tiny reset pinhole in the middle of the controller.
The ESM 4108 game controller comes in nine different styles for the face. Our review units were the Starry Night and Green Ray designs. The Starry Night looks like a long exposure of a galaxy with red, blue, black, and white colours mottled throughout. The Green Ray should have been called Green Circuit Board as it has green and white lines that end in circles resembling a circuit board on a darker green/black background. Both the designs are well done and the print shows no signs of wearing.
Ease of Use
The EasySMX ESM 4108 game controller is super easy to use. To use with your Nintendo Switch, choose the Controller menu on the Switch and select Change Grip and Order. Next, press Y and the HOME button on the controller and the LED indicators will flash. Once connected, the LED row associated with player one through four will stay solidly lit to indicate a proper connection.
To use with a PC computer, simply connect with the included USB cable. Likewise, you can use the Y and HOME button to enter Bluetooth pairing mode for other devices like a smartphone.
You can also adjust the backlight and vibration intensity. ZL + ZR + R3 + D-pad up or down adjusts the backlight brightness between five different levels. Holding the TURBO button and pressing the D-pad up and down will adjust the vibration intensity, again between five different levels.
Performance
Of course, a decent looking controller isn’t worth much if it doesn’t perform. In the case of the EasySMX ESM 4108 controller, performance wasn’t an issue. The buttons and joysticks responded as they should. The vibration feature also worked when it was supposed to and my son really enjoyed having a “real” controller to play his Switch games as opposed to having to use the Joy-Cons.
The one minor issue that we did notice, however, was that when you flick the right thumbstick, it overcompensates and moves the character to the right back to the left after you release it. This does come down to playstyle and after that was adjusted, there were no issues with the controller.
Battery Life
EasySMX states the controller should last 7-8 hours with its 600mAh battery and take between 2-3 hours to charge. After multiple discharge tests (a.k.a. Switch sessions), both our review units lasted around the 12 to 12 1/2 hour mark consistently — with the LED lights on full time. As such, you can be assured it’ll last a full gaming session without having to worry about it dying on you mid-game. Once dead, it does take about 2 1/2 hours to recharge.
Price/Value
Depending on colour variant, the EasySMX ESM 4108 Wireless (Bluetooth) Controller for Nintendo Switch/Switch Lite/PC range in price from US$27.99 to $30.99. Considering the Nintendo Switch Pro Controller has an MSRP of $69.99, this is pretty affordable. In fact. you can get two for the price of Nintendo’s controller.
Even better, if you use the code techaeris at checkout, you’ll save 9% off the price of whatever controllers you do order from the EasySMX website. Given the performance and battery life, this controller offers great value for the price.
Photo gallery
Wrap-up
If you’re looking for a wireless controller for your Nintendo switch or other Bluetooth devices, the EasySMX ESM 4108 game controller offers great bang for your buck. Not only that, you can pick up two of these for the price of the official Nintendo Switch Pro controller.
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Last Updated on February 24, 2021.
