Razer Wolverine V3 Pro controller review — Like a scorestreak

You know how in some multiplayer shooters, you’ll receive some type of ordinance off of a streak? It could be a UAV, possibly a chopper gunner, or even a cruise missile. This is a reward for your great play, but also representative of an impactful item that wrecks the playing field. The Razer Wolverine V3 Pro controller is easily in this category, as it’s incredibly effective along with providing me an advantage on the battlefield to earn said scorestreaks.

Opening the box you’ll find the Razer Wolverine V3 Pro controller inside a carrying case, along with a USB-C charging cable, two additional thumbsticks, and a USB dongle. The charging cable is ten feet long and braided; nice to see Razer including quality alongside the controller. I’m also happy with the carrying case. It’s not a hard shell case or anything special, but it’s molded well to hold the controller and accessories. Extra protection for your controller and an easy way to make sure you have everything with it is a great bonus.

Taking the V3 Pro out of the case, it reminds me of an Xbox controller but with a few adjustments. The first is that the texture while gripping it makes me think of the DualSense. Secondly, the handles are a bit short; meaning I feel like I’m not getting a full hold on the controller at all times. My grip has acclimated to where it’s comfortable, but the handles being somewhat stubby is something players with larger hands have to consider.

As the shape mimics Xbox, all of your face buttons, thumbsticks, and triggers do the same. A unique choice for the buttons is Razer inserting their mecha-tactile buttons. These micro-switch buttons aren’t one note, with enough of a membrane feel in the initial push but a click to let you know you’ve hit your button. It’s almost mouse-like, without going too far overboard. I really like this adjustment, with Razer using their expertise to tweak the V3 Pro. Even the D-pad features these mecha-tactile buttons, which makes it a great choice for fighting genre gamers.

Hall effect thumbsticks are another improvement added to this controller. If you aren’t familiar with these – although everyone seems to be swapping over to them for pro controllers – hall effect thumbsticks go with digital sensors as opposed to analog. This reduces friction which allows the thumbstick to last longer, and leads to its anti-drift designation. A side effect of this stick is also increased accuracy; although I’ve found I have to adjust to the feel of these sticks. I was not shooting straight my first few matches, but once it clicked, I was beaming players at not only more accurate rates, but at longer distances.

The triggers and bumpers are also fantastic, joined by an additional friend you don’t see on other controllers. While the bumpers are standard and clicky, Razer has some great instant triggers for those of us wanting that split-second pull. They aren’t as clicky as some, but are incredibly responsive. If you don’t want to use those, the switches underneath them on the controller allow you to swap to a full pull in seconds. 

M-buttons are a returning feature and friend with the V3: two buttons that sit right next to the triggers and bumpers on the inside. These are in line with the center of the top of the controller, so you won’t accidentally press them and have a good sense of where they are. Truly, they’re just extra, giving you more versatility if you need it. For someone like me, using one as a ping button is useful, especially as I would use that while moving as opposed to aiming down my sights or shooting. You probably don’t want to map impactful functions to it, but anything that keeps you from having to relocate your thumbs from your sticks is a nice bonus.

You can map impactful functions to the V3 Pro’s back buttons, and they are absolutely phenomenal. Razer has used their design with mouse buttons to fashion some of the most clicky and responsive back buttons out there. They also fall into your natural grip, something previous iterations of the Wolverine haven’t done. Being able to allow your hands to rest as you play, not abnormally arching your fingers in order to hit extra buttons, creates opportunity for you to outmaneuver and outgun your opponents. I’ve been doing that constantly with the V3, especially thanks to these stupendous back buttons.

All of these features come together beautifully to give you an advantage when playing competitively. There are a lot of good options on the market, but I’d argue the V3 Pro is one of the best ones. Playing Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 and Warzone with it, I didn’t see any drop off from my daily use controller. Sure, there was a bit of adjustment with the feel of the thumbsticks – most of these have a different feel to them – but I acclimated very quickly. Utilizing all of the back and M-buttons was natural as well, allowing me to focus on aiming with the sticks and not reaching for a face button. This controller is great for any game, casual included, but it’s at its best in a ranked play, competitive environment.

While the V3 Pro isn’t compatible everywhere, it’s been great on PC and Xbox Series X. You connect either wirelessly via the 2.4GHz dongle or wired in. My preference is always wired for less chance of input lag, and Razer even offers a 1000 Hz polling mode for PC. I overclock my controller anyways, but this is a bit easier than running through and configuring it yourself. Even if you want to run wirelessly, Razer’s Hyperspeed functionality provides a great option that’s largely lag-free. I’d love to have Bluetooth added to this controller just for the range of additional connectivity, but with a focus on competition, the design choice works fine.

Razer has also made it easy to adjust your controller whether on PC or Xbox through the Razer app. It seems a bit bland from a UI perspective, but houses all kinds of great features inside. Within seconds I was able to make my profile and make the changes I wanted in regards to button mapping and thumbstick deadzones. You can also make some of these changes without the app via the function button; button remapping and sensitivity clutch specifically. At any rate, I always appreciate an app being available for the ease of use it provides in tweaking my controller. Even better, there’s an Xbox app as well, so console players won’t be missing out either.

Although I prefer to use my controller wired, the V3 Pro does offer fantastic battery life if you prefer to be untethered when using it. Razer advertises about twenty hours of life, which is pretty great for any controller. It seems to be the part, even though I haven’t run it fully down.

One of my few annoyances with this controller is with the USB port. It’s USB-C, and while it will work with just about any cable due to no imposing well keeping them out, I’ve had it disconnect several times with another cable. I couldn’t tell you exactly the issue as the USB-C hasn’t come loose, but something with the connection gets off. For competitive gamers, it’s probably a good idea to stick with the one that comes in the box.