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I, like many of you, have used the bog-standard Xbox Wireless Controller for many moons. And I, like many of you, have realised that it's practically perfect as far as $50 worth of controller-based fun goes.
However, there's a wealth of controller options available these days, from the very cheap and very cheerful to the ultra premium. And while the Xbox Wireless remains the gold standard for the value proposition it provides, it's now got some serious competition once you start raising the budget. The Razer Wolverine V3 Pro is just such a competitor, a wireless, luxury device with its eyes firmly set on the best controller spot.
Our reviewer Kizito Katawonga gave it a score of 92%, a truly spectacular result for any piece of hardware. By our scoring system, that means it's an outstanding product worthy of any gamer's rig. And I'm pleased to say, after spending many hours with one myself—I couldn't agree more.
Let's start with the bad: It's $200. That's a lot of money for a controller, especially when the Xbox Elite Series 2 costs $180. Microsoft's high end device has long reigned supreme as the top premium pick in our best PC controller guide, and releasing a controller for $20 more was a bold move on Razer's part.
The thing is though, it feels every inch of it. I'm a sucker for a good mechanism, and the Razer is absolutely covered in them. The triggers have a swishy, sculpted "sweep" that takes a little getting used to, but the spring action underneath is smooth and responsive. Two little switches on the back can be engaged with a clunk, sending a spring-based shiver through the frame and locking them into a clicky button mode with a cushioned, yet distinctly positive action.
The shoulder buttons feel similarly great. But the real award here has to go to the mecha-tactile face buttons, a term so ridiculous it made our Nick apoplectic with rage in the hardware team chat when he noticed it in the marketing copy.
Silly name aside, I can report that they're both squishy yet clicky in an immensely pleasing way. Still, while I was happily squeezing triggers and clicking buttons straight from the box, I honestly didn't think I'd notice the Razer under gaming duress. After all, when you're deep in combat your brain is working on so many different things at once, sensation becomes an afterthought.
Not with the Wolverine V3 Pro though. I find myself grinning like an idiot every time I start gaming with it, and that's always a good sign when testing a peripheral.
It's all the resistance you see, from those excellent face buttons, to the Hall effect thumbsticks, to the triggers. There's a sense of weight to almost everything the Razer does, and that little bit of extra feel really does make gaming with this controller a pleasant, hand-tingly delight.
So much so, every time I go back to the Xbox Wireless controller, I miss it. That's such a strange thing to type, but it's true. It's a bit like the difference between a cheap-but-fantastic fast food burger, and one of those modern joints that loads you up with pickles, cheese, and sharp onions. Both are great, but if you had the option you'd go for the latter, wouldn't you?
So none of this really changes my opinion of the standard Xbox Wireless controller overall. It's still a brilliant gaming device, and for $50 you won't find any better. I've owned three of them, and I still use them regularly for local co-op sessions with my partner.
But since the arrival of the Razer, if it's solo gaming time, this is the controller I go to without thinking twice. It's my personal pick for the best piece of hardware I've used in 2024, and given just how much great kit I've used this year, that's saying something. Well played, Razer. You've ruined other controllers for me, and now I'm locked in to using premium devices until my dying days.
