As a seasoned gamer with decades under my gaming belt, I must say that the PowerA FUSION Pro Wireless controller is an intriguing piece of hardware. It certainly offers a plethora of features that can undoubtedly enhance your gaming experience. The ability to customize buttons, adjust dead zones, and personalize RGB lighting are all welcome additions to any gamer’s arsenal.
When considering controllers, there are essentially three primary categories: affordable, mid-range, and high-end. The idea is straightforward—the more you spend, the superior your gaming experience tends to be. Meet PowerA’s latest offering, the FUSION Pro Wireless controller for Xbox Series X|S, retailing at $149.99/£149.99, which slots it into the premium segment, sharing space with the slightly more affordable (at present) Xbox Elite Series 2.
For that high price, I anticipated nothing less than elite performance, but since PowerA’s Advantage was significantly cheaper, I allowed some leeway. However, upon unboxing it, I found professional-grade features such as additional back buttons, adjustable trigger stops, and unexpectedly, twistable thumbsticks to adjust their height. To my delight, when I connected it, the Lumectra lighting illuminated, creating an atmosphere for a truly insightful gaming experience.
Design
Glancing at it, the PowerA FUSION Pro certainly leaves a lasting impact. The Lumectra lighting gives an extraordinary twist to its simple black exterior, making it stand out distinctly. However, it’s essential to note that this lighting is strictly for aesthetics. What truly caught my attention were the controller’s functional features and customization possibilities, particularly those designed to enhance gameplay.
To start off, let me share my thoughts on the detachable, height-adjustable thumbsticks. These are a game-changer for me, enabling independent control over each stick’s height and making on-the-fly adjustments. This feature proved incredibly handy during my gaming sessions of XDefiant, as I could tailor the thumbstick heights to suit different weapon classes. Yet, there was a question in the back of my mind: would twisting these thumbsticks potentially impact their long-term precision? I’ll delve deeper into this aspect when discussing performance.
Regarding the three-way trigger locks, it’s advantageous that they can be adjusted individually to optimize response times in first-person shooter games. Yet, I encountered an issue with the arrangement of these switches. To modify the actuation length on the trigger bumper, you need to flick a small, exposed switch from left to right. This design could use improvement, as during gameplay, I unintentionally knocked the switch on several occasions, altering the trigger height without my awareness. In my opinion, a vertical toggle or, preferably, a shielded switch like the DualSense Edge’s would rectify this problem and enhance the controller’s usability during intense gaming sessions.
The back of the controller is actually a bit of a problem area for me, as it felt very overcrowded. For example, it has four additional buttons—two on each side—but they’re packed too closely together for my liking. This led to frequent misclicks, and while the buttons are super easy to press, that’s not necessarily a good thing. Swapping these buttons for paddles would likely reduce accidental presses and make the layout a little less button-heavy on the reverse side.
Indeed, I must say, the textured, rubberized back of this controller provides a luxurious touch and ensures a firm grip in your hand. Additionally, the dial on the front is quite handy for swiftly adjusting volume or muting audio. Furthermore, the package includes a durable carry case and an elegant charging stand, which will be useful once the quoted 30-hour battery life begins to deplete.
Performance
I subjected the PowerA FUSION Pro to various tests by playing it on a diverse selection of games, spanning from “XDefiant” to “EA Sports FC” and “Forza Horizon 5”. This encompassed first-person shooter (FPS), sports, and racing game genres. To encapsulate my experience, I can confidently say that the controller’s performance-boosting features noticeably improved my gaming experience across all these titles.
Through some tinkering, I discovered the ideal configuration for XDefiant that suits me best: I set the movement joystick to its minimum range, extended the aiming joystick to its maximum length, adjusted the trigger bumper to its shortest position, and fine-tuned the aim down sight bumper to a mid-distance (the shortest setting didn’t register in-game, so I had to modify the settings to make it functional). With this configuration, I managed some outstanding matches and even set a record time on XDefiant’s assault course. Interestingly, I observed that the extended joystick heights enhanced my accuracy in EA Sports FC and Forza, providing me with a greater sense of control over both ball handling and driving. Whether it was psychological or not, I certainly felt like I was performing better.
To delve further, I carried out some trials using a controller testing tool. At its highest setting, there was a significant improvement in smoothness and precision, contrasting the other two height settings – possibly due to the magnetic sensors that ensure seamless movement without physical contact. Additionally, it was discovered that the shortest joystick length provided the quickest response times, which could be advantageous for gaming maneuvers.
That said, I did have some reservations about the twist-to-adjust thumbsticks. While testing, the software picked up minor stick drift after changing the heights. Though it’s only a small issue now, it’s something that could get worse over time. Stick drift is a common problem across many controllers, but most controllers don’t cost this much. Given the price, having swappable joystick modules would be a nice touch—it could extend the controller’s lifespan by allowing you to swap out faulty parts. Unfortunately, based on PowerA’s website, this doesn’t seem to be an option with this model.
Software
For PC gamers, the FUSION Pro pairs seamlessly with PowerA’s Gamer HQ software, which opens up a whole host of customization options alongside testing and calibration tools. Using the program, you can remap buttons, adjust dead zones, fine-tune audio and vibration settings, and even personalize that Lumectra lighting to your liking—pretty useful stuff.
The software itself is impressive. It immediately recognized the controller when I plugged it in, and from there, I could dive into the RGB lighting settings, adjusting the glow across four different zones. Then, in the Test/Calibration section, I discovered some less obvious input combinations for quick customizations. For example, holding the A button while moving a thumbstick lets you adjust its dead zones without needing to go through the software menus, making on-the-fly adjustments much more convenient. However, this section also revealed the minor stick drift issue when adjusting the thumbstick heights, as noted earlier.
I found it convenient that the controller lets you store up to three distinct profiles directly on it. This feature means you can quickly switch between settings tailored for various games, eliminating the need to adjust everything manually each time – a thoughtful inclusion by PowerA that enhances the customization aspect.
Verdict
In summary, the PowerA FUSION Pro Wireless controller boasts numerous gameplay-improving attributes; these features can potentially boost your gaming skills. Yet, I’m not entirely persuaded it warrants its cost, considering certain design and performance drawbacks that diminish its overall charm.
In comparison, as I write this, the controller in question retails for $80/$80 more than PowerA’s new FUSION Pro 4 Wired controller. I have both models here (with a review coming up soon), and they offer almost identical gaming features such as adjustable thumbsticks and trigger locks. The wireless functionality, RGB lighting, and a high-quality carry case are the main factors that seem to justify this price difference. It’s worth noting that the FUSION Pro Wireless is also more expensive than the Xbox Elite Series 2 at present (depending on the store), which many argue offers a more comprehensive and customizable gaming experience for dedicated console gamers ready to invest at this level.
To be clear, it’s not a poor quality controller at all, and there certainly is value for a premium gamepad in this price range. Yet, I believe there are superior options available, particularly if you, like myself, have never found your current controller to be limiting. Instead, I prefer to allocate that money towards enhancing other components of my setup and opting for a more cost-effective controller choice.
Where to buy the controller *
- PowerA – $149.99
- Amazon – $149.99 / £149.99
* prices are accurate at the time of writing and are subject to change
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2024-09-25 18:12