Nacon produces a range of console and PC gaming accessories, with the Revolution X Pro controller set to join the rest of its joypads. It is designed for competitive play, with customizable components and an ergonomic design. Dolby Atmos enhances the audio for connected headsets during tournament play, with 3D audio playback and equalizer settings, to round out the esports theme.
As with most third-party Xbox controllers, the Revolution X Pro is a wired joypad, which uses a long 3m USB-C cable to connect to your console. Saving on internal batteries keeps the controller lightweight, but Nacon still has a choice of interchangeable weights if you prefer something heavier. Whether it can compete or not remains to be seen, so I spent the weekend trying it out for our Nacon Revolution X Pro review.
Nacon Revolution X Pro: price and availability
Nacon sells the Revolution X Pro controller through major third-party retailers, including Amazon, Best Buy, and Walmart, for a suggested retail price of $100. Packaged with a detachable USB-C cable, interchangeable weights, and a choice of thumbstick caps, everything is included. in a nylon carrying case packed in the box.
Nacon Revolution X Pro: What’s good
My first impressions of the Revolution X Pro were excellent, given its beautiful presentation. Everything comes straight out of the box in a sturdy nylon case. The extra controller weights and thumbstick caps are then stored in an even smaller carrying case, like a set of nesting dolls, neatly separated and clearly labeled for easy access.
Nacon has taken great care in the design of this controller, with a mesh section of the housing that stores the detachable USB-C cable, making it easy to transport to tournaments and events. A small cleaning cloth adorned with the Revolution X logo completes the package, although the plastic joypad finish doesn’t attract too many fingerprints.
Playing a few games on basic settings without changing parts or tweaking the software felt comfortable enough for a while. However, the thumbstick caps installed by default are still my favorite over the alternatives. The included 3-meter USB-C cable is detachable, but only for storage, as this controller is strictly wired. Still, it’s long enough to sit well away from screens without any problem, and it’s heavily braided to prevent damage, even with extended use.
Then we dive into the customization aspect and the individually labeled weights to remedy the hollow feeling, now balanced and firm. Sticking to 10g weights feels perfect to me, but you can go heavier with 14g or 16g, even asymmetrically, if you really want to. Nacon is aiming for the competition, so if anyone wants more weight around the right stick with a custom thumbstick cap, they’ll be happy with the choices.
I’ve learned some two-handed keyboard shortcuts that save precious time in shooters.
An RGB ring surrounds the right stick, divided into quarters that can each display a unique color and animation, which certainly suits the gamer aesthetic. On the back are several additional buttons and switches with decent tactile feedback, including four paddles and profile selectors. Extra paddles are relatively standard on third-party controllers, and two were comfortable on my middle fingers.
The most interesting addition is two discreet buttons on the inside of the handles, which rest just around my ring fingers. I found them a bit tricky to get used to, but using both with my right hand proved useful after pairing them with frequent features in shooters that usually required me to take my thumbs off the sticks.
If you make personalized changes to the included software, a four-stage profile picker can quickly switch between these, each designed for a different style of play or whatever you want. You can set a unique RGB color for each so you’ll notice if you accidentally press the rear-facing profile button during the game.
It’s comfortable to hold, especially thanks to the standard Xbox design sensibilities, and even the extra buttons don’t feel like they’re in the way. You may need some time to get the hang of the Revolution X Pro, and some two-handed shortcuts saved me precious time playing shooters with this versatile but ultimately flawed joypad.
Nacon Revolution X Pro: what’s not so good
While gaming with the Revolution Pro X all night, I noticed too many annoyances that made it feel more like a budget pad masquerading as top-end hardware. The face buttons and D-pad feel just as they should, with a basic tactile response, but the triggers feel shallow and cheap. Oddly enough, it’s like they don’t go down far enough, drifting too far from a completely flat press.
Other controllers have adjustable triggers that let you adjust the maximum depth, and this Nacon pad feels like you’re permanently stuck on a half-stop setting. You can use the included software to adjust the trigger sensitivity, with shallow triggers usually designed for competitive FPS games, but they feel obstructive and unfinished when fully pressed.
A little more travel distance would have greatly improved these underwhelming triggers, as the internal springs offer decent resistance. The same can’t be said about the analog sticks, which feel unusually loose and uneven. Since the extra paddles on the back are designed to help you keep your fingers on the triggers and sticks at all times, it’s a shame that these crucial components feel so cheap.
One of the more frustrating issues with this controller completely negates some of its unique features: the selection of annular analog stick-strut mounts used to reduce range of motion. The problem is that the software does not help to configure them effectively. Unless you want to spend time making minor tweaks and trying out games, you won’t be able to take full advantage of these parts.
There is a distinct lack of live information in the Nacon software when a simple visualization showing how much movement the stick detects would make it much easier to adapt to the different parts. Some default profiles can alleviate these problems, such as the instant setting designed for fighting games, but the subtle gradient disappears completely and makes movement difficult for some games.
The software seems to have the same visual flair as the hardware, but doesn’t support it with enough content, especially when the controller firmware upgrade menu is currently not working on PC. Instructions are also missing, with a note in the box directing you to the Nacon support section, where you still won’t find an explanation of how to use the extra controller parts.
Only if you look at the back of the box you can see how to remove the covers, put weights and attach thumbstick caps. For a novice or younger user, this controller will lose most of its appeal with bad software and missing instructions, with the intended competitive gaming crowd managing it unaided.
Dolby Atmos barely makes a difference to the included equalizer settings, and some multicolored RGB won’t make up for the fact that the primary components feel thin, making this $100 controller overpriced and disappointing.
Nacon Revolution X Pro: The Competition
Better joypads are available for $100, including the fantastic Victrix Gambit Xbox/PC controller with even more customization options. More like the official Xbox Elite pad, the Gambit allows you to swap out entire sticks, replace the D-pad, and have a choice of skins. It includes an equally heavy duty braided cable and adjustable trigger depth that feels great to use for hours on end.
If the Revolution X Pro particularly appeals to you with its RGB ring, dig deeper into your budget and pick up the Razer Wolverine V2 Chroma instead. You’ll still enjoy extra buttons and premium construction with rubber grips, but with even more flashy LED lighting.
Nacon Revolution X Pro: Should You Buy?
You should buy this if…
- You are a traveling competitive gamer
- You want a personalized joypad for Xbox / PC
You should not buy this if…
- You need high quality triggers and analog sticks
- You have no experience with customizable pads
Nacon came close to a winner with the Revolution X Pro, with a nice presentation and solid construction. It lets itself down with insufficient analog sticks and triggers plus the lack of instructions for the customizable parts, which should be its primary function. If you don’t know how to personalize Xbox controllers, you will probably never use most of the interchangeable parts offered here.
It’s a functional portable controller that’s ideal for tournament play, but for the $100 price point, I can’t recommend it, given the better alternatives. Some simple software updates would go a long way toward making it usable, and it’s clear that the developers have put in effort in some places, but they need to go a little further. Check out our roundup of the best Xbox Series X and Series S controllers for better price joypads.
Competition Quality Nacon Revolution X Wired Controller
Interchangeable controller weights, thumbstick caps, and customizable analog sticks are all offered with the Revolution X Pro, but this $100 controller struggles with the competition.
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