I have put easily over 300 Hours into this controller, I have tested it in Call of Duty, CS:GO, Tekken 7 and Sonic Adventure DX (a game that I am EXTREMELY adept at, to the point that I have held multiple Speedrun world records in) Now here is my update/ review.
The build quality is solid with no flex or creeks in the shell, with a shape and size even more comfortable to me than an official OEM Xbox controllers. Contrary to other reviews there is a very comfortable grippy texture on the back that works well even when my hands sweat.
This is personal preference but the ABXY face buttons feel better to me than even official OEM Xbox controller buttons. Though I do want to note that they feel a bit closer to the right stick than on an official Xbox OEM controller. The guide, share, start and menu buttons all have a satisfying tactile click, same goes for the bumpers. The D-pad is also very assuring with no slop and a definitive stepped feeling when pressing initially but rolls smoothly. The back buttons are a similar kind of click-y as the Guide, share, menu and start buttons, but since I play with the Claw grip on controller I don’t use them and have used the switches to lock them. They are comfortably placed and don’t bother me at all.
For the triggers this is the ONLY place I have found an issue. When used in normal mode with full minimum and maximum deadzone, the triggers function just as well as official Xbox OEM controller triggers, though noticeably more sensitive on the low end and more accurate, I will test them again when I can get the latest Forza game. However in the hair trigger mode is where I found an issue, most of the time they function great and actuate INSANELY quickly making rapid fire with semi-automatic weapons much easier and faster. But in multiple instances I have been holding the left trigger to aim down sights in MWII, only for the trigger to disengage mid gunfight causing me to release my ADS and costing me the fight. This is just a theory but there may be some jitter in the trigger sensors, though I am confident that this is NOT a hardware issue and can be fixed in future firmware updates.
Now for the main attraction, the Hall effect sticks. HOLY CRAP THESE THINGS ARE GOD TIER!!!
These are BY FAR THE GREATEST STICKS I’VE EVER USED IN MY LIFE! The stick tops are comfortable and provide more than adequate grip despite being modelled closer to the PS4/5 stick tops which I usually don’t like for their lack of grippynness. The stick tops also have very minimal slop making me very confident that every micro adjustment I make will be translated in game.
As for their in game performance, AGAIN HOLY CRAP! I have never experienced joystick input as accurate and precise in my life, this controller is an FPS scalpel as opposed to every other controller who’s sticks might as well be blunt rusty butchers cleavers in comparison. You can actually make MICRO adjustments with these sticks, the only thing I can describe them as is a high end gaming mouse in joystick form, They are obviously aren’t as precise as a real mouse due to range of motion limitations and ergonomics, but I have been able to seamlessly transition from large sweeping turns to surgical pinpoint snaps and recoil control on a dime (NOT just blindly pulling down to fight muzzle climb, but countering PER SHOT RECOIL) in the past on official Xbox OEM controllers, I have tried the same micro adjustments only for them to either get eaten or jump further than intended with tragic results. Not so with these sticks, I can confidently say 100% that EVERY missed shot is 100% my own fault with the controller not holding me back AT ALL.
Sticks this precise combined with the 265Hz polling rate of the controller makes inputs feel IMMEDIATE and consistent. On top of the immediate responsiveness stick input on screen is BUTTERY SMOOTH, trying to slowly pan side to side on an official Xbox OEM controller feels stutter-y in comparison, it is akin to the feel of moving from 30FPS to 60FPS for the first time, which also helps with micro adjustment because the smoothness of movement makes predicting crosshair/ sight-picture movement feel extremely natural. This makes flick snaps and adjusting your aim for fighting opponents using a headglitch FAR easier.
While not a negative I feel it only right to give anyone looking at this controller a heads up, that there IS a learning curve to this controller. While you can just pick it up and start dominating (assuming you already had the skill to do so before using this) It feels like this controller has a slightly different native response curve than Official Xbox OEM controllers, and you will have to adjust to be able to take full advantage of the precision of this controller.
Also it really is a REQUIREMENT to download the Gamesir Nexus app from the Microsoft store as by default there is a 10% deadzone that you need to reduce to 0 for best results. Also in my personal opinion Raw stick input feels the best, however it is VERY sensitive which may be to aggressive to many people.
All in all I’d give this controller a 9.5/10, assuming the hair triggers are fixed in a future firmware update, along with the addition of being able to create custom response curves this controller would easily be a 10. Though in future iterations along with the original G7’s mechanical face buttons I’d like to see some PHYSICAL trigger stops on top of the hall effect triggers with digital hair triggers, add on a decent case for £10 and this would literally be THE GOD CONTROLLER. (not that it isn’t A god controller already) Hope this review helps, and sorry for being so wordy, I wanted to be sure to be thorough.
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