Victrix Pro BFG review: The ultimate PS5 controller
Victrix is no stranger to making high-end controllers, and its latest Pro BFG controller is no different, with oodles of features and fantastic construction quality.
When you talk about tech for a living, not much can get you very excited. But, whenever Victrix announces a new product, our ears perk up. The Victrix Pro BFG is a wireless PS5 controller, with a twist. Much like the Xbox Elite Controller, you have the ability to customize it to your heart’s content. It also has the benefit of doubling up as a fight pad, so you can play fighting games on it, too.
But, will it manage to face up to upcoming competition from the Dualsense Edge and Razer Wolverine V2 Pro?
Key specs
- Connectivity: USB-C, 2.4 GHz Wireless
- Compatibility: PS5, PS4, PC
- Battery: 2000mAh
- Input latency: 5ms
- Price: $179.99
- Features: Customizable stick placements, adjustable triggers, back buttons, adjustable thumbsticks, hair-trigger mode, fightpad module
- Where to buy: Amazon
Included in the box: 1x Button & Right Analog Stick Module, 2x Standard Height Concave Stick Caps, 2x Round tick Gates, 1x Standard Cross D-Pad Cap, USB Wireless Dongle, 1x 3m Braided USB-C Cable, 6-Button Fight Pad Module, 1x Tall Sniper Stick Cap, 1x Short Convex Stick Cap, 2x Octagonal Stick Gates, 1x Diamond D-Pad Cap, 1x Round D-Pad Cap, 1x Module Swap Tool.
Design
The Victrix Pro BFG is one of the best fully-featured pro controllers that we’ve ever tested, and that also goes for how it’s carefully designed. The controller is mainly made out of plastic, with soft grips around the handles on the back and front. On the front, you also have a left and right module. The left module houses a D-pad and analog stick, while the right module has buttons and a stick, or the option for a six-button fightpad.
These are simply slotted in by using the included screwdriver and takes seconds. The Modules simply slot in without so much of a hitch, thanks to some light magnetism. You can swap the D-pad positioning to your liking, too. Additionally, you can also switch out the stick gates from circular to octagonal, if you are an avid fighting game player.
Customizable sticks
The stick caps can also be removed for a longer stem, or convex top, though the materials used for the caps appear to be a bit too soft, as we dented the convex cap with our nail while getting it out of the included carry case.
On the front, you also get a share and start button, in addition to a full touchpad, function button, and Playstation button. These are all well-placed, and some buttons are finished with a rigid plastic line, adding to the sleek look of the device.
But, there’s even more. Around the back, you can find the hair-trigger locking mechanism, which works with a simple touch of your finger, while you also get four buttons that are incredibly easy to assign while gaming, and you also get a profile button to aid this process, as well as a wired and wireless switch.
Up top, you have a USB-C port in addition to a console selection dipswitch, while on the bottom you get a 3.5mm headphone jack.
It never feels too crowded
When using a controller with this many facets or functions, it can be easy to get a little bit overwhelmed at the number of options, but Victrix has made it easy to tinker with, and it results in a controller that is built like a tank, with almost every option you could need under the hood.
Customization also comes off without a hitch, and it never feels like you are fussing around with it trying to get it to do something. It just works.
Features
As we previously mentioned, this controller has heaps of features. On the hardware side of things, it’s all pretty easy to get your head around, and things mostly just snap into place with the utmost of ease, and the carry case’s included storage ensures that you’re not just going to lose everything immediately.
We loved how simple it was to map a button, switch platform or enable a tournament lock in seconds. Switching out the modules also allows you to get the best possible configuration for you. The stick caps are also a nice touch, for those wanting to get excellent performance in shooters.
One criticism we had is that adjusting the triggers can get a little bit complex, as you have to hold the sliding function at the same time, so it can be tough to get both triggers to equal points.
Gaming performance
We easily hooked this up to our PS5 and Ayaneo 2. One downside to this is that if you want to use it wirelessly, you are going to have to plug in the 2.4Ghz receiver.
On PS5, we played through optional content on God of War: Ragnarok without any issues, and the controller paired perfectly, as we adjusted the left analog to be north-facing. We also assigned the back buttons to move the camera and attack at the same time.
Over on PC, we shifted the Victrix Pro BFG to a fightpad mode on Guilty Gear: Strive. We swapped out the D-Pad and switched over the right-hand module to a six-button layout for optimal buttons on our controller. We also switched out the stick gates to be octagonal to use some grapplers, which have 360-degree motion inputs that can be otherwise difficult to perform.
The D-pad layout, we originally used the traditional D-pad, but something felt slightly off, and we were much more comfortable with a disc-shaped D-pad here instead. We did find difficulty getting diagonal inputs, but this just takes a bit of an adjustment period.
Should you buy it?
The Victrix Pro BFG just about has it all. However, for whatever reason Victrix has not chosen hall-effect analog sticks, as we have previously seen by companies like 8BitDo. This means that the controller may be prone to drift issues over the years. It’s certainly not a perfect device, but it has almost all the bells and whistles that we could ever hope to wish for in a PS5 controller.
For those looking for a fully-featured PS5 controller, the Victrix Pro BFG is certainly going to be tough to beat, and is well worth the price.
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