Controller Review: NACON Revolution Unlimited Pro Controller
The moment you take the Nacon Revolution Unlimited Pro Controller (which I’m going to just call the Nacon Revolution from now on); you can feel quality from the get-go. The controllers, rubbery-like texture just feels so comfortable in the hands, which is a god send for extended gaming sessions and sweaty palms. The X, Square, Circle and Triangle buttons are larger than that of the DualShock 4, as are the four shoulder buttons (which I prefer) and the D-Pad feels quite satisfying when rotating, almost to a therapeutic level. It is also quite handy that unlike the D-Pad on the DualShock 4, the Nacon Revolution’s D-Pad is all joined together, rather than being in four separate segments. So if you prefer to play your Mortal Kombat’s and Street Fighters using a controller, then this design might be to your benefit.
It’s worth noting that the Nacon Revolution is based upon the Xbox One’s Asymmetric design, with the left analogue stick being more over to the left and a little more elevated. Personally, I prefer this layout as the DualShock 4 analogues often feel too close together for my liking. However, if you’re only used to the DualShock 4, don’t let this layout put you off, because once you get used to it, you may find that you prefer it too, but it’s all personal preference at the end of the day.
Other then the controller of course, there are other items included in this bundle of joy, such as a hard storage case, a small plastic storage box which includes additional thumb stick heads, giving you the choice of either concave and convex sticks. Which by the way, if you’re a KontrolFreek Grip fan, the thumb sticks fits the Xbox One KontrolFreek grips, which is quite fitting seeing as the Nacon Revolution is based upon the Microsoft controller.
Included also are three sizes of joystick shafts for the analogue sticks, altering the time it takes for the sticks to hit the end of its rotational base. Finally in the box, we have three internal weights that fit into each side of the controller handles. You have 2x10g, 2x14g and 2x16g. Many gamers prefer their controllers to have different weights and it’s always a personal preference. But with just about any controller you purchase, you’re stuck with its default weight, however now, you can customise the weight and the balance of your controller to your heart’s content and if you wish, you don’t even have to use the weights and as a result, your controller will feel even lighter.
The Nacon Revolution will also give you the choice of having a wireless or wired connection. To go wired, you are provided with a 3m, braided USB Type-C cable and of course going wireless, you’ll also have a dongle provided. Going wireless is always my personal preference, however, if you have a wired headset and/or an external hard drive connected to your PS4, you may find yourself running out of USB plugs on your console. There are ways around that, as you can always purchase a USB hub for your PS4. Going wired will also have the same problem, as the braided cable of course, still takes up a USB slot, just like the dongle.
If you have a wireless headset, you can still connect the audio cable to the built-in 3.5mm headset jack, which wasn’t an issue for me. So going wired with your wireless headset is a perfect solution, should you have a connected external hard drive. The built-in headset jack has volume controls located at the back of the controller, which I found easier to access when adjusting the volume, in comparison to controls being on the headset or audio cable. The rechargeable Li-Polymer 1300 mAh battery lasts about 7 hours with a full charge, however, you can take an hour or so off that if you constantly have your headset connect to the controller for the entire duration. Thankfully, thanks to the quality battery and USB cable, going wired, Nacon Revolution charges very quickly and the controller will charge whilst you’re connect and playing.
Other than being quite stylish and feeling great in the hand, the Nacon Revolution also lights up with added glitz and glamour. Located just below the large touchpad will be four lights, each will indicate which profile you are using. The right analogue also lights up in a variety of colours and the LED indication will also flash more intensely when you’re about to run out of battery life. However, if you get as immersed as I do when gaming, I won’t always notice the LED indicator and unlike the DualShock 4’s, you won’t be notified on-screen when you’re controller is about to die and you may only notice when you’re controller goes dead, and the game doesn’t pause as a result, which can be frustrating, especially during a heated Sekiro boss battle.
Now let’s get on to the more technical aspects of the Nacon Revolution controller. Nowadays, whenever you pick up a pro controller, it’s all about customising the controller to suit your gaming needs, in particular when playing your favourite genre of games. Typically, pro controllers are often associated with shooters such as Call of Duty, Destiny, Battlefield and more. But regardless of the genre, this controller is great all round, as I found out when playing Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, Gran Turismo Sport and Horizon Zero Dawn. In a nutshell, you don’t need to be into a certain genre to get the best out of this controller, because it’s simply fantastic all-round.
The Nacon Revolution has a whole host of customisable features which you can access by downloading the software detailed in the user guide. You can adjust the sensitivity of the analogue sticks, adjust the pressure of the L2 and R2 triggers, which is particularly great when playing shooters online. You can also adjust the vibration motors, such as the intensity, and you can even have each side of the controller to have different vibration levels thanks to the two customisable motors. And if you wish, you can even change the colours of the light surrounding the right analogue stick and even their flashing colour patterns, which is a nice touch.
I found the software very easy to use on the PC with my controller connected, which by the way, the Nacon Revolution is also compatible with PC (along with its software) as well as for the PlayStation 4. However, the star of the software has to be the controller button mapping and the four profiles that you can store on the controller. You can pretty much switch the button commands as you please (other than the touchpad, share and options buttons), which is very handy, because we all have varying personnel preferences of where you prefer our commands to be.
Located on the inner-side of the controller handles are 4 configurable shortcut buttons, which while I am yet to use them all, I did assign two of them for my melee attack and grenade throw for when playing Call of Duty. These four extra buttons could even come in handy for the sniper players, as you can even assign one to hold the players breath, rather than having to click the analogue stick, which can often make you lose aim. But that’s the beauty of this controller, as you can map out the buttons to suit your own personal play-style and being able to store up-to four profiles at a time, you can have three more for three other genres if you please (I even have one for Sekiro). Using the software provided, you can even download and store other player’s profiles, which hopefully may work out better for you.
I’ve not used the previous pro controller from Nacon, but coming from someone that was tempted to pick it up, I came across very mixed reviews. However, I can’t speak of any experience of using that particular controller, only the one I’m using now. I have though used the Xbox One Elite and the Nacon Revolution is very close to that standard, which to date is my favourite controller I’ve ever used. Obviously you can pick up a SCUF for the PS4, but going from past window shopping experience, the price can easily reach £200 when you take into account shipping and custom charges to the UK.
The Nacon Revolution does have an RRP of £149.99/€159.99; however, you can pick this up at some retailers for around £120 and in my humble opinion, it represents good value for money, especially if you’re after an officially licensed pro controller for your PlayStation 4. With that said, this is by far my favourite controller on the PS4 and it will remain my preferred controller to use here on out, regardless of the genre. The Nacon Revolution Unlimited is one of the best officially licensed pro controllers that money can buy on the PlayStation 4, and if you’re after that extra gaming edge, it’s a purchase you should strongly consider.