Nacon Revolution X Unlimited controller review: This controller has a screen!

A controller with a built-in screen: it’s not entirely unique, but it is a novelty, and the Nacon Revolution X Unlimited controller might just be the best currently on the market. We reviewed the Manba One controller late last year, which beat Nacon to market by a few months, and while we were very impressed with it, it lacks the premium quality of Nacon’s offering — not to mention official Xbox support.

But is the screen on the Nacon Revolution X Unlimited actually useful, or is it just a nifty-sounding gimmick? Well, somewhere in the middle, perhaps. There are good uses to the screen, although its functionalities are rather limited. You can initiate Bluetooth connectivity by navigating its menus, for example, and you can also change audio settings, which is very handy, particularly if you’ve got a headset connected via the controller. Most usefully, you can remap every button on the controller by navigating the built-in menus.

For some people, that feature alone is going to be a real selling point here. For the average gamer, though, it might just be overkill. That, alongside the other premium features bundled on the Nacon Revolution X Unlimited — programmable back buttons, lockable triggers, changeable profiles — makes this a controller very much geared towards professional, competitive gamers. Or those who like to take FPS gameplay seriously.

But if you’ve got money to spend — the Revolution X Unlimited isn’t cheap, coming in at £180 — and you appreciate good quality, there’s certainly a lot to like here. The build quality is excellent, comparable to previous controllers in Nacon’s Revolution range. It’s textured, which feels nice in your palms, and thanks to a series of weights, you can add extra weightiness if you need it. This is already a fairly heavy controller, though; it’s unlikely they’ll be needed. The controller comes in a holster, complete with interchangeable sticks and d-pad, and there’s even a microfibre cloth so you can keep everything fingerprint-free.

All of that feels pretty standard if you’ve had one of Nacon’s premium controllers before, but what sets the Revolution X Unlimited apart (aside from its screen, of course) is the inclusion of a charging stand. Connect the stand to USB and you can dock your controller on it rather than plugging it in. It’s a small thing, but something that really elevates the Nacon Revolution X Unlimited package to feeling like a cut above the rest. I’m just a little disappointed that the case doesn’t have a charging passthrough: sometimes it’s nice to keep your controller protected while it’s charging.

The Revolution X Unlimited is designed with Xbox in mind, so you’ll find official Microsoft branding here, including an Xbox button and correctly-labelled ABXY buttons. To use on Xbox, however, you’ll need to connect via a dongle. Simply plug the dongle into the USB on your console, and the controller will connect right away. You can also use the controller in wired mode using the included 3m USB cable.

When it comes to using on PC, you’ve got the additional choice of connecting via Bluetooth, although I’ve had a few issues getting it to work correctly. It took several attempts to get the controller to pair with my PC, and even when it was paired, Steam wasn’t recognising it as a connected controller. Using the dongle, however, I had no issue, and the controller was correctly paired in a matter of seconds. If you choose to connect using the cable, you can make use of Nacon’s bespoke software, where you can tweak individual profiles on the controller.

However you choose to connect the controller, however, you’ll find it to be incredibly responsive. Lag isn’t an issue here, with every button press registering instantly. Buttons are satisfyingly clicky, and the multi-directional d-pad is a joy to use (if you’d rather have a more traditional ‘+’ d-pad, you can switch it out). The sticks are textured, feeling nice under your thumbs, and the triggers are wonderful, whether you have them set to a full press or locked at half press (an ideal function for FPS games).

The question is, however, despite all its bells and whistles, is the Nacon Revolution X Unlimited really worth its £180 asking price? It’s £10 more than an official Xbox Elite Controller, and its reliance on a dongle makes it slightly less convenient to use. But those extra bells and whistles are nice, and yes, while it is a bit of a novelty, the screen is a really nice touch. It elevates the Revolution X Unlimited to the next level, and even if you don’t see yourself needing to remap your buttons or fiddle with settings all that often, it’s a nice feature to have.

Ultimately, if you’re a casual gamer, or spend your time playing single-player adventures rather than competitive shooters, you’re probably not going to get the most out of the Nacon Revolution X Unlimited. But even if you don’t use all the features it offers, there’s no denying this is a very pleasant controller to use: it’s premium and clearly built to last. It’s perhaps just a little overkill for most, unless you have deep pockets.

Thanks to Nacon for providing us with a loan unit for the purposes of this review.