The Secret No One Knew Nintendo's Switch Pro Controller Was Hiding

The Nintendo Switch Pro Controller has a secret message behind its front panel, right above its right control stick. Many fans have known about the message since the controller's launch back in 2017, but others are still discovering the message on new controllers. If players look carefully, they can find "THX2 ALLGAMEFANS!" printed behind the right control stick. 

Some fans took apart their controllers to clearly read the message. However, it's still possible to read without turning your controller into a hardware project. For example, a now-deleted Reddit account posted a photo of their Pro Controller with the partially visible message. "By moving the control stick down on a Nintendo Switch Pro Controller, you can see a message which says "THX2 ALLGAMEFANS!" they wrote. 

Many commenters were able to find the message. Comments ranged from those who bought their Pro Controller near launch to those who bought them just recently. One person said that their official "Splatoon" Pro Controller had the message, too.

Here's how to find the secret that Nintendo's Switch Pro Controller has been hiding, plus SVG's own findings. 

Most people probably won't be able to see the message without shining a bright light on the right stick and holding it downwards. It's difficult to spot the message without proper lighting, and the text is too faint to read in most settings. If you want to take a photo, or perhaps just read it more clearly, turn on flash and photograph the control stick. Note that it might take a few tries to capture the message in its entirety. "THX2" sits on top of "ALLGAMEFANS" in two separate rows of text, so it's difficult to get it all in frame without blurring or reflected light blocking the letters. SVG team members checked their own Nintendo Switch Pro Controllers for the message, too. Many of us successfully found the message, though some of us needed to experiment with the proper angle and lighting. Some of the test controllers were from launch, but some were from later batches, too.  

The original Nintendo Switch Pro Controller launched with the Nintendo Switch back in 2017. Nintendo fans have been mentioning this message for years since then. It's unclear if Nintendo meant for every Pro Controller to have the message, but many of them do. Unfortunately, third-party controllers don't have the same message. Maybe Nintendo will eventually change the message in the case of a "Switch 2" or "Switch Pro."