Nacon Revolution 5 Pro Review

One could be forgiven for thinking a $200 controller is a bit of a luxury purchase, but here I sit, having spent over $360 on Sony’s official DualSense garbage, just praying that any controller I purchase can last longer than six months.

Typically, I would consider buying something as expensive as the Nacon Revolution 5 Pro an optional and very luxurious purchase that is in no way required to enjoy gaming on a casual level.

However, this is not your typical console generation, as I stare into the abyss of a graveyard full of Sony’s official DualSense controllers that are as about as reliable as a crocheted condom.

I guess it’s no real surprise that the DualSense performs so poorly. Sony’s patents monopolize the vibration and haptic trigger features on the PS5, forcing third-party developers to forgo support for one of the controller’s biggest selling points, and a feature expected as standard since the DualShock’s release in 1998.

So when the basic DualSense fails you, and it will, but you still want the very latest gaming controller technology, the only remaining option is the $200 DualSense Edge. I’m not even going to link to it, out of principle.

Call me crazy, but my willingness to invest $200 into a product manufactured by the same company that has failed to maintain any level of quality across a $60 product, sit’s at just above the no chance in hell level.

Why have I spent the last few minutes sharing my disdain for the PlayStation 5’s official controller? Because products like the Nacon Revolution 5 Pro are typically just optional, a nice custom touch to add to a collection. An ideal console companion. A high quality product aimed at a niche corner of the market.

However, from my experience at least, a third-party controller is not something I consider optional, it’s a must-have. If you’re going to go down that rabbit hole, backing Nacon is a solid play.

Not only have they been producing high-quality gaming peripherals for years, they published the likes of the fantastic RoboCop: Rogue City.

Beautiful, Right Out Of The Box

The Nacon 5 Pro wastes little time impressing, with its matte black finish standing out right from the box. A compact but sturdy carry case holds a bevy of accessories and knick-knacks, and an impressively lengthy and durable braided USB-C cable, which offers double the length of the basic PS5 alternative.

Reminds me of that first day of disappointment. Booting up my PlayStation 5 for the first time and realizing the cable wouldn’t reach the bloody couch…

It does lack an instruction manual, which is surprising considering the complexities of mechanical setup, but the physical customization options are straight forward and easy to figure out. Online instructions are readily available for the more intricate aspects of customization.

It features adjustable weights that can be quickly and easily socketed under panels on the rear of the controller, and a collection of switches, buttons, and gizmos offer further customization options to the d-pad and thumbsticks.

Despite offering 60 unique customization options, both physical and mechanical, the weight distribution stands out as my favorite aspect of the controller. The added weight sits the controller perfectly in the palm of my hands and just makes the traditional PS5 controller feel cheap and flimsy in comparison.

Both shoulder buttons, L2 & R2, can be adjusted on the fly, allowing for faster and better performance in games like Call of Duty, drastically reducing the time between pressing the button and actually firing a shot.

Each can be adjusted singularly, and I actually found that to be preferable. Using my ADS button as a full press while the trigger rested on the faster function.

One of the more intriguing physical changes utilizes small metallic rings that are placed underneath the left and right analog sticks. These minimize the space between the central area of the thumbstick and the outer rim, allowing for faster run and gun style gameplay, constantly switching directions and perspectives.

I struggled to find any great benefit to using these, but it’s just another weapon in an already impressive arsenal. I felt similarly toward the customizable thumbstick covers and d-pad options because the default worked perfectly fine, but that’s the beauty of this controller: the options.

Likewise, I do have to report that although I absolutely love the base physical customization options of the Nacon 5 Pro, I would not have been able to use it without connecting it to my PC and altering the setup mechanically.

This was due to two rear pedal buttons that sit perfectly aligned with where my ring finger and little finger would rest. I was constantly hitting the pedals by accident, either through minor repositioning of the pad during gameplay or as the weight shifted in my hands between different button presses.

Switching to the lighter weights did alleviate much of this issue, but when the choice was between additional buttons or a more natural feeling controller, I disabled the buttons very quickly. Which was simple and fast, thanks to a gorgeous UI and easily accessible software.

The Magic Is In The Software

The real magic of the Nacon 5 Pro is the customization suite available through the free to download software. While the base controller and its physical customization options represent the ultimate, if somewhat expensive, controller for the more dedicated casual gamer, the software represents the peak of professional and competitive play.

Every single button can be mapped and remapped, sticks can be inverted through the controller itself, the deadzone of each stick can be tweaked and optimized individually, making for the perfect- if somewhat unfair – ultimately straight golf swing.

The left and right trigger travel distance can be customized further in the software, lighting effects can be changed, added, and removed. Mess around to your hearts content and then throw it through its paces in the Test Area.

Each of these settings can then be saved to a profile that you can switch between freely, offering optimized setups across multiple genres of games.

This is largely where the real value of the Nacon 5 Pro comes into play. The fine-tuning options available truly offer the possibility of gaining a competitive edge, but it does come at a steep price.

Is It Worth $200?

That’s the ultimate question here, right? $200 is a lot of money. As you probably guessed from my introduction in this review, I’m slightly jaded with Sony’s PlayStation products of this generation. Not only have I had to replace my controller half a dozen times, I’m not even using the same PlayStation 5 I purchased at launch.

With that in mind, I would recommend anyone that plans to play for more than 5-10 hours a week to invest in a more reliable, higher quality controller, and the Nacon 5 Revolution Pro Wireless is a near flawless choice.

It’s clearly catered towards the more competitive gamer, with its impressive suite of customization options, and you don’t typically associate high-end products with the casual market. However, its durability and lifespan is likely to save most players cash in the long-run.

I have probably spent around $360 on replacing official DualSense controllers by this point. If I’d purchased the Nacon 5 Pro at $200 when I first started, I would have saved $180.

The only real dealbreaker is whether you can live without PlayStation 5’s official features, such as full vibration and haptic triggers, both of which appeal to me about as much as the Xbox Kinect.

If you’re suffering with stick drift and don’t want to throw more money at Sony, the Nacon Revolution 5 Pro is the perfect, luxurious addition to your peripheral collection.