Nearly a third of early Switch 2 buyers in the US also bought the $85 Pro Controller, and with my brand new Joy-Con 2 drifting into oblivion I'm tempted to join them

According to recently published data from the Nintendo Switch 2 launch, there are plenty of people who don't think $85 is too much for a controller.

According to a new report from sales-tracking firm Circana (via Game File), the new Pro Controller had a 32% attach rate with the Switch 2 in the US during the console's launch month. That means almost a third of Switch 2 buyers also opted for the Pro Controller, a more traditional Xbox-style gamepad alternative to the included Joy-Con 2s. Doing the math, with 1.2 million consoles sold in June in the US, that means somewhere around 512,000 Pro Controllers were sold in the same timeframe.

Just now, as I wrestle with my right Joy-Con 2, which seems to have a factory defect that causes it to endlessly and rapidly autoscroll to the right no matter the application (yes, it's updated, yes, I've tried calibrating it, yes, I've restarted my console, and yes, I know it's technically not "drift"), I'm begrudgingly tempted to abandon my thrifty ways and splurge on the damn Pro Controller. Realistically though, I just need to call Nintendo support and get it repaired.

All that aside, I'm genuinely surprised so many people were willing to part ways with eighty-freaking-five big ones, in this economy, and after buying a $500+ console, on a controller that offers very little functionality over what comes in the box. No shade at all, by the way, and more power to you. It's just, damn, am I really that cheap?

Nintendo finally beat a record held by the PS4 for 12 years, as the Switch 2 becomes the "fastest selling video game hardware device in US history"