Earlier this year, we reviewed Nacon’s Xbox Pro Compact controller, calling it “surprisingly skilful”. And now, its bigger, even more skilled, sibling is out in the wild.
The Nacon Revolution X Pro controller is positioned to compete with the Xbox Elite controller; this is a pad that does more than a bog-standard controller does, and with more finesse. It boasts additional programmable buttons on the back, allows users to set multiple profiles, and even comes with software to finely-tune every input. This isn’t a controller for your average user, then.
It’s also £60 cheaper than an official Xbox Elite controller. And it perhaps packs even more bells and whistles in its package than Microsoft’s offering does. We’re not quite sold on the build quality (though it does feel nice to hold – but we’ll talk about that in more detail shortly), but if you want a truly customisable experience, controllers really don’t come much better than this.
Being an officially licensed product, the Nacon Revolution X Pro has all of the buttons you’d expect to find on an Xbox controller. The ABXY are all the right colours, the central Xbox button is exactly what you’d expect, and there’s even the ‘share’ button you’ll now find on newer Xbox Series X/S pads. The thumbsticks are positioned where you’d expect on an Xbox controller (i.e. with the left thumbstick higher than the right), and the shoulder buttons and triggers are a familiar shape.
As such, you can pick up the Revolution X Pro and feel right at home with it. It’s very comfortable to hold despite being a slightly different shape to an official controller. The additional buttons on the back are extremely well-placed, too. They’re easy to press as they sit right where your fingers land naturally – but they’re positioned in such a way that you’re unlikely to accidentally press them.
However, the Revolution X Pro doesn’t feel quite as premium as I’d expect for its £100 price point. In comparison to even some of Nacon’s other products – like its PlayStation equivalent, the Revolution Unlimited Pro – it feels quite plasticky and light. Part of that is because this doesn’t contain an internal battery like the PlayStation controller does, though it’s an issue that can be offset slightly by adding in your choice of the supplied weights to the controller. Each of the handles allows weights to be added – 10g, 14g or 16g – to customise the feel in your hands. Personally I prefer a slightly weightier controller, but if you prefer something incredibly light, then that’s exactly what the Revolution X Pro is without any additional weights.
The software available for the Revolution X Pro is particularly neat. You can download it on PC via the Microsoft Store, or directly on your Xbox, which is very helpful. If you’re familiar with the Nacon Pro Compact controller, you’ll find the software to be more or less the same; you can customise the button mapping, change how responsive the triggers are, tinker with vibration settings, and even change how sensitive the thumbsticks are. It’s a very nice touch, and something that could be completely game-changing to the right player, and the right game.
There’s one key drawback to the Nacon Revolution X Pro controller, however: it’s wired. In an age where we’re used to controllers being wireless, it might seem like a bit of a downgrade. But if you’re sat close enough to your TV it doesn’t need to be an issue. It’s supplied with an extra-long braided USB cable, and the benefit is at least you never need to worry about running out of batteries or needing to charge. Having no internal battery also keeps the controller very light, for users who prefer it that way.
Overall, the Nacon Revolution X Pro is a very nice controller indeed. For those who like extra functionality and want to be able to tweak exactly how their thumbsticks and triggers perform, no other controller will allow them to do what this one can, and so easily. It’s a shame it’s a little more plasticky to the touch than we’d have liked, but it’s still obviously a premium product. Its packaging is excellent too; it comes with its own canvas holster so you can always store it away safely. If you’re after a premium controller for your Xbox, it’s well worth considering.
A Revolution X Pro Controller was provided by Nacon to facilitate this review.
Buy a Nacon Revolution X Pro Controller from the Nacon Gaming Store
