Nacon has long been a household name – not only for its quick, fun video games but also for its wide array of gaming peripherals. As the industry ramps up its controller design and distribution, the race is on to provide players with advanced, customizable controllers that will elevate gamers’ experience across genres and platforms. Nacon’s Pro controller is available in a few different varieties, including the especially pretty Colorlight controller, and the Revolution X promises the ultimate customization experience.

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Unfortunately for Nacon, the Revolution X is in the same class as GameSir’s T4 Cyclone Pro. The lesson is this: packing in advanced features isn’t enough to make a great controller. At the same time, this controller does offer quite a bit, considering it’s a fairly simple, wired Xbox-style gamepad. At the end of the day, though, this controller is probably not going to be most gamers’ first choice.

What’s in the Box?

• Nacon Revolution X Controller
• Convex thumbsticks (extra pair)
• 2 Medium thumbstick angle adapter rings
• 2 Large thumbstick angle adapter rings
• 6 Grip weights (2 each of 10g, 14g, & 16g weights)
• 3M USB-C to USB-A cable
• Storage case
• Cleaning cloth

Design and Ergonomics

Nacon’s Pro controllers are all a bit unique compared to the standard Xbox controller design, mostly due to their slightly wider body, which makes them feel more like a Switch gamepad or even a fightpad. With the Revolution X, this design is better than ever, with the main body of the controller being a bit taller than the compact version, thus more comfortable to hold. Adding to the quality feel of the controller is a svelte, velvety finish, offering players a soft and smooth grip. Despite this sleek faceplate, the back handles still feature the all-important raised texture that cuts down on sweaty hands and prevents the controller from slipping during matches.

Now, this texture does interfere with the two lower back buttons, both of which sit quite far forward and have the same texture as the rest of the handles. To be fair, the buttons each have a border of smooth plastic and technically sit in untextured sections of the handles, but they are so close to textured sections that it can be difficult to tell when a fingertip is resting on the button versus just the handle.

The other two back buttons don’t help matters. They’re placed somewhat oddly toward the center of the controller and have almost no texture on them at all. Granted, these buttons are raised, so they’re tough to miss, but their placement in relation to the other programmable back buttons makes it difficult to have good control over all four buttons. They’re simply not convenient to hit without users adjusting their grip. It’s difficult to imagine all four buttons being used in the same game due to their somewhat inconvenient placement, unless the game is an MMO, which isn’t too common on Xbox.

On the flip side, the buttons on the front are all a joy to use. Nacon seems to love making their buttons larger than the competition, and this makes their controllers more comfortable. The ABXY buttons have a slight texture over the letters and are slightly rounded, similar to retro controller designs. The centralized Xbox home button is a bit awkward, being lower than on more standard controllers, and the D-pad features the classic four-sided design, rather than the eight-sided modern style, but overall, these buttons work well with the shape and size of the controller. The joysticks are fairly tall too, which typically equals more comfort, though the texture on the thumbsticks is nearly non-existent.

The controller is extremely lightweight without any of the optional weights in use, so much so that it kind of feels like a toy when it is first pulled out of the box. While that’s not something many gamers want to hear, it’s music to the ears of console gamers pining for a seriously lightweight controller.

Of course, there is a caveat to this: the cord is hefty. Sure, the cord is detachable, but you need it to play, and it completely weighs down the controller. It can be safely assumed that over time the cord will become a bit more flexible and perhaps not pull on the controller as badly, but Nacon’s controllers are known for their stiff, weighty cords that can easily knock things off a table and generally make the controller uncomfortable to hold after a few matches.

The cord is very long, which while helpful to living-room gamers, quickly becomes a nuisance and a tripping hazard. For PC players, the cord can be shortened using the Velcro strap, but the strap is made with really high-quality Velcro, so it’ll grab onto any fabric and start dragging it along if it weighs less than the cord, which most fabric items will.

Aside from the controller itself, Nacon provides players with a good enough hard case, though the top flexes with little effort. Inside the case is a slot for the plastic storage container of controller weights, a cleaning cloth, and a net pocket for the wire. The last two extras seem to be Nacon’s attempt at wowing their customers when they open the box, as the cleaning cloth is a bit overkill for the controller and the detachable wire barely fits in the net pocket. However, these little extras do make for impressive packaging.

Customization and Software

Before getting into any of the customizations, it must be mentioned that there is almost no direction given to users when they open the box. The bare bones “manual” instructs users to visit a specific URL to download the “full manual,” which doesn’t include any information on the extra physical parts. This is not only annoying but a major barrier for any players who have never had a physically customizable controller before. Even Nacon’s product page for the Revolution X still only displays their teaser trailer for the controller, showing almost none of the physical customizations in action.

Regardless, one of the biggest draws of this controller is its customizability, which allows players to make both physical and digital changes to the Revolution X. Physically, the weight of the controller and the joysticks can be changed on the fly. Internally, buttons can be remapped, vibration and sensitivity adjusted, and the LED light on the controller has four zones that can be customized. Some of these customizations work well, but others fall flat.

The insertable weights are the most impressive among the customizations. There are three sets of two weighing 10g, 14g, and 16g. Each handle has a slot for a weight, leaving the door open for a mix of weights, though that’d probably be a bit uncomfortable. However, the weights have a huge impact on how the controller feels and are super easy to swap in and out of the back of the handles. This unique design is a rare sight, even among very expensive controllers, and one that a small niche of gamers will be thrilled to see.

Similarly, the joysticks come with six accessories: two medium metal rings, two large metal rings, and two smooth thumbstick alternatives. The joystick tops can be pulled right off and clicked back down securely using just a bit of pressure. Once off, players can add one of the four metal rings to physically limit the movement of the joystick.

The tall joysticks can be pushed fairly far without any of the rings on them. While this adds precision, some players would like to adjust that feature without needing to go into an app. The standard thumbstick tops are concave and show some texture on the top, but that texture is barely noticeable. Those who prefer rounded thumbsticks or who want a perfectly smooth texture can swap out the tops with the two extras provided alongside the weights and rings. To be blunt, there’s nothing special about these thumbstick tops, and it’s clear that they’re just another fun extra Nacon threw in with their premium controller.

The digital customizations are the biggest letdown of this controller, and there are a few reasons for this. Foremost among them is the fact that the app for this controller is truly awful. It’s baffling that Nacon decided to create a separate app for the Revolution X rather than use its pretty straightforward Pro Compact app, or at least a copycat version, especially considering just how poorly designed the former is in comparison. There is technically an Xbox app, but during the testing period the download wouldn’t start for an unknown reason, so the PC app was used exclusively. To cut to the chase, the app is a mess.

Operating in full-screen mode only, there is no menu for the app. There's no way to use it as a windowed app, no way to adjust whether it opens on start-up, no settings at all. Occasionally, the app fails to load the exit button too, making the only option for leaving the app Alt+F4 or Alt+Tab. At the same time, right-clicking the minimized app and selecting close won’t close it, though it will not indicate this. Users will have to take an additional step and open the app again to answer the “Are you sure you want to exit?” pop-up that doesn’t even cause the icon to flash while minimized like every other app on the planet. If this step isn’t done, the app won’t close – ever.

Okay, so the app is a bit annoying to manage. That’s not the end of the world and even the worst apps can often salvage their usefulness by, well, being actually useful. Sadly, the Revolution X app still has some annoyances to divvy out. Mouse controls in the app aren’t very helpful, as the controller is the main way to interact with the app, although it frequently lags and sometimes completely fails to pick up the controller’s input. This issue is only resolved by rebooting the app which, since the controller isn’t working in that scenario, must be done by Alt-tabbing and triggering the exit pop-up.

Once players manage to start customizing their controller, they’ll immediately run into another problem. The controller has four onboard profiles available, all of which are filled with Nacon’s own genre-specific settings by default. One would think it would be easy enough to simply pick one of these profiles and edit it. Nope. Players have to select a profile, duplicate it (they cannot use the word “Nacon” in the new name, so they must create a unique name for it), and then they can edit that profile, leaving the one they duplicated sitting uselessly in the app, as there is no room for it in the controller’s onboard memory. The preset profiles can’t be edited or deleted. It’s very difficult to understand why the customizable profiles were done this way; the arbitrary rules aren’t clear and don’t have a clear effect.

However, once all the hoops have been successfully jumped through, players gain access to their controller’s audio, vibration, and sensitivity settings, button remapping, and RGB customization. These are all very standard customization menus, with those familiar with controller settings easily able to make their adjustments. Players who aren’t familiar with this level of customizability are left in the dark, with no explanations provided for each of the settings, including the preset ones, which simply describe what type of game the layout is made for. There isn’t even a testing function to see whether the sensitivity and vibration levels are adequate.

The last bit of customization is the RGB lighting, which is oddly around only one of the joysticks. That joystick does have four programmable lighting zones, with the whole ring being able to be programmed to stay solid, pulsate, or cycle through the five primary colors. This is easy to adjust, and there are a total of 21 colors to choose from, including white. Here again is a bit of confusion: why offer only 21 colors? With that many options, it’s clear that the entire color wheel would be able to be displayed if Nacon allowed it.

Finally, while the button remapping can be done on the controller separately from the “advanced” mode that uses the onboard profiles, the light is a bright white color and cannot be dimmed or turned off without going into the app.

Performance

Although the customization of colors is easy and offers lots of options, the actual outcome is disappointing as the colors simply aren't accurate. For example, there is no red color. When red is selected, it’s clearly displayed as a dark, hot pink color. In the same vein, light colors look very washed out, regardless of what color they're supposed to be. Additionally, similar colors look nearly identical and are almost impossible to identify when placed next to each other.

Even when different colors are combined, if they’re both warm or both cool, they’ll blend into a single color, rather than create a gradient. This means that blue next to green just makes one turquoise color, despite there being a separate turquoise option. Yellow is an especially big letdown, as it turns almost white when combined with basically any other color, even though it’s bright and bold on its own.

On the gaming front, there are no surprises. This is a wired controller, so it has very low latency. However, it still managed to lag a few times on the Xbox, with the joysticks most often being the culprit. Despite those rare instances, which may well have been caused by server issues, this controller is a tough piece of hardware and the programmable buttons were extremely responsive. All of the parts are well-made and should last a long time, even if the controller didn’t take advantage of the advanced Hall effect sensors on the market. The 3.5mm headset jack does its job incredibly well too, with Dolby Atmos supporting crisp, precise audio across games and platforms when used in conjunction with a decent headset.

Verdict

Thoughtless design should be punished, at least as much as the user is punished for making a poor purchasing decision, though there’s little recourse against such a powerful brand as Nacon. However, the fact remains: this controller is absolutely not worth the $100 asking price. On sale, it’s a reasonable purchase for users determined to customize the weight of their controller, but even at a discount, most players would be much better off spending their money on almost any other controller.

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From the confusing and inconvenient remapping to the normally very simple task of customizing the LEDs on a single joystick, the Nacon Revolution X manages to create a frustrating experience from beginning to end, with the only payoff being the perfectly personalized weight of the controller. While the size and shape are quite comfortable, it’s not much more comfortable than most standard wireless Xbox controllers, although the light weight is tough to beat.

To be sure, this is a controller aimed at two very specific niches: players who want an ultra-lightweight controller, and players who want a controller that allows them to customize the weight. Sure, the four back buttons are nice, but with $100 in hand, finding a better alternative is somewhat easy. Ultimately, most players should pass on the Nacon Revolution X and hope to find better prospects elsewhere.

RIG Nacon Revolution X

$60 $100 Save $40

The Nacon Revolution X is a fully customizable controller that allows players complete control over the feel of their gameplay. With over 40 customization options, including adjustable joysticks and optional weights, this controller can be made exactly as players want it to be. Players can save up to four profiles to swap between custom button layouts on the fly. The convenient app works both on PC and the Xbox, so it’s easy to take advantage of every custom option offered by the Nacon Revolution X.

Brand

RIG

Platform

Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Windows 10/11

Connectivity

Wired

Headset Support

3.5mm

Programmable

Yes

Cable Length

9.8ft/3m

Expand

See at Amazon$60 at Walmart$100 at Best Buy

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