The Best Xbox/Switch Layout Controller Currently on the Market
After using it for about 6 months, I can safely say that the Ultimate 2 is the best controller currently available that is in an Xbox/Switch joystick configuration. That said, there are a couple areas for improvement that I want to highlight and comparisons I want to make. Overall, for $70 it handily beats controllers that are much more expensive and even the first party ones. First I want to compare it to the Ultimate 1 for returning people. If you haven't upgraded yet, DO IT. I imagine a lot of the 4.3 overall score comes from the old one as that had many more issues, but almost all of them have been fixed. The bumpers are MUCH better, the D-pad is significantly improved, and the new features such as the extra bumper buttons and trigger stops are great. If you have the Ultimate 1 and are wondering whether this is a worthwhile upgrade, it 100% is. From here I want to highlight each of the areas of the controller in a rapid fire list • The sticks are TMR and some of the best in the market. I still think there could be improvements to the mechanicals (smoothness, snapback, longevity, etc.) but the sensors are essentially perfect. • The D-pad is now tied with the best in the market. It has an extremely tactile feel and ghost inputs (up/down registering when left/right is pressed and vice versa) are possible, but easy to notice. However, if you want something more D-pad focused, get their Pro3 instead which is my number 1 recommendation in that regard. • The bumpers are perfect, literally nothing to say. The triggers are also great, and the new trigger stops work well and use a tactile button instead of just limiting the range. However, there is a slight gap in the mechanicals that makes them feel kinda off. I actually opened mine up and filled in that gap with electrical tape and it feels WAY better but it’s something to note. • The back buttons are super comfortable in my opinion and feel great to use. It might be nice to have 4 in the future, but there’s a tradeoff for clutter. The new extra bumper buttons are absolutely amazing and something I didn’t know I needed. We are finally getting enough inputs in these locations so keeping thumbs on the sticks is actually possible. • The face buttons are… good. Nothing remarkable about them as they are membrane pad based so exactly what you’re used to in almost every other controller. • The software/features are good and easy to use. Setting up profiles and reassigning the extra buttons or using turbo on the fly is extremely simple. However, I really wish that the software allowed for assignments outside its own buttons such as mouse click or keyboard presses. This is probably the biggest downside of the controller and means that the extra buttons can’t ever actually be EXTRA and only repeat buttons which is extremely limiting. • The dock is quite handy and something I can’t imagine living without now. It’s still easy to take the dongle with you on the fly, but for a home setup, the dock is amazing. Never once had a connection issue with it either. In the end, the Ultimate 2 gets my #1 recommendation with what is currently available and I have been through A LOT of controllers. The button assignment limitations are a disappointment and some of the mechanicals could be improved, but I’m running out of things to suggest. If you want a PlayStation layout, I’d recommend their Pro3 over this. However, I’d also recommend checking out the GameSir Tarantula Pro which is different enough to warrant its own purchase and is my current favorite PlayStation layout controller. Read more
