Razer Wolverine V3 Pro Review

Manufacturer: Razer
Where to Buy: Razer
RRP: £199.99

The controller scene has come a hell of a way since I started gaming. Third party peripherals were, to put it bluntly, a joke – something to give your annoying little brother or to any guests who came round. However, more and more these days I find myself forsaking the official controllers (even when I’m playing alone) due to the sheer excellence of the offerings. We’ve covered lots of awesome options over the years, and now, Razer are back with their popular Wolverine series in the Wolverine V3 Pro – and it’s fast become a staple of my gaming time these past weeks.

First up, a quick rundown of the tech specs direct from Razer:
Wireless Esports Controller for Xbox & PC
4 Mouse Click Back Paddles
2 Claw Grip Bumpers
Razer Pro HyperTriggers
Hall Effect Precision Thumbsticks
Razer HyperSpeed Wireless
Razer Mecha-Tactile Action Buttons & 8 Way Floating D-Pad
Pro-Level Customization for Xbox & PC
1000Hz Polling Rate Wired on PC
Carrying Case & 10 ft Cable

As it says, this is a heavily esports orientated device, designed in conjunction with top streamers and tournament players. The pro-level speed needed has resulted in Razer using the same mouse-click tech from their actual gaming mice in this pad. The hair triggers, buttons, back paddles and d-pad all respond lightning quick to presses, with a satisfying feel to the click too. The face buttons are a tad softer than the rest, but feel excellent in use all the same.

The same speed of action is true in both wireless and wired modes. The 2.4ghz dongle included plugs into one of the USB-A ports on the console, and operates as simply as any other wireless connection. In all of the hours I’ve spent playing with it it’s felt perfectly responsive. Recharge times are about 3 hours for a full charge, though I’ve only charged it once out of to box as well as use it wired a few times and haven’t run out of juice yet. It does go into sleep mode a bit quicker than some other pads I’ve used, which helps with the battery no doubt.

In the hands, the Wolverine V3 Pro feels great. It has a good amount of weight to it without over doing things, while the slightly textured backs were a welcome touch. The back buttons have been reconfigured compared to the V2, positioned more like the Xbox Elite controller than the vertical arrangement. I’ve not used the V2 before but I have used the Elite a lot, and other than not being able to remove them I much prefer the size and feel of the back buttons on the V3 Pro here. They fall naturally under my fingers, and using that same mouse click tech have an almost instant reaction time. They can be customised to replicate any button on the pad, though it’s not currently possible to map more than one button to each (to avoid complications at tournaments).

What we do get though are two extra buttons nestled on the inner side of the shoulder buttons. These were primarily added to account for players who use the ‘claw‘ grip style of play. They’d be unable to fully reach the back paddles, and so adding in these buttons was a way to level the playing field. The nice perk for those of us who don’t use claw is that we can assign these buttons in addition to the back ones, effectively giving us six to play with. It’s been a little bit of a learning curve (it took me long enough to get the hang of the back paddles when I first started using them several years ago) but I’ve slowly worked them into my routine. Playing some of the Splitgate 2 Alpha recently with them allowed me to fully remap the face buttons at last, no more reaching for Y to change weapons when it was a mere finger tip tap away. Of course, they aren’t essential but I can see myself relying on them more and more as I play even for less intense games.

PC players get yet more improvements in the 1000Hz polling rate enabled by plugging the pad in. If I’m honest, this side of the V3 Pro was not something I personally will have much use for (my esports days are long gone (if they were ever there…)) but once more, the esports pros Razer worked with expressed the desire to have this as an option, and for those of you who are looking to truly have ever edge in a competition then this is about as good an offering as there is.

It’s also awesome to see hall-effect sticks in the V3 Pro here. The aforementioned Elite controller I’ve got has just started exhibiting some stick drift after a few years, but this is a non-issue with hall-effect. A premium pad should come with premium features and so adding these in is a great idea. It’ll especially do those high level players good as well, with them also being more accurate without the need for calibration.

I was also very impressed with the haptics in the V3 Pro. There are various shortcuts that we can do on the pad, from adjusting the lighting, volume, and the haptic feedback. Set to max it was a riotous feeling when bashing monster trucks in Monster Truck Showdown, or popping off headshots in Halo Infinite. Even the slower paced Dustborn has made good use of them in the echoes that inhabit the areas.

Topping off the excellent offering so far is the sturdy carry case and 10ft cable that come included. The case itself has a solid outer shell and nice soft innards that will protect it nicely, be it at home or out on the road. It’s a shame the case doesn’t act as a charging dock too, but that’s a fairly small nit pick really.

And realistically, there’s very little else to complain about here. It’s a little bit of a shame that we still need a USB dongle to connect wirelessly; if, like me, you’ve already got your USB ports full of other things, then it might be worth also investing in a USB extended (the one we reviewed here worked just fine). But other than this and the charging case mentioned above, as long as you’re able to drop just shy of £200 on it, the Wolverine V3 Pro is utterly excellent.

Conclusion

Those looking to compete at the highest level will get the most out of the Wolverine V3 Pro, but even if you’re just in the market for a solid, durable pad then this is an all but essential recommendation. It has a feature set that will no doubt become a new standard – especially those extra shoulder buttons – and even at £200, there’s more than enough value in its parts and design to make the investment worth it.

Hardware provided by the manufacturer for review purposes.