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Pokémon Pokopia makeovers have been totally absent from the best Nintendo Switch 2 accessories so far, which is really surprising. Even before selling 2.2 million copies within a week of launch, I fully expected there to be a wealth of accessories for it available, ranging from headsets, cases, and controllers, all wielding Ditto's cute, pink-purple smile. Yet, it's been all quiet on the Ditto-themed front.
Hori has got some Pokémon Pokopia goodies cooking up, but so far, there are no signs they'll release outside of Japan. That's left third-party brands to try and capture Ditto's likeness in a totally legally distinct way, like these Ditto thumb grips. Sorry, these "Versatile Elves" grips. These grips contain pink and shiny blue sparkly definitely-not-Pokemon thumbstick covers for the Joy-Con controller's sticks and buttons, and as Nintendo hasn't got a pair of their own, I had to make them mine.
Finding these thumb grips was a weird experience. Not only is there no singular, official manufacturer out there, but these are available from a huge range of sellers I've never heard of, both at retailers like Amazon and AliExpress. I ended up grabbing my pair for £3.28 (AliExpress) from the seller Aarntai Store, as I didn't want to fork out a lot for an accessory where I couldn't vouch for the quality, but I've found them from the brand 'DIELLY' too, which I've included above for those of you not keen on making an AliExpress purchase.
They arrived pretty quickly, and are just as adorable in person as they appear in the photos I've shared today. Each grip is made up from a glitty-enfused silicon, and the tiny faces on each are embossed to add a better grip. What I particularly liked about my set is that it came with a sheet of double-sided tape dots, so I could better adhere everything to the Switch 2 Joy-Con controller buttons.
This is something I've not experienced with the best thumb grips by brands like KontrolFreek. I suspect that's because once the grips are on, they're meant to stay in place without any adhesive. But even with my favorite non-Pokemon-themed pair, that's not always been the case. I didn't end up using the adhesive for anything but the directional buttons, as I feared they could mess up my controllers. However, much to my pleasure, they're easy to remove.
My Instagram reels and TikTok feed are always full of people posting their aesthetically cute Switch 2 setups, which include these grips, so I was pretty excited to pop them on. I left the XYBA buttons as is, as the individual Ditto faces felt a bit overkill. Not to mention, I like seeing the button names as I tend to forget which button is which fairly often - especially if I'm returning to the Switch 2 after a day of Steam Deck gaming.
In the end, these grips turned out to be incredibly cute and incredibly comfortable. Despite using them pretty excessively, I never really had an issue with them falling off during gameplay, and even the more precise movements of punching down blocks in Pokopia were pretty easy. They are a bit bulky, which means I had to put extra effort into leaning my fingers over to press the minus and plus buttons, but luckily, I rarely use them in Pokopia if I'm honest.
Where the disappointment arose was in their quality. The surface of these grips is pretty sensitive, and every accidental brush with my fingers left a mark. This is not something I've come across with KontrolFreek grips, usually, as the surface is so rubbery that nothing would be able to make a dent. From a distance, you can't see all the nicks and scratches, but it does leave me wondering how they'll hold up in a few months.
In the end, I'm pretty pleased I grabbed these, though they've reminded me just how disappointed I am when it comes to customization with this new Switch 2 generation. There are plenty of cute grips and Switch 2 covers for both the controllers and the display out there, but often the cutest designs are unofficial, with Nintendo only releasing cases like the Hori Gengar and Mimikyu Switch 2 Case rather than anything that can be attached to the Switch 2 itself - at least in the US and UK anyway.
Which is a shame, as I'd much prefer to lay down cash on official thumb grips and cases for my Switch 2, where the quality is likely going to be a bit better, and less prone to cosmetic damage over time. If my new 'Versatile Elves' grips can transform my Switch 2 into something so aesthetically cute and on brand, imagine what an official pair could do.
Our team has also rounded up the best Nintendo Switch headsets, the best Nintendo Switch 2 microSD Express Cards, and the best Nintendo Switch 2 cases if you're on the hunt for even more accessories.
