If you don’t have a pro controller, what are you doing! OK, they’re expensive, I get it, but if you’re going to spend 5hrs a day slappin’ players in Fortnite, Apex or Warzone, might as well try to get the upper edge; with REACT-R, you can get that edge at $39.99 – an officially licensed Xbox controller with distinct audio switching, grips, rear paddles and accurate control response – it’s really a no brainer. What’s the catch? very little, to be honest. It does all it needs to do without the hinge of pricing.
REACT-R’s design is purposeful – it’s not the most premium with a durable plastic or metal, instead you’ll get a lightweight controller with typical polyethylene-like material – embedded on the grips are triangular textures for better handling. Fixed at the center top is the Xbox home button with View and Menu buttons alongside audio options. There are distinct selections for better sound with footsteps, which should help for casuals but not so much for elite players. Above the Xbox button is a quick select button for volume control, chat and button mapping, selectable via the D-Pad. It takes a bit to get used to, but once you have it down packed, the design feels right. It’s a wired controller, which should reduce lag entirely and at the bottom is the audio jack for wired headphones. The joysticks are also plastic with grip textures – Turtle Beach did a fine job on the feel as you wouldn’t care to notice it during intense battles. Overall, the familiar design works just fine.
My absolute favorite elements are the paddle placements, the feel of the D-Pad and Joysticks. The D-Pad gives that smooth cushion-like press within its concave face while the paddles are close enough to your middle or ring finger for your reflex response. Joysticks are loose enough to flick, but sturdy enough on the resistance. Very similar to the original Xbox 360 controller tension.
The caveat to all of this is its lack of profiles, removable joysticks, not being able to use this on a PS5 (I mean, duh) and software to adjust the curve. But that’s expected when you’re paying a fraction of the price for the important elements of a pro controller. For those on a budget, this is a killer.
REVIEW SCORE: 8/10
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