I will never unsee this Sonic Nintendo Switch controller design fail

Video game controllers come in all shapes and sizes, and no design is guaranteed to please everyone. From PS5's DualSense to the Gucci Xbox collab, we've seen some shockers in our time. And the list has another addition, courtesy of everyone's favourite blue blur.

Just in time for the new film, Hori has announced a Sonic-themed Nintendo Switch controller – and as far as design goes, this thing is anything but minimal. With logos galore and some unfortunate joystick placement, it already has gamers talking. (Want to start gaming? Check out the best Nintendo Switch deals available now.)

The officially licensed Horipad controller has a lot going on. We have Sonic on the right-hand side, running at speed towards the left. One joystick is bright red, the other bright blue. There's a big Sonic logo and a slightly less big Hori logo. And, for good measure, a bunch of diagonal blue lines. The whole thing makes McDonald's DualSense design look positively tasteful. 

Twitter has, as Twitter does, made its feelings known about the design. "$59? For a controller skin like that?" one user comments. "Would look so much cleaner without the branding," another adds along with a helpful mockup of the, yes – much cleaner, alternative (below).

But the thing that really caught people's eyes is the placement of the right joystick. Our minds never even went there, but, er, once it's been pointed out, it's hard to unsee. We'll let the tweets do the talking:

So there we have it – a seemingly innocent Nintendo Switch controller is making me think about Sonic the Hedgehog's nether regions. Which is a first. Looking for some more family-friendly blue blur content? Check out this awesome fan-made Sonic 2 poster.

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