Doom publisher Bethesda has unveiled a brand-new Doom controller for the Nintendo Switch, which has been developed along with the help of third-party peripheral manufacturer PowerA. It’s designed to celebrate the long-running Doom series’ 25th anniversary, coming as the latest in a line of celebratory items and events pertaining to the first-person shooting forefather that originated on the PC back in late 1993.
Similar to the PowerA Overwatch Switch controller, this wireless pad follows in the design footsteps of Nintendo’s official Switch Pro controller and undercuts the price in the process, coming in at $50 in place of $65. Over the conventional Switch Pro it offers additional mappable buttons in the back, great for keeping your right thumb on the analog stick for greater aiming precision, negating the need to periodically jump over and press face buttons.
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Perhaps more notably the face of the controller also features an appropriate “25” motif, depicted in the form of light shining from behind mute protagonist the Doomslayer and a number of hellish demons that surround him. The back is altogether more visually plain, though it’s here you’ll discover that the controller is powered by two AA batteries (first set included and said to last for “up to 30hrs of gameplay”) in place of an internal, rechargeable battery. This likely explains the $15 price disparity between the PowerA and official Nintendo models.
All other functionality is intact, like motion controls and LED lights to notate battery and player status for when multiple controllers are in use, which should mean that the need for AAs isn’t a total deal breaker. If indeed it isn’t, those in the US can currently preorder the new Doom controller for $50 via Bethesda’s official store.
The control pads are scheduled to ship this December, though it’s currently impossible to say whether that’ll be in time to play new franchise entry Doom Eternal on the hybrid system. The game is scheduled to launch November 22 on PC, PS4, and Xbox One, but no release date has yet been specified for the Nintendo Switch version.
