Introduction
When it comes to gaming, everyone has their own favourite ways to play. Some like mouse and keyboard, others like motion controls, and others (like me) prefer controllers.
And, when it comes to controllers, it’s hard to decide which is the best for PC gaming. Unfortunately for us, Nacon has made that job even harder with their Revolution Pro Unlimited, an official PS4 controller that was designed for Esports professionals and can handle professional-grade multiplayer on a mass-produced level.
Want to know what makes the controller so great? Then check out our full review…
Nacon Revolution Unlimited Pro
Hardcore controller for the eSports crowd
Weight: 868g
Dimensions: 9.5 x 20.5 x 20 cm
Color: Black
Rechargeable cells: Yes
- Weight adjustment system
- Good customisation of sticks
- Premium feel
- Good software
- Not cheap
- PS4 branding and buttons
The Design
Nacon’s Revolution Unlimited Pro controller is an official PlayStation product – which might strike some as strange when you look at its shape. The first thing you notice is how similar this controller is to those made by Microsoft for their Xbox One. Is this a bad thing? Not at all. In fact, I welcome the larger shape as I find it easier to hold in my hand. Longer sessions are a doddle, and it is so much easier to reach all the different buttons without losing my overall grip on the controller – I believe the term is ‘ergonomic’.
With that out of the way, we can have a look at the rest of the gamepad. It keeps close to the Xbox One design, with a button layout similar to that of the Xbox One, with triggers that I found much easier to use than on a standard Dualshock 4 for example.
Why is that? Well, the triggers on the Nacon controller are slightly curved, meaning that if you rest your fingers there during play you are much less likely to slide off the buttons – as you might with a Dualshock 4.
The controller does have one massive departure from the Xbox One controller though, and that’s its inclusion of both a touchpad and a PS button on its front, as you might find on a DS4. In honesty, I’ve never been a fan of the touchpad and could easily have done without it – but, considering it is needed for PS4 functionality its presence here is necessary and thanks to the overall design and materials used on the controller, not at all offensive.
In fact, the controller looks pretty sleek as a whole. Matte black with buttons in a similar monochromatic styling. All the usual PlayStation symbols are included, conforming to that minimalist colour scheme – but not in a way that makes the controller feel cheap, or knock-off. Overall, the whole look of the controller is pretty premium, with the materials used in its construction just adding to the overall quality of the gamepad.
Plus, the controller is ready to be customized. You can change the analogue sticks, the thumbpads on the sticks, and even the weight of the controller – just open up the grips, add in the weights that are to your liking, and you are good to go. I think this is a brilliant feature that is going to help people play the way they want to, especially if longer gaming sessions are involved and the player prefers a lighter or heavier controller.
Usability:
I’ll start reviewing the usability of the controller by talking about its connectivity. In short, the Nacon Revolution Unlimited Pro is a doddle to connect, whether that be to a PS4 or a PC, it really is easy to get gaming on the controller in a matter of moments.
Starting with the connection to the PS4, its pretty simple. Either connect the controller via the USB cable that comes included, or by plugging in the USB dongle that comes with the Revolution Unlimited Pro to the PS4 itself. Do this, and you are set to play either wired or wirelessly on your PS4!
It’s the same story on your PC as well – but with one major difference. Connecting your controller to your PC allows you to open up an interactive menu from Nacon that allows you to adjust and alter not only the default function of each button but also the sensitivity and response time of each trigger and analogue stick. It’s a great way to make sure that the controller you are using is set up to be as reactive as you want it to be – and perfectly attuned to whichever game you are looking to play.
Let’s talk about why that’s important for a second. This controller was designed with Esports in mind, and in that competitive circuit, every second counts – even a fraction of a second can mean the difference between winning first place and insane amounts of money and falling into the often forgotten second place.
So, the fact that you can take the Nacon Revolution Unlimited Pro, and completely overhaul it to the point that even the lightest touch to a shoulder button causes your character to fire, or needing a heavy press to make sure that you never accidentally lob a grenade at the wrong moment seems to be perfect for that competitive scene.
Combine the adjustable dead zone on the shoulder buttons with the insane level of customization available on the analogue sticks, and you are onto something special. You can make sure that the sticks are quick-twitch specific; perfect for fast-paced FPS battlegrounds, or you set up for a slower and smoother reaction on your stick to assist in those moments when precision is key.
This level of customization sounds overwhelming, I know. But, used in conjunction with the profile system that is available on the controller you can easily set up four different behaviour profiles for your controller to cycle through as you play.
For example, let’s say that you have joined a game of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare. You are running and gunning, and that means you want to be using a controller setup that allows for fast reactions, a hair-trigger and speedy turning. However, let’s say you slide into a comfortable sniping position and want more precision from your sticks? Simple. Click the profile button on your profile controller, and you can cycle through until you find your sniping profile set up and ready to go.
Its this kind of on the fly changeability that really gives the Nacon Revolution Pro Unlimited an edge on its mainstream competitors, as a standard Dualshock 4 or Xbox One Controller won’t allow players that level of flexibility when it comes to in-game sensitivity and customization.
To that end, Here is how the Nacon Revolution Pro Unlimited performed in a couple of different games, across PC and console.
Halo: Reach (PC):
When it comes to Halo, it’s important to remember that even though the Master Chief Collection has been brought to PC, it’s still optimized for use with a controller. With that in mind, I found that the Nacon performed admirably in both online and offline games.
I would say that whilst it was weird to be playing Halo on an official PS4 controller, it didn’t feel wrong. That’s because the Nacon fits snugly in your hand with its close-to-Xbox design, and to cap it off, responds brilliantly in-game.
If you are familiar with Halo, you will know that precision is key in the game, with the arcade FPS style of play running from single-player smoothly into multiplayer. Lining up shots with a DMR is easy thanks to the analogue sticks being incredibly responsive, and the adjustable dead zone meaning that accidentally movement on the stick isn’t a dealbreaker when it comes to headshots.
In fact, using the controller online proved to be a big edge over the competition on mouse and keyboard, thanks to the original Halo: Combat Evolved multiplayer being a little slower and clunkier than its more modern titles. Playing the brand new SWAT playlist for Halo one meant that precision was once again key, and whilst with a mouse aiming could at times feel over-responsive and floaty, with the Nacon controller (and some tweaking within the customizable profiles) it was easy to quickly get a bead on enemy players without too much hassle.
Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare (PC) / (PS4):
When it comes to shooters, there is always going to be the argument made by PC gaming purists that no controller can touch the performance offered by a mouse and keyboard. However. The Nacon Revolution Unlimited Pro definitely holds its own in the competitive arena.
I first tried out Call of Duty with the Nacon on PC, as I was keen on finding out how it performed against the mouse and keyboard crowd specifically. So, during a hardcore free-for-all match, I learned that as long as you have the controller set up to your exact tastes, then you aren’t going to be struggling too hard.
Like I mentioned earlier in the review, it was so easy to set up a couple of different play profiles on the controller and switch through them as I played. That meant that as I was zipping around the map with an MP5 and wanted to just keep in constant motion, I could have the controller set to respond incredibly quickly. Then, when I felt like becoming a low down, dirty camper I could easily switch to my slower, ADS specific profile and pick people off from wherever I was hiding. And, should I need to run away, I could easily switch back.
This feature was really handy in the new Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Warzone, where you can go from vast open spaces to clearing a building with tight corridors within seconds. That interchangeability and flexibility in a controller really shone through in those times and seeing as I tried out Warzone on both PS4 and PC, I can happily report that the controller did great on both – but I did notice that I had a slight edge when playing on PS4
Maybe that just goes to prove that the Nacon Revolution Unlimited Pro performs better than the standard Dualshock 4 in a competitive arena?
Mortal Kombat 11 (PS4):
I think that a great way to test a controllers responsiveness is to play fighting games – they demand precision, timeliness and ease of use, so if you perform any worse than you would on a standard controller, you know that they aren’t worth your time.
Also, they are a great way to test a d-pad. So, I booted up the newest Mortal Kombat, and discovered that the Nacon Revolution Unlimited Pro is definitely up to the standard when it comes to online fighters.
You are rarely going to find yourself slipping on the d-pad (no more messed up combos), and the shape of the controller is ideal for those demanding input patterns that Mortal Kombat is famous for.
Sure, the customization of the controller profiles helped in a small way (with the sensitivity of the controllers triggers dialled up to 11), but the real victory here was how the Nacon performed at its core – just a very well designed controller, that sits in your hands well with a button layout that allows for quick input and reactions
Conclusion:
Basically, the Nacon Revolution Unlimited Pro is the controller to go for if you are used to playing on a pad and want to take that to your PC gaming life.
It works phenomenally on both PC and PS4, and whilst it isn’t supported on the Xbox, I can assure those gamers that if they need a reliable way to play on PC (and want to sidestep the best gaming mouse and keyboard combos out there), then the Nacon is a very reliable choice to go for.
The level of customization available for gamers here is admirable, with different layouts and player profiles available to choose from, making this both a great controller out of the box, and 6 months down the line when you know exactly how you like to play with it.
Make sure that you don’t skip over the Nacon Revolution Pro Unlimited if you are considering using a controller when gaming, It’s got a premium price tag but it’s definitely up there among the best on the market to date.