Nintendo is struggling to enter the realm of modern-day gaming. They offer voice chat, but they also lock it behind the use of a mobile app, and not everyone wants to use such a clunky process. Fortunately, some games offer straight-up voice chat through the console itself, however, it's very limited. Support for Bluetooth headsets was added in a moderately recent update, except microphones are disabled and if you're using a Switch Pro Controller, the lag can be downright atrocious. So, that leaves those who desire chatting with teammates in the dust when it comes to first-party support. Thankfully, there are third-party brands to fall back on. 

While you might scoff at any controller that isn't made by Sony, Microsoft, or Nintendo themselves, there's always a contender out there that manages to come close to first-party quality. Controller manufacturer PDP tends to lean more towards the budget side of the spectrum, but their new controller honestly offers a lot for very little. 

   

The main draw of the PDP Faceoff Deluxe+ controller is its 3.5mm jack located at the bottom of the controller--just like the modern Xbox and PlayStation controllers. It's a little annoying that Nintendo hasn't joined the other two titans by including one themselves, but that means PDP was smart enough to add one. Surprisingly, the jack supports a wide variety of headphones and has a DAC built in, with the ability to drive headsets up to 80ohms. 

That's not the only standout part about the gamepad, either. Upon picking it up and testing it out, I immediately noticed that it had a decent heft, didn't rattle at all, and was the perfect size with great ergonomics. Best of all, it has a nice, clicky d-pad--certainly not better than first-party controllers in general, but far above the rest in terms of third-party support. The shoulder and trigger buttons are even better, with just enough travel to feel satisfying. Analogs are smooth and feel even better than Nintendo's own. On the back of the gamepad is a grippy texture, making it easy to hold, and you'll be surprised to find two paddle buttons right above the grips. Initially mapped to A and B, you can easily change the mappings, even in-game. All in all, this is a fantastic controller. 

If you haven't yet picked up a headset, or lack a wired one to use with the Faceoff Deluxe+, then PDP fortuitously has a 3.5mm headset that goes with the controller. As far as cheap headsets go, the LVL40 gets you some good bang for your buck. Audio is acceptable--you'll definitely think it's lacking if you're coming from a big, boomy, bassy surround sound headset, but this one definitely holds up well for being a budget headset. The microphone is especially good for the price, even sounding on par with said fancier headsets at times. It's an over-ear headset, though the earcups don't have any swivel to them, and they're fairly small in general. 

Releasing shortly after the launch of the Nintendo Switch OLED Edition, both the headset and the controller are clad in that white/black design that matches with the new Switch perfectly. There are other colors, but I find the OLED-centric look to really stand out and go perfectly together with the OLED's aesthetics. 

All of those features seem all the more impressive when you consider the price of the Faceoff Deluxe+: $24.99. For a third of the price of the Switch Pro Controller, there are very few concessions you have to make. The most noticeable ones are the lack of rumble support and the fact that it's wired-use only. If you can live with that, though, this is an incredibly great budget controller that feels anything but budget.