PowerA Advantage Wired Controller with Lumectra Review

Manufacturer: PowerA
Where to Buy: PowerA/ Amazon
RRP: $54.99

We’ve recently checked out some of PowerA’s latest wares, from the Advantage Sparkle and Sonic editions, to the MOGA XP Ultra, and they’ve all been somewhat great. So when they reached out with a newer offering, we were naturally keen to take a look – enter, the Advantage Wired Controller with Lumectra.

Much like the prior Advantage pads, this here is a great feeling controller. It has a smooth feel to the finish, and due to not housing batteries is really lightweight. Button all have a solid feel when pressed, and it’s pretty close to the feel of an official pad for the most part. I’m still not sold on the vibration function here – it’s there, but it certainly less impactful that the rumble trigger and grips of the official versions – but it was only really noticable when going back and forth between a few controllers depending on where I was playing.

We have the Advantage’s two back buttons that can be assigned on the fly, as well as trigger locks to lower travel time. The cable is sufficiently long to cover even my gaming space (roughly 6-7 feet from the console) and clips in with a sturdy feel.

However, there are two extra buttons on the back that make this version of the Advantage stand out. One allows us to adjust the colours on the controller, and the other on the included 4ft LED lighting strip.

The controller set up is neat, and by holding the buttong down we enter customisation mode. Using the D-pad and face buttons we can change the colour’s or the outer light strip, buttons, sticks, and D-pad areas. these can be what ever combo we like, and though I did find it a little fiddly at first I did get a look I was a fan of.

Far cooler is the LED strip that comes with the controller. At 4ft long, it fit nicely behind my 58″ screen and is stuck on with fairly strong adhesive tape – make sure you’re happy with where it’s going, as that will not be easy to remove should you change your mind.

Holding the second button on the back lets us adjust the colour of this, with the controller connecting to it via an infra-red receiver at the end of the light strip (which also houses buttons the adjust colours on it if you don’t have the pad plugged in). This is also wired via USB, which in my case took up two slots (including having the controller plugged in) on my Series X, though you could plug it into any USB port for power. Once paired with the pad, we can again use the controllers face buttons and D-pad to change the colour of the strip. We can set solid colours, a slow fade, or a rotation of colours, but can’t set it to be multi-colour, which is a shame. I found myself setting it to match the mood of the game I was playing (a lot of red for Starfield while on Mars, and blues and purples for space etc) and it’s easy and quick to do.

I’m typically someone who’ll turn off any and all lights sources when playing, but I’ve been surprised just how much I’ve enjoyed having both the pad and – mainly – the light strip behind the TV on. It’s a small thing, but the added light really enhanced the atmosphere of the games, and I began to find the screen felt flat without it on.

As an additional purchase there is a 20ft LED strip that works with this too (which I am sorely tempted by now) but even the one included in the box works wonders.

Conclusion

We’re already fans of the PowerA Advantage controller, with it being a solidly built and functional wired controller. The addition of Lumectra has only made it that much cooler for us, and we’ve really noticed when it’s not been on while playing. A great controller and a light show? Sounds good to us.

Hardware provided by the manufacturer for review purposes.