Nacon Revolution 5 Pro Wireless Controller review - an alternative choice

It doesn't matter if you’re a pro or casual gamer, it’s always nice to have a competitive edge over your online competitors, whether you like to play Call of Duty, Fortnite, Apex Legends, or something totally different. Heck, you don't even have to play online, having a snazzy controller for our single-player adventures is always a welcome bonus.

When I think of a pro controller, the likes of brilliant SCUF and Xbox Elite come to mind. However, there are others, such as Nacon’s asymmetrical Revolution 5 Pro Wireless Controller for PC, PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 4. This controller is a revised version of the previous Nacon Revolution that was exclusive to PC and PS4, but now this new version comes with some additional bells and whistles.

Check out the Nacon Revolution 5 Pro trailer below!

The moment the Nacon Revolution 5 Pro was in my hand, I instantly felt the quality. As a fan of the previous model, this new controller felt more sturdy thanks to its rubberised texture that now covers the majority of the device, which will come in handy for extended and intense gameplay sessions. Not that my palms are that sweaty or my legs wobble like spaghetti, but the Nacon Revolution 5 Pro feels more comfy, so it was already off to a head start before I explored some of its special features.

So what improvements does the Nacon Revolution 5 Pro have over its predecessor? For starters, it has a changeable D-pad: one is circular and the other is the traditional cross shape. The L2 and R2 triggers also have trigger stoppers which means when adjusted, the press distance is much shorter. When you’re playing a first-person shooter such as Call of Duty, it means that you can aim down the scope and shoot that little bit faster. Both of these features perhaps take inspiration from the Xbox Elite.

Nacon

On the rear of the controller are its very handy back buttons. In total, there are four extra buttons, two each on the handle grip as well as the mic adjustment functions in the centre. You can program these buttons as you please or just use one of the four preloaded profiles on the controller which cater for racing/sports, FPS, arcade/fighting and stealth. The four back buttons have a mouse click function which means instant response.

Being a fan of FPS games, my four back buttons were programmed as crouch, jump, reload and weapon swap which are a little bit faster to press than the four traditional buttons on the face of the controller. The analogue sticks are designed with a magnetic Hall Effect technology, which not only means added durability but it should also eliminate the potential of encountering the dreaded controller drift, an issue that is a common flaw with the Joy-Cons of the Nintendo Switch.

The L2 and R2 triggers also have a ridged texture, which should mean that the likelihood of your fingers slipping is decreased. It also has a mute button in the same location as the DualSense for added familiarity. It even has the option of both connecting a wired and wireless headset while having the controller connected to the PlayStation via the dongle thanks to dual connectivity using the added plug-in adapter which was not a function in the previous model. The battery life indicator has also been improved with the battery life remaining indicated by four lights instead of just one, making it easier to know when it's time to charge the controller or go wired courtesy of its three-metre USB-C cable.

Nacon

It should be stated that while the Nacon Revolution 5 Pro does have impressive rumble features that you can customise in the free app, it’s not to the level of the Haptic Feedback and Adaptive Triggers of the DualSense, simply because this is a Sony-exclusive feature. That being said, the Nacon Revolution 5 Pro is designed with the pro gamer in mind and during competitions it's common for the DualSense rumble features to be turned off, so in that respect, it’s an authentic experience. You also still can’t power up the PlayStation via the controller which is a minor inconvenience.

Elsewhere in the box, you get a hard storage case to keep your controller nice and safe. You get a choice of three analogue grips instead of the previous two. The new addition is a thicker, wider grip handy for big thumbs. The metal rings also return that are placed over your analogue stick each varying in radius. This is particularly helpful for extra quick movement in FPS games by implementing the analogue ring of your choice and upping the in-game controller sensitivity, which will result in your aiming and moving being a little bit faster. You can also adjust the weight of the controller with the 10g, 14g and 16g weights placed inside each controller handle grip. I chose to have none of the weights in the controller as it eased my arthritis, which is a handy option to have.

Nacon

If there’s one other major benefit of using the Nacon Revolution 5 Pro over some of the competitors, it’s the free app that is available to download on your PC or Mac. Thanks to this app you can adjust the sensitivity of the analogue, including the dead zone as well as the triggers and remap all of the buttons, including those additional buttons at the back of the controller. You can customise and download other user profiles and even change the colour of the lights for that extra personal touch. This will also be the place to download the latest firmware update for the controller.

Nacon’s latest premium controller might just fall short of its SCUF and Xbox Elite competitors, but if you’re after a quality pro controller with plenty of customisation options then the Nacon Revolution 5 Pro Wireless Controller is a worthy alternative for the pro and casual gamer.

The Nacon Revolution 5 Pro Wireless Controller can be purchased from nacongaming.com as well as various retailers and is available in black or white. A review sample was provided by Nacon.