Nacon Revo X Max controller review

With how many controllers there are on the market these days, it can get confusing to remember which is which. Well I’m sorry to tell you that it’s time to add yet another one to that pool! The Nacon Revolution X Max is a budget-friendly, wired-only controller that costs around $70 USD. It’s compatible with Xbox Series, Xbox One, and PC only. Don’t get it confused with its big brother Revolution X Unlimited, which cost almost three times as much. 

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The headline feature of the Revo X Max is the Hall Effect sticks. Hall Effect technology uses magnets and electrical sensors to measure trigger movement instead of physical contact. Traditional controllers rely on sensors that physically rub together, which eventually wear down and cause the infamous stick drift. Hall Effect virtually eliminates any possibility of drifting! It should also prevent mechanical wear and prolong its overall longevity, but only time will tell.

In addition, you can change the stick tension yourself, adjusted by a ring built into each stick. This means you can make each stick super easy to rotate or add resistance, depending on your personal preferences and the game you’re playing. They even conveniently mark the max to min on the rings for you alongside the groove of the sticks. I’ve never seen such a quirk offered on any other controller, and it feels a bit out of place as the only premium feature on an otherwise budget controller.

The face buttons and D-pad run on micro switches; the triggers have two-stage stops for shooters, and there are two extra shortcut buttons on the back. A Shooter Pro setting strips the dead zones out of the sticks for more immediate aiming. On PC, the pad runs at 1000 Hz with 1 ms latency against a 250 Hz default, though it is worth knowing that the impulse triggers stop functioning once polling climbs past 500 Hz. I’m surprised at how light the controller is despite the four rumble motors that are fitted into the controller.

The only real downside is that the controller is wired-only when most other controllers these days are wireless. Thankfully it comes with a 3 meter long USB-C to USB-A cable that should be long enough for any Xbox or PC setup. It’s also noticeable how easy it is for the matte black plastic finish to pick up fingerprints and dust.

Buttons have a nice tactile feel to them, but can also feel a bit cheap and brittle. The USB-C hole also unfortunately has a deep indent, meaning not all wires will even fit in the hole if they’re not skinny enough to fit through the indent. I’m not sure why this was designed this way, as it could have easily been a flush port like the PS5 DualSense controller or Nintendo Switch Pro controller. As with most budget options, the Revo X Max doesn’t come with many accessories: it has no travel case, no color options, and no programmable triggers.

Nacon’s Revo X Max is mostly geared towards players that usually play competitive first person shooters, hence the Shooter Pro mode, but works great for non-shooters too! The Shooter Pro mode disables the digital deadzone to give you instant stick reactivity and high precision. I’ve recently been playing No Rest for the Wicked, an asymmetric Soulslike, with a buddy and the controls feel smooth and responsive. I’m nowhere near a competitive e-sports player, so take that as you will.

Lastly, the controller comes with one month of Game Pass Ultimate, which is a $23 USD value! Unfortunately I don’t think the month stacks on top of existing memberships, so you’ll have to wait until your current one expires or just give it away.

For those that think $70 USD is a bit too pricey, Nacon is also releasing the Revo X Pro and Revo X for $50 and $40, respectively, which both feature the Hall Effect sticks and triggers, but remove other additional functionality.