Nacon Revolution X Pro Review Custom Xbox Controller With Variable Stick Amplitude
Just like wine connoisseurs, gamers love varity. That's why everyone loves Xbox controllers, although being able to customize your controller is even better, which is why custom controllers such as the Nacon Revolution X Pro is a growing niche market!
The Revolution X Pro controller is feature packed. It includes hand grip weights, which look like miniature gym dumbells. The numbering on the hand grip weights indicate the weight. For instance, the 16g weight indicates 16 grams exactly. Removing and adding the weights is easy and straightforward. Simply slide out the hand grip back panels and slot the weight in place.
The thin weight spacers for the stick stem weigh 5 grams (2.5 grams each), while the thicker spacers weigh 8 grams (4 grams each). The thumb stick grip covers weigh approximately 1 gram each. You get four grip covers in total - two of them are rounded inward (concave) and the other two are rounded outward (domed).
The dome ones provide a few millimeters of extra height, although it would have been neater if a set of taller grips were added to get more angle to play with. The stock grip covers that come pre-installed have different texture. The one on the left stick has a mill textured finish to it, while the right stick grip cover has a carving of Nacon's logo.
The weights come nicely inside a tinted smoke plastic crate with an eggcrate-like grille to neatly store all the weights, as well as one set of grip covers. The plastic crate has a snap closure and integrates a piece of perforated foam internally to press down the weights and prevent the weights from shifting around inside. The thumbsticks have a positive resistance to them and feature a non-removable metal spacer already built-in. You can only fit one spacer around the built-in spacer.
The USB-C charging port on the Nacon Revolution X Pro controller is recessed inside a cutout, which is nice as it minimizes stress on the USB-C port when the cable is inserted. The Revolution X Pro gamepad controller weighs 230 grams without adding any weights.
Maximum weight achievable is 270 grams, which is almost half the weight of the original Xbox controller (550 grams) and 80 grams lighter than the Xbox Elite controller (350 gram). The dimensions of the Revolution X Pro controller are 16cm long (sideways) 11cm wide and 6cm high (including the thumbsticks).
You can remap up to 4 shortcut buttons directly from the controller but, if you want to take advantage of the all the customizable features that come with the Revolution X Pro controller, you need to download the Revolution X app from the Windows Store or Xbox Store. The app lets you create up to 4 profiles that you can store on the controller. By default, the profiles are preset for racing games, fps games, arcade fighting games and infiltration games.
The Revolution X app is very comprehensive. You can tweak the vibration triggers and the vibration of the hand grips separately. You can also adjust the response curve of the joysticks. There is also an equalizer built-in. In order to download the app, you need a Microsoft Windows Store account (for Windows 10) and Xbox Live account (for Xbox One, Xbox X/S consoles).
If you have issues downloading the Revolution X app, it could be your third party firewall (if you have one). Most Windows Store apps only work when Windows Firewall is enabled. Luckily, there is a work around this issue by sideloading the app, which effectively bypasses the official Windows Store. The "sideload app" feature in Windows 10 is located under the "For developers" menu.
The Nacon Revolution X Pro controller also supports Dolby Atmos for Headphones, which is a virtual surround sound software you can get free of charge. That said, you need to download the Dolby Access app from the Microsoft Store.
If you're using an Xbox One or Windows 10 machine, you probably don't need to download Dolby Atmos since you can get "Windows Sonic for Headphones" virtual surround sound natively from an Xbox One and Windows 10 computer. Both Dolby Atmos and Windows Sonic are very similar.
The included cable that comes with the Revolution X Pro controller weighs 108 grams so, it's quite weighty but with good reason. It's a 3 meter long cable with a stiff braided sleeve and long USB-A plug connector. the cable is top-notch premium quality. If you're a fan of the original Xbox controller, you will love the Revolution X Pro as it has the same joystick offset positioning and ABXY face button layout.
The Revolution X Pro controller also has Back, Guide, Start and Home buttons, although slightly in lower positions especially the Home button. The Revolution X Pro uses different thumbstick potentiometers though. It uses ALPS thumbsticks with variable amplitude, which is nice. However, if you like the feel of the Xbox controller's fixed 46-degree amplitude, you're out of luck because you can only adjust the amplitude of the Revolution X Pro controller between 30 degrees and 44 degrees. If you prefer the feel of a PS4 controller, check out the Nacon Wired Compact controller.
The Revolution X Pro controller also integrates a 3.5mm headphone jack with microphone passthrough so, you can plug in any headset you want. The left analog stick and d-pad positions cannot be swapped but, you can configure the d-pad from 4 directional to 8 directional. The cross d-pad isn't flat either. It is concave, which is better as it allows the thumb to sit more comfortably and securely.
On the backside of the Revolution X Pro controller, there is a profile button, two clicky paddle buttons and two large rectangular clicky buttons on the underside of the hand grips. The shoulder buttons have the loudest click actuation, while the triggers have a silent actuation. The rear butttons are remappable and you can change trigger settings too (short/delayed) and adjust the trigger vibration via the software. The d-pad has a good positive resistance, as well as a centre pivot to prevent mushing in the d-pad in all directions.
The front, back and sides of the hand grips have a subtle mill texture (lightly grippy), while the rest of the controller has a smooth matte finish. The include hardshell case weighs 180 grams and, it's tailored made for the Revolution X Pro controller.
You won't be able to store a different controller inside of the case because of the preformed cutout. The hardshell case integrates an internal mesh pocket with velcro fastener to store the cable neatly and securely. The outer shell of the case is made of 600D nylon so, it's rugged and water resistant, although the zipper isn't.
The Nacon case zipper has standard coil teeth with a single metal slider pull tab which smoothly opens the case clamshell style. The Nacon hardshell case has an hexagonal shape with a black and lime green color scheme and a raised embossing of Nacon on the front. A large cleaning cloth is also included. You can buy the Nacon Revolution X Pro controller from Nacon website, as well as amazon
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