The “Pro” controller market of controllers is a weird and contentious market of gaming accessories. Sometimes the word “Pro” is meticulously placed in front of an accessory to give off the impression that if the “pros” can use it so can you. It’s the best of the best, blah, blah, blah. It’s tough to discern what’s pro and what isn’t but at it’s core I understand what it’s supposed to mean.
Victrix is a company that I came into contact with over the past few months and although I’m not one to buy into the hype of pro controllers mainly because they’re so exorbitantly priced, Victrix’s Gambit pro controllers intrigued me.
I was pleasantly surprised by the Victrix Gambit Pro controller. There was a lot to like and some things I didn’t like but overall it’s a solid option for a “pro” controller unless you want to spend $200 plus dollars or more for one otherwise elsewhere.
DESIGN & ACCESSORIES
The design of the Victrix Gambit is similar to that of the standard Xbox controller just slightly smaller in the hand and incredibly light. This controller is built entirely of plastic as to why it’s so light and it’s also to keep the cost of the Victrix Gambit where it is at just $99 bucks. When you buy this controller you’re deciding that you’re choosing cost and weight over premium look, feel and function.
With this being a pro tournament style controller there are going to be bells and whistles. The front of the Victrix Gambit controller is very stylish. You’ll like the look of this controller. When you open the carry case you’ll see the purple silicon faceplate covering as well as the hard white faceplate and the joystick accessories. The silicon faceplate is the best by the way, in my opinion. There’s the home and options button both a little oversized and ridged so its easy to feel for which I love. There’s a button just below it that I haven’t quite figured out what it does yet as it’s not even clearly defined in the instruction manual. Then lastly in between the lower right analog stick and the d-pad is the function button. All of the buttons feel responsive and premium, they have good travel and thankfully don’t stick. You’ll see when you play your games which we’ll get into. All in all, the Victrix Gambit Pro controller just by looking at it gives you everything that you would expect from a controller of this type.
THE VICTRIX CONTROL HUB
Customization on a pro controller is EVERYTHING. It’s going to determine whether or not you’ll be effective in your game(s) of choice. Configuration is where this all starts. There isn’t a pro controller or at least there shouldn’t be one that doesn’t prioritize this.
The Victrix Control Hub is what you’ll use to calibrate, configure and remap your buttons. This is the one stop shop to do everything you need to do. I personally found the hub very easy to use when calibrating the sticks. Remapping the buttons was also a very easy thing to do. I did have an issue with remapping the trigger buttons. In fact, I couldn’t remap the trigger buttons at all and for me that kind of sucked as a Destiny 2 and now a Halo Infinite player. I also could not remap the L3 or R3 buttons. Maybe it was me and something I missed or was doing wrong but if not then hopefully this can be changed by a software update but for now it’s a slight problem not a major one. Dead Zone calibration is also a big deal in this control and being able to calibrate it. You can really make this controller super accurate in your games if you want.
The audio options aren’t very elaborate but you do have an equalizer and the option to have a custom EQ and some limited but available presets for your audio but they’re tailored for the gaming experience. The Victrix Gambit Pro controller does give you access to Dolby Atmos audio and the accompanying app that you can download from the Microsoft store to enjoy that crisp sound but it’s not free. If you can swing the fee, it’s a must have addition to your gaming experience. The control hub adds a ton of value to this controller because of it’s solid software.
GAMING WITH THE GAMBIT PRO CONTROLLER
Button mapping issues excluded, gaming with the Gambit Pro is nice. A pleasant experience indeed. Personally, I play a variety of different games, mostly FPS. As of right now I’m playing Destiny 2 and Halo Infinite Multiplayer. I’m not a keyboard and mouse player with FPS games even though I play on PC. Up until I received this controller I had been using a standard Xbox controller. The Gambit Pro was a total change for a number of reasons. The comfort level is the first reason. As I stated, there are two faceplate options with this controller but if you want to have longer and more comfortable gameplay then the silicone faceplate is the way to go. The lightweight also plays a huge factor in terms of comfort.
The Victrix Gambit Pro controller is fast and accurate. When I play platform games and Dungeon raiders the responsiveness of the button presses makes those games so much easier. Games that I replayed recently while using this controller such as Axiom Verge 2, Cyber Shadow and Curse of the Dead Gods for example was a smoother experience and the Gambit controller minimized the frustration I had with these games. I switched the D-Pad and everything really changed. The D-pad is surprisingly accurate so you won’t overjump or over move and end up getting yourself killed in one these games which can be utterly frustrating.
Playing FPS games like Destiny and Halo helped me instantly become more competitive. Let be clear though, this controller cannot match the configurations, accuracy and customization you get from a keyboard and mouse. Playing that way is not for everyone so this controller is a great alternative to the keyboard and mouse and overly expensive pro controllers.
In FPS games, the trigger stops gave me better aim and shoot response time in those types of games being able to get your gun up from a stowed position and shoot quickly is more important than the gun you’re using in most cases.
Fighting games like Street Fighter V which I play a lot wasn’t drastically improved with this controller but it was much easier with the extended analog sticks to get out those Hadoukens and the faster button response helped me get out those quick combos I use. There’s a great deal of usefulness this controller provides just by using it.
THE VICTRIX GAMBIT PRO CONTROLLER IS A GOOD BANG FOR YOUR BUCK
For a guy who has always shied away from the “pro” controller mostly because I never saw the point in them relative to the price, the Victrix Gambit pro controller did open my eyes and my mind to why those who do use them feel it’s essential to their gameplay. This controller wasn’t too big, it’s lightweight, it was easy to use, the software was very simple and while it’s not as premium per se as other offerings out there it’s no slouch and its a really solid controller for the money. It’s hard to make something affordable without it appearing to be cheap. Victrix balances this conundrum very well and at just $99 bucks you’ll be hard pressed to find too many controllers in this price range that do what this one does. I’m not making the claim that this is the best XBOX/PC controller there is but it’s a legit controller and I recommend it as an option for your gaming setup. You can grab one from Victrix HERE and see for yourself. You won’t be disappointed.
