Review | Nacon Revolution 5 Pro Controller

Review | Nacon Revolution 5 Pro Controller – In recent years, so-called professional consoles have become increasingly popular. Special controllers come with additional buttons to give you as a player more functionality. These controllers are designed for competitive gaming, although you can of course also use them in a casual setting. Nacon is one such party involved in this. They have been producing Revolution Pro controllers for years, and the controller with the number 5 in the title is the latest release, which serves as the successor to the Unlimited Pro controller. A console that should provide you with all the comforts and at the same time offer a lot of extras. We’ve been playing non-stop with this controller for the past two weeks and whether we like it or not, we’d like to tell you about it in this review.

Official license

Nacon is working closely with Sony PlayStation on this console, leading to an official license. This indicates that the controller has been officially approved by Sony and belongs to the accessories in the product arsenal that are considered legitimate and high-quality. With a suggested retail price of €239.99, the Nacon Revolution 5 Pro controller is significantly less than the DualSense Edge. The price is still high, as there are pro controllers from other brands that are much cheaper and offer similar features. Well, for this price you can of course expect a lot in return. In this regard, let’s start with the package itself.

Inside you’ll find a beautiful storage case that provides space for everything that comes with the console. This means space for the console itself with an accessories tray underneath and a net on the tongue where you can store a USB cable. This gives you a complete package that can be stored efficiently and compactly. The accessory tray holds additional weights to make the controller heavier if necessary – which can be done by unscrewing the black lever on either side of the controller. You can also replace the levers. The sticks on the controller are standard concave, but in the box you’ll also find convex sticks in two sizes.

The thin type is almost the same as the concave levers, and the thicker type is much higher, so your thumb is higher. You can also run a very thin or thick loop around the bar on both levers, which greatly limits the range for more responsive play. You can also close the mini-jack connection by inserting an empty mini-jack plug and the four-point switch can be replaced with an active four-point switch, rather than a round plate. Changing these components only requires a slide or a tap, making it very simple. Very nice, although comparable to other Nacon models.

Console comfort

Obviously, this controller comes with a lot more buttons than the standard DualSense, but the layout of the base is almost the same as that of a regular controller. But the big difference is that we are dealing with an asymmetric controller, which is what distinguishes it from most of the PlayStation 5 professional controllers, which are symmetrical. It’s also notable that the levers are frankly larger: this makes the controller feel bulkier and is an improvement over the DualSense’s comparatively thin levers. The undersigned have a “normal sized” hand, but if your hands are slightly smaller, this may be somewhat of a disadvantage. The part in your palm has ribbed rubber for extra grip, which prevents the controller from slipping out of your hands due to sweat.

Anyway, in terms of comfort it is a nice device and it is of course important that all the buttons are within easy reach. Fortunately, this is the case, which means we can talk about a good result from an ergonomic point of view. The two primary back buttons have a nice click. Moreover, it has a relatively large surface area, so that anyone in his position can access it in principle. However, the controller is still equipped with a secondary set of back buttons, more on the levers themselves. Perfect if you want to customize a lot, if not for the fact that these buttons are very sensitive. In intense games, it often happens that you accidentally press those buttons and that can have harmful effects – unless you don’t use them.

Finally, in the middle of the controller at the bottom you’ll find three smaller buttons. Two of them are intended to regulate the volume, which is very useful. Although we should note that the volume steps are quite large, so you’ll have to rely on the PS5 system software to make fine adjustments. The middle button is for making a connection via Bluetooth. We haven’t reached that stage yet, because right above we find a slider that allows you to switch between PS4, PS5 and PC. On the left is the profile button for switching files and on the right is the A/C button, which is intended to switch between standard and advanced use. Standard means that the controller works like a regular controller, without the use of additional buttons. If you want to use it, switch to advanced mode, which allows you to use the four pre-programmed profiles.

Additional keys

Nowadays, even a decent controller in the professional segment offers a power off option and Nacon has developed a simple system for this. For each trigger, you can use the switch to determine whether the trigger stops are on or off. This significantly reduces the distance between pressing triggers, which is a lot of fun in shooters like Call of Duty, to name just one.. Finally, you’ll find a switch at the top to switch between wireless and wired use and a hotkey to apply a reset on the go. So, yes, the Nacon Revolution 5 Pro controller is a bunch of buttons, but it lets you adjust a lot more on the device itself.

Plus, all of the interchangeable elements are sealed so you don’t have to deal with parts that come loose. The design has been carefully thought out, resulting in a console that offers you everything functionally and feels good too. It’s an expensive console and has that look. What matters here is the sturdy storage case. It’s good that you can put everything here, so it’s easy to take with you. We should also note that the included 2m cable is long enough and you’ll also find a USB stick in the package for wireless connectivity, as the controller can’t connect directly to the PS5.

If you pick up a controller and play a game that uses features related to haptic feedback and adaptive triggers, that’s a step backwards. This console is not equipped with these features. Rumble is there, of course, but that’s the standard version you’re used to on, say, PlayStation 4. It’s a shame there’s no advanced rumble as well, because the DualSense Edge offers that for a greater sum. But the downside is that the controller’s battery runs out within a few hours. The battery of the Nacon Revolution 5 Pro controller is much larger, because the given indicator is 10 hours, which is easily achievable.

Customize in detail

The controller offers room to adjust a lot on the fly, but if you really want to customize everything specifically to your desires, you’ll have to rely on software (via PC). You can download it for free from the Nacon website and we recommend using it. This provides a clear overview of all options. The console is primarily equipped with four pre-programmed profiles: Racing/Sports, Shooter, Arcade/Combat and Stealth. You can easily activate these profiles using the appropriate button located at the bottom of the controller. These profiles are initially fixed and cannot be customized, but you are certainly not obligated to do that with these profiles.

If you want to create your own profile and set it exactly according to your needs, you can do so using the software. The new profile will overwrite one of the four slots, but the previous profile will not be lost. The program will archive the settings, so you can easily restore them later via the program. This should always be done via software, as analog is very limited in a controller setup as it is limited to remapping buttons, though this only works on PC. Anyway, once you’ve worked on a new profile for your controller, you can fine-tune and detail everything logically.

This ranges from setting playback stops in the software, which makes travel distance shorter and allows you to respond more appropriately, to adjusting lighting effects. This allows you to adjust the colors that will be displayed and you can also adjust the equalizer of the sound chip. Here you also have pre-programmed profiles tailored to the type of game and if you want to make adjustments, you get that freedom. Finally, you can adjust the sticks, where you can define the dead zone, the reach and sensitivity of the sticks. This also comes with pre-programmed profiles, within which you have the option to make adjustments. In other words: In many cases, the software provides you with a foundation tailored to a specific type of game, and it’s up to you to find the best balance.

Once this is done, you can move to the test area to see if all the settings have been applied effectively and if they are actually working properly. If something turns out to be an error, you can go back and make some adjustments again. If you are satisfied with the result, you can disconnect the console and you can start the games you are playing. In conclusion, we must point out that the Revolution 5 Pro controller comes with a new feature, which is the hall effect. This is the technology that determines the position of the sticks and through a magnetic system the controller can respond to deviations, thus trying to prevent the stick from drifting. This is a unique point that sets this controller apart from other consoles and gives it a much longer lifespan, which justifies its rather high price.