Nacon Revolution 5 Pro review: Here comes a new challenger

❘ Published: 2023-10-19T13:43:22

Dexerto

Nacon’s latest controller, the Revolution 5 Pro, offers up yet another pricey PS5 pad, but with stiff competition from Sony and Victrix, does it manage to stand out?

Getting the best PS5 controller is more complex than you might imagine, each controller, including Sony’s own DualSense Edge has its own positive and negative points. However, Nacon’s latest PS5 controller has me giddy with excitement thanks to one crucial point.

The Nacon Revolution 5 Pro is the first wireless PS5 controller to use hall-effect joysticks and triggers. This means that it will be less prone to degradation than traditional resistive joysticks, found on every other PlayStation 5 pad.

Having used the controller for a little while now, I’m confident in saying that this is one of the most accomplished PS5 pads I have ever used. But, it does come with several caveats.

Key specs

Connectivity: USB-C, 2.4 GHz Wireless
Compatibility: PS5, PS4, PC
Battery: 10 hours
Input latency: 6ms (wireless), 4ms (wired)
Price: €229.99
Features: Two-stage trigger stop, wireless Bluetooth 5.2, onboard audio mixing, swappable stick caps, additional weights, hall-effect sticks & triggers, included carrying case.

Included in the box: Nacon Revolution 5 Pro, Carrying Case, set of weights, alternate stick caps, alternate D-pad, Wireless dongle, USB-C to USB-A cable, Bluetooth transmitter.

Buy the Nacon Revolution 5 Pro

Design

The Nacon Revolution 5 Pro isn’t the easiest controller on the eyes, there’s a fair amount of visual noise on the controller which gives it a somewhat mechanical, industrial feeling. This is accentuated through the use of a combination of soft plastic and textured rubber throughout the body, which does a great job of keeping the controller nice and grippy while in use.

At the front of the controller, you will find an asymmetrical stick layout, which is not interchangeable like the Victrix Pro BFG. However, I do appreciate how solid it all feels in the hand.

All of the usual suspects can be found here, such as a share and menu button, in addition to a PS5 touchpad. The face buttons are a little larger than average, with a membrane tactility that feels great. It never feels too soft or hard. While some might prefer tactile mechanical buttons, as seen on the Razer Wolverine V2 Pro, it feels great here and is difficult to argue with.

The Revolution 5 Pro also sports a disc-shaped D-pad out of the box, which was developed in tandem with Street Fighter Pro Mister Crimson, and it feels good, though it also feels like the directions lack enough throw for confident motions, as I’ll talk about in the gaming performance segment of the review.

The first manufacturer to get PS5 sticks right

The Nacon Revolution 5 Pro is the first PlayStation 5 controller to make use of hall-sensing analog sticks. This is an incredibly welcome addition, and something that I feel is sorely lacking in Sony’s own “pro” pad. The actuation feels smooth, but when connecting it to PC and seeing how the sticks report, it appears that the sticks register as they are gated as a square, instead of a circle. This can easily be fixed in a firmware update and did not impact our overall usage of the controller.

The sticks are also fully customizable with additional caps that come in the box, in addition to stick widths, and it all works absolutely seamlessly.

Features

Turning the controller around, you will find a multitude of buttons. Firstly, there is a pair of two-stage trigger locks, which work well, though the shorter throw has a harsh bottom-out, that I would have liked to have seen softened somewhat. Below this, you also get two rear buttons that are actuated via a microswitch. These can feel as though they are a little bit easy to actuate and are particularly sensitive, but my smaller hands found that they never really got in the way, and were solely actuated by my fingertips.

There is a flurry of audio features, and it’s here that the Nacon Revolution 5 Pro houses a neat trick: You can connect Bluetooth headphones directly to the controller, there’s also an included Bluetooth transmission jack here, which makes it feel a touch bulkier, but it’s a welcome addition nonetheless. You can also configure the chatmix mid-game which is a godsend.

On the rear, you can also switch up assigned profiles, which you can customize using Nacon’s simple software for Windows and Mac. It’s great that one manufacturer has thought of Mac users here, as so many other competitors simply miss out on the platform.

Lastly, you can also find a removable compartment for weights that can be added to the controller for a bit of added heft, but honestly, I feel as though this is a touch redundant as the controller is weighty enough out of the box.

Gaming performance

The Nacon Revolution 5 Pro is one of, if not the highest-quality controller I have ever tested. Even when compared to flagships like the DualSense Edge, 8BitDo Ultimate, and more, there’s something about this pad that just feels fantastic to use. Rolling through the streets of Night City in Cyberpunk: Phantom Liberty allowed me to deploy the additional buttons to use quickhacks while moving in fast-paced combat, and the headphone functionality is useful to connect whatever you have lying around. We’d say this is geared toward single-player titles, as the Bluetooth functionality does not work correctly when you have an attached microphone. Wired users will have no such problems, however. I recommend that you pick up a separate PS5 headset, instead.

In Street Fighter 6, I found that the D-Pad’s disc was the way to go, and it works especially well for grappler characters, in addition to charge characters. But, motion characters like Ken might struggle to get those heavy dragonlash kicks, as the throw on the disc makes it feel rather dubious if you have hit the input at all. Secondly, the 6ms latency is fine on PlayStation 5, and you won’t find any dropped inputs, either. But, in a competitive environment, always switch to wired.

I still believe that the Razer Wolverine V2 Pro has the best PS5 d-pad, and Nacon should take some notes on how that was developed, and employ it in a future revision. Mister Crimson might have no trouble with his Dhalsim, but dragon punch motions really suffer with this design, and could potentially lead to missed inputs. Microswitches would have been very welcome.

Third-party caveats

All that glitters is not gold, as the Nacon Revolution 5 Pro is a third-party PlayStation 5 pad, you will miss out on certain features, such as wireless connectivity without a dongle, rumble, and the ability to switch profiles on the OS as you can do with the DualSense Edge.

Sony is only shooting itself and its own consumers in the foot. The Nacon Revolution 5 Pro is by all means a stronger, better-built, and more feature-packed controller than the DualSense Edge, which is lacking in many areas. It would have been nice to see some of these third-party restrictions lifted, but until then, just be aware that you might be missing out on some aspects.

Should you buy it?

Nacon R5P with all accessories on a desk

The Nacon Revolution 5 Pro has almost everything you could want out of an accomplished PS5 controller. It feels fantastic in your hand and oozes a premium build quality. Thanks to everything you get in the box, including a carrying case and cleaning cloth, there’s ample space to store away all of your extras, too.

I found that once I turned the LEDs off, I actually exceeded Nacon’s 10-hour rating for battery life, which is always a welcome sign. It might not be perfect, but it’s the most cohesive third-party PS5 controller out there right now.

The verdict: 4/5

The heated battle for the best PS5 controller develops a new wrinkle, and for my money, the Nacon Revolution 5 is the current champion. Long-lasting hall sensor sticks and an avalanche of features make it one of the best controllers I have ever used. If only Sony would lift third-party haptic and software OS control, restrictions. But, it also makes the Revolution 5 Pro excellent for use on PC.

It’s not quite perfect, but if you are looking for a new premium PS5 pad, the Revolution 5 Pro should be at the top of your list.

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