HORI Retro Mario GamePad Protector and Stylus Set – Nintendo Wii U

The protector I picked is retro Mario Bros themed on the front and the back is just a plain brown that basically matches the ground and blocks in Mario Bros levels. There are lots of cutout sections for the various ports, connections, buttons and speakers and a large cutout section on the back for the charging stand so you can charge with the cover on.

The stylus is just plastic with a Mario themed sticker on it to match the protector. It’s 5.25 inches long from the back end to the very tip and slightly less than .5 inches wide. It’s solid and it seems durable and it’s very lightweight. I’ve used it with no issues on the Wii U Gamepad. I should mention the sticker on the stylus is different than what’s shown on the protector, it’s the end of the level where Mario grabs the flag.

The cover or protector comes in two pieces, top and bottom or front and back, however you want to look at it. They are a thin and semi-flexible plastic but for what it is it’s seems made well enough. You’re going to install it and leave it there it’s not as though it’s going to be taken on and off all the time or I might worry about the little plastic tabs that hold it together.

I have a black Wii U gamepad and I cleaned it prior to installation of the protector just because it was covered in fingerprints and it needed it and I figured once the protector was in place I wouldn’t be taking it out of it for a while.

The protector is very easy to install, it’s just two pieces that snap together on the top edge and bottom edge, there two tabs on each that snap and hold it together. It was very easy to get it on really, there are no gaps and it fits snugly on the gamepad, the gamepad does not move around inside of the protector at all.

The bottom of the protector has cutouts for everything so you can access them easily if need be. The bottom has a very large cutout where it would meet the Wii U charging stand. I found I could charge the gamepad just fine with the protector installed on the gamepad, it does not interfere at all with charging.

The top has cutouts for the shoulder and trigger buttons, stylus, volume, power and audio jacks and for the infrared port as well. The front has nice large cutouts for the controls, buttons, sticks and pad and it does not interfere with usage of them. There are also cutouts for the + and – buttons, the speakers and a large cutout towards the bottom for the microphone, Home, TV and Power buttons along with the battery indicator and then for the dock connector on the edge.

It is what it is, it’s a plastic protector for the Wii U gamepad and I like it a lot, I’ve very happy with my purchase. The protector does what it’s supposed to do, it looks greats and it fits perfectly and doesn’t interfere with nay usage of the gamepad and they even included a matching stylus to go with it. The cover even let’s you charge the gamepad while it’s still on in the Nintendo charging stand.

The protector itself is nicely done, it’s finished very well, no rough edges, nice and smooth all the way around and it makes for a nice presentation.

My only wish is that they included a screen protector with it so I wouldn’t have to buy one separately.

I should note at time of writing this the price for this is $7.12 but when I purchased it the price was only $5.46. Even for the slightly higher price I can easily recommend this protector to keep your Wii U gamepad safe.

Pros:
+Inexpensive
+Easy installation
+Access to ports, buttons and charging in dock
+Good fit
+Decent protection
+Looks good

Cons:
-None that I could find

Disclosure: I purchased this product for my personal use and thought a review would benefit other consumers in making an informed purchasing decision.