Nacon Revo X Max Review

Manufacturer: Nacon
Where to buy: Nacon
RRP: £59.90

Nacon are no strangers to peripherals on Xbox. We’ve reviewed a good selection over the years, and now, we’ve some new contenders for your hard earned. You can see our review of the Revolution Pro X here, but here we will focus on the Revo X Max, the cheaper, wired release. It may lack the freedom of it’s more expensive brethren, but don’t count it out; this is still a solid choice if you’re in the market for a new pad.

I always feel like third party controllers have something to prove, and this is usually shown out in the specs. Here, we get the frequently used Hall Effect sticks and triggers which will help with eliminating stick drift, as well as other premium pad features like trigger locks, micro-trigger buttons, and dedicated PC modes up to 1000Hz polling rates. 

An additional neat trick is to do with the analogue sticks. Around each is an adjustable ring used to control the tension in play, so we can make the stick super easy to glide around, or require a bit more force for more fine control, or anywhere in between. I’ve found myself flitting between modes for different games, and in something like Gears of War: EDay found heavier sticks felt better with the heavy movement and guns, whereas in something like Dragon’s Dogma 2: Dark Arisen, moving my Arisen around with a loose sticks felt better. As it’s so easy to adjust on the fly it should take no time at all to find what fits right per game.

It also feels great in the hand, with a good weight and contour to the body of the controller. The shoulders feel a little wider than what I’m used to in my day to day gaming using the Razer Wolverine V3 Pro, but I soon settled in to the feel of the Revo X Max nicely.

As it’s wired only, it comes with a 3m cable that is thankfully detachable, more than enough for most set ups I’d imagine. The USB-C connection feels solid in play, and clips in and out without issue.

We also have two, non-detachable buttons on the rear of the controller that can be mapped to any other input. I do much prefer to have four back here as it offers more options in my eyes, but there is the belief that most players prefer to use just two (I know some of the Tavern crew only use two, if any) so I’m an outlier in this regard. They are at least well placed and easy to use and customise on the fly, and for most will be perfectly fine. 

I have found the face buttons to have a slightly spongey feel though, despite the microswitches in place. I can’t quite put my finger (or thumb) on it, but though they function well enough, there’s a decidedly ‘soft’ feel to them that I’m not overly sold on. Personal taste is in full effect here of course, so your milage may vary. The same could be said of the D-pad which also has the microswitches, though as I use this less I’ve not noticed it there as much.

Conclusion

That aside, the Nacon Revo X Max is still a worthwhile option if you’re in the market for a new wired controller. In the hands it feels pretty great, while the customisable back buttons, trigger locks, and those tension rings give it a leg up over some other cheaper options out there.

Hardware provided by the manufacturer for review purposes.