There have been a fair few Xbox Series X controllers released this year, but if I were the gamer loved one in your life, there’s one in particular I’d be writing to Santa for this Christmas, and it’s the Nacon Revolution X Unlimited. There’s only one problem: this gamepad sits at a full price of $200, which may not look all that appealing if you’re trying to do your Christmas shopping on a budget.
Somehow, a Christmas miracle has happened, and one of this year’s most premium gaming controllers has dropped back to its Black Friday record-low price. Compared to a lot of its competition that also sit at a usual cost of $200, this discount feels very out of place. Other premium controllers are seeing $10 or less off in the lead up to Christmas, but Nacon has dropped a generous $50 off.
Just in case you yourself aren’t a gamer, let me explain why this controller is the one I’d want. There are six extra buttons on the Nacon Revolution X Unlimited that allow you to map whichever in-game functions you like to them. That means that if you’re playing a first-person shooter like Call of Duty, you can really hone your in-game aiming and movement abilities because you don’t need to take your thumbs off of their control sticks. In a game like Fortnite, all of those complex building mechanics just got a lot easier because you’ve got six extra buttons to control them all.
The RXU comes with a carry case, a charging stand, and a few attachments. There are varying thumbstick tops and a few tiny weights you can stick in the grips to get the feel exactly as you’d like.
And even without attachments, the RXU has some fancy innards that make it worth a bit of extra money compared to other controllers. There’s a nasty controller cancer out there called stick drift, but the Nacon RXU won’t suffer from it thanks to its Hall sensor thumbstick modules, which won’t wear down over time. Brandishing the RXU with a signature aesthetic is a customizable RGB ring.
But even if the Revolution X Unlimited didn’t have all of these fancy bells and whistles, as a controller reviewer, I have to admit, I still think it’d be worth its current price tag.
$150 is a lot to pay for a gamepad, and there are alternatives out there that will give you a lot of these features I’ve mentioned for under $100. The real difference here is the premium, luxurious feel this controller has. It doesn’t feel like any old third-party gaming accessory; it feels like a treasured part of your gaming setup you’d be glad to hold in your hands in your free time.
This controller has a way of doing the basics so well. Even its face buttons, ie, the standard part of any controller, feel like a million dollars. They have a clicky actuation for speed, but don’t give you this annoying clicky sensation that other controllers do.
So what are the downsides of this controller? Well, if you’re hoping I’ll praise that fancy screen that’s plonked right in its middle, I won’t. There are a few controllers out there that have tried to use a screen to help you control their various aspects, but they hardly ever end up being more than a flashy gimmick. The screen here is a cool hook, but it’s not really a reason to buy.
While the Hall effect thumbsticks are advanced, the Nacon RXU is a tad late to the party and misses out on the TMR thumbsticks that have very much become the gold standard this year. Finally, the swappable parts on offer here are great, going further than most controllers of this price with swappable freebies, but it isn’t the most adjustable controller. That accolade belongs to the Victrix Pro BFG for Xbox.
Despite these flaws, I’d still want the Nacon Revolution X Unlimited to be waiting under the Christmas tree this year. If I was in need of a new PC controller or Xbox gamepad, there are few that cater to both my single-player and multiplayer needs.
Nacon Revolution X Unlimited: $149.99 at Amazon
GameSir G7 Pro: $79.99 at Amazon
Victrix Pro BFG Reloaded for Xbox: $167.99 at Amazon
This is the Xbox controller I’d want under the Christmas tree this year, and somehow, it’s rocking its Black Friday price tag again
