How to swap out your Joy-Con shells: eXtremeRate Super Famicom style kit with D-Pad - Full Tutorial

eXtremeRate SFC SNES Classic EU Style Joy Housing (D-Pad Version):
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In this video I'll show you how to replace the shell/casing on a pair of Joy Cons for the Nintendo Switch console with the eXtremeRate SFC style kit with a D-pad on the left controller.
I go through the whole process of disassembly, installation, reassembly and testing.
Enjoy!
Music: Joe Bleeps
www.joebleeps.b...​​​​​
/ joebleeps​​​​​
Camera: Google Pixel 6a
Hardware: 2012 i7 MacBook Pro with SSD
Software: iMovie/Keynote

[@scherge]

I only had a Switch Lite when the OLED model launched, which I bought on the day of its release. However, after playing with it for an hour or so, I searched the internet for shell options that provide a proper d-pad, because of how awful those 4 directional buttons felt compared to the Lite model. Got the red soft touch shells from extremerate, which look awesome when paired with the white dock, and when mixing them with the original white joy-cons. They feel very premium, do exactly what they are supposed to, and installation was a piece of cake. Very solid guide you provide here, thank you! I wish more people would check out your content on a regular basis. Great channel!

[@JoeBleeps]

Thank you! The channel is still steadily growing, it's going in the right direction at least. I was the same after playing on the switch lite for so long, I needed a d pad. The RetroFlag controller is great for that reason too, it's got a great d pad. The thing that surprised me here is how good the d pad feels with those four tactile switches below it.

[@Orpheusftw]

Thanks matey. 👌 That's a real pain in the ass, but I got it done with your guide. Easy enough to swap in metal rail clips and gulikit hall effect sticks during the process. I also glued a small, rounded plastic "pivot point" to the board behind the d-pad, to prevent unwanted inputs if the entire thing gets pushed down like one button. Not sure I'd _recommend_ that step to anyone, as it's tough to get right, and might damage your board if you ever wanted it off, but I'm very picky about d-pads and it's working great for me.

[@JoeBleeps]

Sounds like a worthwhile project!

[@spookz4469]

i just did this with my extremerate shell replacement. what i did instead though, was i put the SMALLEST dab of hot glue onto the motherboard... less permanent fixation in case whatever reason i don't like it, less likely to damage it. another thing i did was i rotated the membrane to the right once. this way, the slots that are supposed to slot into the dpad act more like a rocker. while still i don't think my method is perfect; it helped tighten up the controls a considerable amount. i CAN still hit every button at once, but only if i really try. this is due to the flexibility of the membrane and the hot glue. at least the controls are tightened up to the point where i won't accidentally be doing more than 1 button at a time now. i thought i would share my method. thanks for sharing this bit of information! ultimately, this is an overlooked step on extremerate's part. i personally believe they should add a spike to the bottom of their dpad and include their own membrane. i would even go as far as to punch a hole through the stock membrane, or order a stock membrane to do it to. outside of this, i have no other complaints and i much prefer the extremerate shells over the stock.

[@JCG105]

Joe, your glasses are RAD, dude. Keep kickin' butt. Good video!

[@JoeBleeps]

Ah thank you!

[@johnDingoFoxVelocity]

So some updates for everyone. The Gray joycon's are known to have a cheaper designed clip for the joycon rail. Win transferring one of these joycon's to a new housing. Make sure that you buy a spare rail as well. Because you may not get that rail ribbon cable to lock back in to the plug. And it has nothing to do with the plug. It has to do with the thickness of the orange ribbon cable.

[@JoeBleeps]

I didn't know that, thank you!

[@johnDingoFoxVelocity]

@@JoeBleeps your welcome

[@dave8826]

Thanks for your excellent tutorial! I agree the DPAD is really good.

[@JoeBleeps]

Thank you!

[@bloodpine666]

to anyone who follows this guide and your ZR button doesn't work after you're all done putting it back together: the tiny, last little ribbon cable (the annoying one) needs to go GOLD side DOWN (dark side up). a very easy thing to miss!!! lol extremerate has a video about this on their channel, i nearly missed it, was tearing my hair out trying to figure out why my ZR wasn't working EDIT: another tip, please do not use metal tweezers for the ribbon cables on either joycon -- use soft plastic tweezers instead. with metal ones, you risk shorting and burning a tiny little jumper fuse. this is a pretty common mishap, there are threads on ifixit about this (joycons no longer charging after being taken apart).

[@JoeBleeps]

@@bloodpine666 thank you for this! Very useful information

[@TimunKun]

how's the housing now? ive heard that it has some kind of soft touch coating that will wear out and get sticky overtime?

[@JoeBleeps]

It does have a soft touch coating. I've a GBA SP shell that's similar too. I've just asked the guy I built them for and he said after a few hundred hours of gaming they are doing fine.

[@TimunKun]

@@JoeBleeps woah nice, thank you for the update! now im sold hahaha

[@HustlerHorstRuediger]

I dont think its the buttons itself that make it feel clicky but the rubber membrane they used but i might be wrong.

[@JoeBleeps]

You're right, but I think you can also get a clicky button mod kit too which is a new button

[@HustlerHorstRuediger]

@@JoeBleeps oh, I didn't knew about that. I just wanted to leave the info there in case someone particularly wants their D-Pad to be less clicky. ;)

[@MustyMacaroni]

Tutorial starts at 5:46

[@JoeBleeps]

@@MustyMacaroni thanks, I like to give a bit of context first but I'm working on the flow of my videos still

[@MustyMacaroni]

@ No problem. I just commented this for myself for future reference because I bought these shells and knew I’d be coming back for when I need to put them on my controllers.

[@JoeBleeps]

@MustyMacaroni I hope it's helpful!

[@AwkCrafty]

Eva shirt! I have the exact same one! :D

[@raducodreanu2309]

Thanks! I’m wondering if these are exactly the same sized shell as the original joycons - for case compatibility with the neogrip for ex.

[@JoeBleeps]

@@raducodreanu2309 same size but not sure if that textured surface would make a difference

[@beszt95]

big thanks for sharing this!

[@JoeBleeps]

No problem! It's a great kit

[@beszt95]

@@JoeBleeps not just that but the tutorial haha, the joycons are a nightmare

[@JoeBleeps]

@@beszt95 so much packed into a small space

[@beszt95]

@@JoeBleeps exactly, and those ribbon cables are always miserable to deal with lol

[@JoeBleeps]

@@beszt95 yes! Incredibly fiddly

[@m0xiemarlinspike]

How is the Dpad?

[@somewhereupthere7]

it sucks

[@m0xiemarlinspike]

@@somewhereupthere7 Not as nice as the hori then

[@ladysman371]

👍🏾

[@GamerTailor]

These DIY tutorials are awesome! If anyone finds DIY tricky, I offer professional shell swap services-happy to help gamers customize their Joy-Cons hassle-free! 🎮✨

[@Waifu4Life]

Doesn't look like this Dpad would pivot.

[@JoeBleeps]

Seemed okay when I tried it, much better than the separate buttons for sure

[@majorissues6604]

ONE VERY IMPORTANT THING this clown decided not to mention. 1) the battery connections pull UP from the board, not to the side like it would seem they would. So unless you like buying new batteries there is that.

[@JoeBleeps]

Thanks for the info. I hadn't realised it might seem they should be pulled out to the side 🤡

[@Spaceworld-95]

Not that big of a thing to insult someone for..

[@jalbimbim]

not a reason to insult him

[@PeacefulAdventureBoi]

Yeah, completely pulled the wires out from the adapter lol

[@marycahill1210]

the screwdrivers are terrible

[@JoeBleeps]

@@marycahill1210 absolutely. Would have been more useful to just not include them at all