Pokemon Pokopia's launch gave me the nudge to invest in some sickeningly cute accessories. At the time, I naturally grabbed a pair of thumb grips that were 'inspired' by Psyduck and Slowpoke, as, for whatever reason, The Pokemon Company and Nintendo have yet to take all my money and provide official alternatives.
As cute as these were, running my fingertips across the Pokemon's faces wasn't all that comfortable, so I grabbed the equally adorable GeekShare Colorful Mint Candy Joystick Caps and, lo and behold, these are the comfirst grips I've used yet. I have to admit that I had my assumptions that these could become a favorite Switch 2 accessory of mine, as they look Polo mints, a classic sweet treat from my childhood. However, nostalgia aside, I wasn't fully expecting just how comfortable pressing my thumbs into replicas of these iconic sweeties would be after hours upon hours exploring the watery depths of Pokopia's Bubbly Basin.
GeekShare's cute candy thumb grips are only compatible with the sticks of the Nintendo Switch 2. If you want covers for your older Switch controllers, the brand has multiple sets starting from $9.99 at the official GeekShare website.
It's usually safe to assume that thumb grips based on unusual shapes and designs aren't the most comfortable. In fact, when friends have asked me for grip recommendations in the past with comfort in mind, I usually steer them away from ones based on cute cat faces and glittery skulls and towards the KontrolFreek No-Slip Thumb Grips ($12.99 at Amazon) instead.
Their more uniform circular shape means that they're less awkward to move about, and the ridges provide enough texture that your thumbs don't slip around. GeekShare's circular candy design means they're still just as easy to control. Over the weekend, I spent countless hours building underwater houses that were fit for a mermaid, and the rounded grips felt just as easy to manipulate 10 hours in as they did within the first few minutes of unlocking the new Bubbly Basin environment.
Their recessed circular centers were a perfect fit for my thumbs, and I never felt any strain. The best part is undoubtedly its textured surface, however. As these aren't officially licensed Polo grips, they say 'Roll Mint' rather than 'Polo Mint' on the surface, but that text alone is embossed enough to provide an ample amount of grip. Smashing a cacophony of bricks was easy when I had the 'Roll Mint' text keeping my thumbs nice and secure.
I'm a sucker for cute thumb grips that utilize unique shapes and designs, but often these designs aren't actually very practical. While I (and my cat Kylo) enjoyed the look of the KontrolFreek x CaseOh grips, using them in practice after a while was a tad awkward. Their thick widths and spikey cat ears occasionally got in the way, but round sweets are perfect for circumnavigating those usual awkward design issues.
By the time Sunday evening rolled around, I loved that not only are the rounded accessories practical, but they still look good enough to eat. Well, when their slightly sticky silicone surface isn't attracting dust and debris, a common issue with these and pretty much all thumb grips I've ever used so far.
At $9.99 for a pack of four (two sets are included), I'd easily recommend these for anyone after a cute but practical pair of Switch 2 Joy-Con grip covers. If you don't mind shopping at places like AliExpress, I have spotted the grips for as low as 99 cents before, but I can't be sure of their legitimacy. As is so often the case with controller grips, they pop up across different US and UK retailers using the same images but with a whole slew of different brand names. As always, I recommend sticking to picking these up for $11.99 / £9.99 via the official GeekShare Amazon storefront to ensure you're getting the real sweet deal.
- View all GeekShare thumb grips at Amazon
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