These days, I struggle to deviate from using first-party controllers in some fashion, especially when I have my beloved SCUF Instinct on-hand; an Elite-style version of Microsoft's Xbox Series X|S controller. Every now and then though, I do dabble with third-party pads — particularly on PlayStation where the likes of Nacon and Turtle Beach offer some great Xbox-layout alternatives — and recently, I've been taking a look at a new option from the former, and it's real competition for Microsoft's Elite Series 2 pad, albeit with a few issues that are worth considering.
The controller in question is Nacon's 'Revolution X Unlimited'; specifically the Xbox 360 anniversary edition that launched this past week. This is an Xbox Elite-style pad with all the accoutrements you'd expect; extra buttons on the rear, swappable sticks, remappable controller layouts... the list goes on. It's jam-packed with extra features, to the point where it even includes a tiny screen that can be adorned with a special 'Blades' theme with this particular edition. The Revolution X Unlimited anniversary edition is certainly a looker, we must say.
It also feels absolutely brilliant in the hands, especially if you like a chunkier-feeling gaming controller. The Revolution X Unlimited fills out your palms more like an old 360 pad than the slightly smaller Xbox Series X|S controller of the modern era, and personally, I really like that. Everything is nice and easy to press without adjusting my hands, and I've had no trouble playing games for hours on end with this thing.
There are some other differences to the modern official Xbox pads too. Button presses are much clickier (more akin to a Switch joy-con, if you've used one), the sticks are slightly taller (which takes some getting used to), and the triggers feel more weighted on the whole. These aspects aren't necessarily better or worse than they are on Microsoft's first-party offerings, but for what it's worth, I've had no trouble adjusting to how everything feels on the Revolution X Unlimited.
However, there are some issues relating to the software that accompanies this high-end Nacon Xbox controller. To take full advantage of everything the pad has to offer, you have to download the Revolution X Unlimited app on PC - which lets you do things like remap buttons, set up controller profiles, customise the analog stick light, and so on. While an issue with simply booting and using the app when I first got the controller has thankfully been fixed thanks to the folks over at Nacon, it's still not the most user-friendly experience to get the most out of your shiny new controller.
First off, this is the only way you can remap the extra buttons at the time of writing, of which there are six (four on the rear and two extra bumpers up top). Once mapped and locked into one of four 'controller profiles', you can use the screen on the controller to swap the profiles over, which is nice - but you still need to perform their initial setup via the cumbersome app. Another issue I've personally come across relates to stick dead zones; the default setup just didn't feel quite right, so I went to adjust them in the app. While I've seen some improvement and the controller is definitely better for my dead zone adjustment, I've still not quite perfected it, and having to go back-and-forth with the PC app to test out my changes just isn't the best experience in general.
I don't want the somewhat dodgy app to put too much of a damper on this review though, as the Revolution X Unlimited still feels great right out of the box, especially if twitchy stick controls for competitive first-person shooters aren't of concern to you - and the app at least functions now, as this anniversary edition rolls out to the public. The controller feels fantastic in the hands with nice feeling materials, button presses and overall comfort; this really is a great alternative to the official first-party pads, and it's wireless too (via an accompanying dongle)!
Ultimately though, this all does come at a cost. The Nacon Revolution X Unlimited controller will set you back £180 / $200, which I understand is a mighty ask for a third-party controller. For that price, the team is certainly packing in plenty of extras (you get a lovely carry case, charge dock, braided cable, extra d-pad & analog sticks and controller weights alongside all the bonus features we've already mentioned), and this definitely a controller that's in the Xbox Elite / DualSense Edge realm here. Out of the box I think it competes well with both of those examples, but the third-party app does let the side down a bit with its cumbersome customisation options.
Anyway, if you're interested in this Xbox 360 Anniversary Edition of the Nacon Revolution X Unlimited controller we'll leave a product link to it down below - and our related news story underneath includes a handy feature list, directly from the team at Nacon.
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