The GameSir T4 Cyclone Pro is a fantastic controller with, as the name suggests, some pro-level features. Compatible with PC, Android iOS and Switch, it sports Hall Effect magnetic triggers and joysticks. That means that no matter how long you hold onto your controller, drift should be a non-issue. The Pro comes with a low-latency dongle though you can also pair it via Bluetooth if you’ve misplaced the dongle.
Faintly textured, it’s really comfortable to hold. And while it doesn’t quite have the heft of an Xbox One controller (it comes across as a hybrid of that controller and the Nintendo Pro Controller) it doesn’t feel cheap. There’s a respectably small dead zone, which you can tweak via the GameSir app. And, factoring in the programmable rear buttons, you’re getting pro-level features for a more than reasonable $49.99/£55.99.
Okay, there’s the usual US/GBP imbalance there. But you could pay £100+ for a Microsoft Xbox Elite Wireless Controller Series 2 and still not get Hall Effect sticks. And while the Pro does have an Xbox button layout, with the app you can easily switch it to a, er Switch setting. Sadly, the buttons don’t magically change places but they will correspond to the right letters on the Switch. The app lets you mess around with pretty much every joypad setting, in fact.
On top of that you’ve got motion sensing, vibration with actual oomf and an off/on hair trigger mode. I put the Pro through its paces on PC, Android and Switch and was thoroughly impressed by how it performed. Fighting games, FPSes, retro games, it handled them all admirably.
Being able to enable auto-fire was a real boon for old-school shooters. I got some use out of the rear buttons and you’ll find your fingers rest naturally there. But if you don’t, they’re flush enough that you can barely feel them. And while it’s designed and marketed as a wireless controller, you can plug a cable in and use it wired.
If I had to find fault with the GameSir T4 Cyclone Pro it’s that it doesn’t come with a phone clip. There’s a socket at the back and I had a previous GameSir controller that did come with the clip, so I was able to reuse it. But it’ll cost you $10 to buy one. I’m guessing there’s maybe $2 worth of plastic there and leaving that off a ‘Pro’ package feels like penny-pinching.
The Pro is a great controller. It’s comfortable to use, heavily customisable and with performance and features you’d expect (but not necessarily get) from pricier devices. Swappable sticks aside, the GameSir T4 Cyclone Pro offers most everything you could want from a wireless controller and it’s a great deal at this price.
