The best refined
When I reviewed the Valor Pro earlier this year, it was easily one of the best third-party controllers I had used for the Xbox to date. My biggest complaint though was that it was tethered. I prefer wireless, which I understand adds lag, but it is more of a comfort thing for me. Fast forward to now and the team at SCUF has answered the call and created the same excellent controller, but it is now free of wires. The Valor Pro Wireless is the latest premium offering for the Xbox Series of consoles, and it still rules. The big question is does the wireless functionality take anything away from this excellent piece of tech?
Opening up the box, we are presented with pretty much the same stuff that came with the wired version. We have the controller, a six-foot braided cable to charge (or use wired if you prefer,) the dongle to connect it to the console, two blanking plates for two of the back buttons, and an extra pair of thumbsticks. These include a taller one for people who prefer that, though I have never understood how people can use that. It throws me off every single time.
MSRP: $189.99
Price I’d Pay: $189.99
The controller itself feels fantastic. It is the same design as the wired one with rubber grips and a magnetic faceplate that can be swapped out. The thumbsticks feel fantastic and have just the right amount of resistance for fast-paced shooters. The back buttons continue to be well-made. I always have issues hitting them by mistake, but this design prevents that. I still blocked off the two buttons, as I rarely use them in practice.
The shoulder buttons have a nice click to them and their position is almost perfect. I feel like they hung over the side a little too much, which did cause some discomfort until I got used to it. The triggers are fine. They have a lock so you can lessen the press to fire faster, but I found myself a little put off by their default setting. It doesn’t travel quite as much as the original Xbox controller and the press isn’t as satisfying. I play a ton of Overwatch, and it took me 3-4 matches to adjust to it.
The biggest mechanical change outside of being wireless is that the thumbsticks have been upgraded from the original Hall Effect ones, with the new hotness known as TMR (Tunneling Magnetoresistance.) Basically, this means the sticks feel more like a standard digital input, but they have better accuracy and last longer. Only time will tell if they hold up, but I could immediately feel the difference. My shots were more precise, and the response time was fantastic. This is a solid upgrade.
One of the things I was never a big fan of on these controllers is the independent volume controls. The convenience is nice, but they are bulky and considering I don’t use wired headsets, it is just something I don’t need. This is a personal preference, but I wish it was something that could be removed.
Now let’s talk about the wireless modes. This controller has the ability to connect to up to three connections at once. It has an Xbox connection through the dongle, a 2.4Ghz wireless mode, as well as a Bluetooth mode. I love that I can have it set to multiple devices and just swap between them when I want to. I had it set up for the Xbox and my Steam Deck at the same time and it worked flawlessly. This is a nice feature to give other devices an upgrade in the controller department. The lag is also negligible. I never had an issue lining up shots, the response time is outstanding.
There is now an app available on both PC and the Xbox store to customize the controller, which is awesome. It comes with three defaults that work fine, but I wanted to go a little further. The app is pretty straightforward and also serves to upgrade the firmware. Customization is always nice and rarely do these controllers offer a console app, so extra points for that.
The Valor Pro remains one of the best premium third-party controllers available for the Xbox Series X. I recommend it over the Elite for sure, and now that it is wireless, it is perfect for me. This has become my defacto controller for fast-paced shooter action. Being able to connect it to multiple devices is awesome, and it just feels premium in my hands. Definitely worth the price of admission.
Review copy of game provided by publisher.
