@rarmstar said:
How crucial is the Switch Pro Controller?
Depends entirely on the person. The Switch will come with a "Grip" for your Joycons to slot into and make a more traditional controller, just without a D-Pad since Joycons don't have one. You can also use split Joycons on their own. Some people seem to really enjoy that method of control. Others are so used to more traditional controllers they want a Pro Controller, and as @Hanabi said, I highly recommend one for Splatoon 2, but I have heard people say they've played it before with split Joycons and done fine.
All that said, you need to know that all Switch Pro Controllers up until the Xenoblade Chronicles 2 design ones have a D-Pad defect that you'll more likely than not run into. Things like pressing right registering as an up press and such. This most heavily affected me while playing Breath of the Wild with a launch Pro Controller, because it caused the wrong quick switch menu to open quite often, which was frustrating to deal with. I don't seem to notice it a ton anymore, but not sure if it is cause I'm not playing games anymore where it would come up noticeably or I've worn mine in enough to fix it now or something? Some people will say this hasn't be fixed, but it is proven Nintendo changed the internal design of the Pro Controller from the Xenoblade ones onward, so if you get one of those you shouldn't experience the same problems.
Also since someone mentioned it before, when you get your Switch attach the Joycons to the side of it, and navigate to the controller section and update the controllers manually after whatever other system updates finish. They are initially set to a lower signal strength to conserve more battery, so people have consistently run into problems using them detached from the system. Updating them should boost the signal and help, but if you're still experiencing problems you can send them into Nintendo, and they will stuff them with conductive foam that helps stabilize the signal and send them back to you for free. Depending on the distance you play from your system you might not need to bother with all that, and the controller updates might be enough, but if you're noticing problems Nintendo is pretty fast at getting them back to you free of charge, usually within a week.
