When it comes to competitive gaming, it’s always wise to gain that edge over the competition in whatever way possible. Some gamers just practice to hone their skills, some people resort to cheating (Call of Duty: Warzone, I’m looking at you), but some people choose better hardware. We see the hardware aspect of advantageous gaming in eSports in particular. The pros bring the goods when it comes to competitions. With that I mean pro controllers. Gamepads that have more bells and whistles that the regular controller that just has the triggers, face buttons and thumbsticks. One of the better ones that I have had the pleasure to get to grips with (see what I did there?) is the Revolution X Pro from Nacon.
The Revolution X Pro comes nicely packaged in a carry case within the outer packaging. It is a black triangular case with a fabric outer layer and felt inside. Opening it up shows the goods in all its glory. At the top, the controller itself, below that, a small plastic casing containing customisation trinkets, and attached to the lid, a generously long (10 meters) USB-C power cable.
The Revolution X Pro controller itself is designed around the standard Xbox One controller. It has the same shape and even has the Xbox button in roughly the same place, as are the Back and Start buttons. It is on the back of the controller that things get a little spicy. Aside from the shoulder buttons and triggers, which are of a standard fare, we have two buttons attached to each of the grips. They are situated perfectly so that they cannot be accidentally pressed without a bit of pressure. One button is where your index and middle finger sit, and the other button is further down where your ring finger and pinky sit. Directly in the middle of the these is a switch and a profile button. The Revolution X Pro has a nice feel to it. It has a rubber texture to prevent sweating, and it is light enough to not make you feel too encumbered when carrying it around. It is, however, bulky. It is a lot heftier than a standard Xbox controller, which will take some getting used to. Another complaint centers around the buttons. They are very clicky and feel very cheap in their construction. Pressing the face buttons feels similar to a cheap knock-off controller, and the loud clicking sound they make when pressing them can be off-putting.
The customisation trinkets I previously mentioned are needed to fully customise your Revolution X Pro. Opening the case gives you numerous vibration bolts of various sizes. These can be placed inside the hand grips to give varying strengths of vibration in-game. Aside from these are two different sized thumbstick cylinders to increase the length or width of your thumbsticks and two convex thumbgrips. It’s impressive how easy it is to change these around with a simple click, no tools are needed at all. In no time at all, I had a more responsive controller that had thick thumbsticks and thin vibration bolts fitted that made my controller feel similar to having haptic feedback. Colour me impressed.
The meat and potatoes of the Revolution X Pro unlock when you install the Revolution X app, whether you’re on a PC or Xbox. After a simple setup and update process, you’re soon able to fully remap the entire controller functions. Up to four profiles can be affixed to the controller to any one time. If you’re playing a competitive game, such as PUBG or Warzone, you can map the jump and crouch buttons to the new buttons on the back on the Revolution X to allow for more mobility should you get into a gunfight. If you’re playing a racing game, such as Forza Horizon 5, you can use those buttons for braking or accelerating and use the usual buttons for something else. The response curve can be altered for the thumbsticks to increase accuracy and assigned to your FPS profile too. Each profile can be activated by the switch on the rear of the controller, and they can be switched between by the press of the profile button next to it. It is so easy to set up and feels fantastic to switch between them seamlessly.
On top of its superb customisation options and seemingly endless remapping opportunities, the Revolution X Pro is capable of delivering unprecedented sound to compatible headphones, courtesy of Dolby Atmos. Plugging in a set to the controller via the 3.5mm AUX jack at the bottom of the controller and then a brief setup via the Dolby Access app make way for some awesome dimensions of sound. Dolby Atmos is usually best experienced in a cinema; however, it holds its own here as you can literally hear people all around you.
So, I am impressed with the Revolution X Pro. It does everything you’d expect from a professional controller. It has handy, unintrusive extra buttons, easily remappable buttons via the app, excellent audio capabilities and impressive customisation options. I just wish it wasn’t so bulky, cheap feeling and noisy.
Manufacturer: Nacon
Platforms: Xbox One, Xbox Series S/X, PC
RRP: £99.90
