Nacon Revolution 5 Pro review – A price and performance mismatch

It’s getting more durable and more durable to innovate within the gaming controller market and the Nacon Revolution 5 Professional does an excellent job of assembling a few of the most sought-after options – and a wholly new one in Corridor Impact triggers – however slaps on a premium price ticket that doesn’t fairly match the preliminary worth. 

Taking value out of the equation, the Nacon Revolution 5 Professional has a set of options that ought to have it mixing among the many best PC controllers in the marketplace, however in overestimating simply how game-changing the gamepad is, Nacon is doubtlessly leaving clients with a tough determination to make. Take the options, efficiency, and longevity of the Revolution 5 Professional, or save on the preliminary price however make a shorter-term selection.

Professionals

• Nice customization choices
• Low latency response instances when wired
• Corridor Impact joysticks and triggers

Cons

• Value doesn’t line up with the standard
• Battery life may very well be higher

Nacon Revolution 5 Professional options

The key headline characteristic for the Revolution 5 Professional is the Corridor Impact triggers, the primary controller to take this know-how and apply it someplace apart from the joysticks. Saying that, Corridor Impact sticks are additionally current and are a welcome addition.

Like different Nacon controllers, the Revolution 5 Professional is extremely customizable each bodily and thru the companion app on Home windows. You may change the thumbsticks, weight, and set off distances whereas the software program permits you to customise all obtainable buttons and LED lighting. On prime of this, you may retailer as much as 4 profiles per platform, that means 4 PC, 4 PS5, and 4 PS4 platforms saved natively on the controller and all customizable through the app. 

There may be LED lighting located round the suitable thumbstick, and monitoring lights across the touchpad for charging, participant standing, and quantity. You may change the quantity of your headset from the controller because of good controls positioned on the rear of the Revolution 5 Professional.

On connectivity, it really works each through wired and wi-fi connections. There’s a slight drop in response time for the wi-fi connectivity as anticipated when connecting to an adaptor. For wired use or enjoying whereas charging, the included cable is braided to make sure you’re not coping with tangled and worn plastic that not often survives a yr or two of use.

You can too join an audio gadget to the controller through Bluetooth and swap to it at a second’s discover however a customary 3.5mm jack port can be featured on the underside of the pad. Ought to your wi-fi audio gadget not have a built-in microphone, a 3.5mm possibility is included with the controller. The battery lifetime of the Revolution 5 Professional is round 10 hours from a full cost, which is a bit of low, however the included braided cable is a minimum of lengthy sufficient to sprawl throughout most rooms at 3m.

Nacon Revolution 5 Professional design

A key visible design characteristic of the Revolution 5 Professional is the truth that it’s an asymmetrical controller. Which means the joysticks should not aspect by aspect like most PS5-style controllers. It’s a giant win for PC gamers who can be used to this format anyway, nevertheless it would possibly take some getting used to on console. 

There may be an LED ring located round the suitable thumbstick that may be modified, or turned off, through the controller app. There are a number of totally different settings to select from and one particularly – Motion – could be very cool because it adjustments the sunshine to match the everyday coloration of the face button you most just lately pressed e.g. X = Blue, Circle = Pink.

The location of 4 further buttons on the again of the controller is in keeping with different premium controllers, however I’m glad they prevented paddles right here which might typically be a ache to change your grip round. Every button additionally has a mouse-click really feel fairly than a spongy or agency press, which is nice for responsiveness. 

There are three units of thumbsticks included, in addition to two directional pads. All are click-in fairly than magnetic and easy sufficient to vary relying in your choice. Additionally included are three units of weights – 10g, 14g, and 16g – which match into the deal with of the controller and permit you to add to the majority, do you have to discover the bottom controller too gentle.

Nacon Revolution 5 Professional efficiency

My time testing the Nacon Revolution 5 Professional went effectively for essentially the most half. Organising the companion app raised some issues given it didn’t acknowledge the controller the primary few instances I linked, and it tries very exhausting to get you to check in or create an account to make use of it, by not hyperlinking the ‘proceed as a visitor’ possibility. 

As soon as that was executed, I used to be in a position to begin tweaking settings based mostly on how I prefer to play my video games. The suite of customizable options right here actually is spectacular, and you would spend hours tweaking the best of particulars, however after simply an hour I used to be prepared to leap into gameplay.

I began with racing video games the place thumbsticks are essential – until you already personal one of many best steering wheels for PC – and the Revolution 5 Professional dealt with this style, and wider sports activities video games effectively. The looser but extra correct really feel of Corridor Impact joysticks is a pleasure, and understanding that their longevity is bigger than that of the usual thumbstick is a bonus. 

Transferring on to shooters, that is the place I anticipated the set off to shine. The primary ever Corridor Impact triggers which are tremendous responsive and correct. Properly, the reality is I believe that Nacon lived as much as their promise right here, because the extra I performed round with set off settings, the extra I used to be in a position to tune the controller to the precise expertise I wished. When trying by the companion app, the responsiveness settings and the default choices have been very insightful.

As anticipated, there was an on the spot possibility that will actuate the set off as quickly as you press, however the testing lab within the app confirmed full actuation doesn’t set off till you’ve pressed it round ⅓ of the way in which down. A greater response time may very well be achieved by activating the set off locks and deciding on the quick & delayed possibility, which is oddly counterintuitive. Happily, this seems to be a bug within the software program, as the sport efficiency clearly exhibits that the set off was actuated virtually instantly. 

The triggers should not overly tight, like the usual PS5 controller, which is a constructive, however in addition they don’t fall into the lure of feeling low-cost. Unsurprisingly, the Corridor Impact implementation has been essential to the efficiency of the Revolution 5 Professional and should you’re completely happy to chase this efficiency at the price of what Nacon is charging, then I’d utterly perceive given the character of aggressive gaming being a recreation of milliseconds. 

Do you have to purchase the Nacon Revolution 5 Professional

As good a bundle because the Nacon Revolution 5 Professional is, it could be very exhausting to advocate on the $199.90 / £199.90 / €229.90 value level.

As an alternative, should you want Corridor Impact joysticks, you’ll find controllers with them for as little (or much less) than $50. Likewise, should you’re in search of a premium controller to work on PC, the Microsoft Elite 2 nonetheless reigns as one of many higher controllers in the marketplace.

Verdict

Whereas the efficiency of the Nacon Revolution 5 Professional is admirable, it’s exhausting to level at something apart from the inclusion of Corridor Impact joysticks and triggers as explanation why this controller prices a lot. 

Customization isn’t uncommon out there now, and neither are the Corridor Impact joysticks. Regardless of the advantages of each, it’s exhausting to justify spending a lot cash for what’s in the end one distinctive characteristic, within the Corridor Impact triggers, no matter how efficient they’re. On PS5, primary vibration can be lacking, that means its cross-platform suitability is drastically decreased.

If I have been to talk truthfully in regards to the worth of the Revolution 5 Professional, I’d truly say that Nacon has put collectively a well-built PC controller that ought to final you for years to return, which only a few producers can appear to do. Related options and classy design all come collectively very well, and should you view a controller as a long-term funding, then perhaps the preliminary price ticket can be neglected.