Turtle Beach Rematch Invincible Mario Switch controller review — A solid wireless controller built for Nintendo fans

If Nintendo knows how to do one thing well, it’s to capitalize on their beloved stable of mascots. Samus, Kirby, Link, and Captain Falcon are all notable in their own right, but none can hold a candle to the Mushroom Monarch. With the latest controller from Turtle Beach, you’ll get to admire Nintendo’s prolific portly pipefitter while searching for your own stars.

At first glance, I wasn’t particularly drawn to the blue and light purple adorning the front of the Invincible Mario controller. Getting it in my hands and really getting to admire it up close, however, I’ve changed my tune. This may actually be one of my favorite aesthetics on a Nintendo-licensed product.

The back shell is a grape purple. The D-Pad and thumbstick grips follow suit with the same color. Conversely, the shoulder buttons, face buttons, and joystick bodies are a light turquoise. The colors work in tandem for a catchy color scheme that draws your attention. The face of the controller, however, features none other than Mario, colored sparks streaming off him in a blue-green blaze as he works off the effects of a Super Star. Light blue and light purple emanate from behind him, reaching either side of the controller. It’s actually a pretty great design. The untrained eye would miss the controller’s glowing effect, though. Putting the controller under light for a period makes the sparks coming off our hero glow in the dark! It’s a neat addition I never would’ve expected to see on the face of a controller. Kids and those of us young at heart will get a kick out of it.

Let’s talk functionality. My personal gold standard for a Nintendo Switch controller is Nintendo’s own Switch Pro controller. It fits my big hands well, while the buttons and sticks feel great after hundreds of hours of use. Turtle Beach’s Rematch wireless controller sets itself apart with a few key features. First, where the Pro controller has convex thumb grips, the Rematch opted for convex grips with a raised lip. This provides a bit more control without sacrificing comfort.

The Rematch also features a couple of customizable buttons on the back of the controller. Added functionality options are always nice to have, and if you want to shift things around, you’re welcome here. I love the idea of these buttons. In practice, however, I found my big hands accidentally triggering them during more intense gameplay moments, which often led to possible disaster. Just be aware your mileage may vary.

The face and shoulder buttons feel great, with just enough throw to keep the range comfortable. The curved ZR and ZL triggers gave a little something more substantial to keep your fingers from slipping, which I found to be a nice touch.

Turtle Beach has made some minor button adjustments with the Rematch that, while minor, have driven me a little insane. The Pro controller’s layout has the ‘+’ and ‘-’ buttons on the outside with the recording and Home buttons situated inwardly. The Rematch, however, has flipped that orientation and moved the buttons more outward so they line up with other face buttons. As a result, I’ve found myself going to the Home screen nearly every time I’m trying to pause the game.

It’s worth noting that vibration functionality is absent from this model. The controller features built-in motion controls that work well enough. It’s jarring to sync up the controller or turn on the machine and get no haptic feedback. While I suppose this helps keep the battery life at a handsome 40+ hours (a watermark I was unable to test after a few days of rigorous play from a full charge), it’s a feature I’m sad to be without.