Professional gaming controllers are plentiful in modern-day gaming, and with so many choices on the market, it’s at times difficult to pick up the best from the convoluted crowd. However, if there’s one brand of pro controller that has been ever-present over the years, it’s SCUF.
One of the advantages of purchasing a SCUF controller is that you can customise it to your needs and tastes from the analogue sticks, shoulder triggers, back paddles, faceplates and much more. It’s an aspect that Microsoft has adopted with its Elite controller. There are other pro controllers on the market such as Sony’s DualSense Edge as well as NACON’s own alternative, but neither of the latter two offers the level of customisation that SCUF brings to the table.
Check out the SCUF Reflex Pro trailer below!
As I’m already an owner of the Halo Infinite Elite Controller for Xbox and the Nacon Revolution Pro 2 for PS4, it made sense for me to choose SCUF’s version of the DualSense. SCUF offers three tiers of DualSense controllers, each coming with various perks depending on how much you’re willing to spend. You have the choice of Reflex (starting at £199.99), Reflex Pro (£219.99) and Reflex Pro FPS (£249.99). No matter which tier you choose, each will have four removable and remappable back paddles, stored profiles and of course, customisation offering a variety of colourful snazzy designs and combinations.
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For the purpose of this review, I chose the Reflex Pro FPS. What this tier offers that sets it apart from the standard Reflex is the rubberised performance grips (also included in Reflex Pro), handy for sweaty palms, and it features Instant Triggers inspired by a high-quality gaming mouse with satisfying click action. So in other words, rather than having to press the triggers all the way down to aim down the sights and pull the trigger in games such as Call of Duty, Fortnite and Apex Legends, all the shoulder buttons click instantly to give you that vital split second advantage over opposing players.
Surprisingly, this instant click function also works wonderfully in games such as EA Sports FC (formerly known as FIFA) and Gran Turismo, which is why this controller has three stored default profiles for FPS, Sport and Racing. Each of the three profiles can be changed on the fly by a simple press of a button on the rear of the controller, where the remappable and removable back paddles are found. As with my Elite controller, using the back paddles might take a little getting used to, but once you do, it makes life much easier when switching to and from prone positions, jumping and quickly swapping weapons. If the default profiles are not for you, then change the function of each button and then save it to your desired one of three profiles.
I’ve been a fan of Call of Duty since the very beginning, and while not being to the same level that I was during the original Modern Warfare days, I do feel that the SCUF Reflex Pro FPS gave me a slight advantage over using the standard DualSense, largely due to the Instant Triggers and comfortable texture of the controller. At the very least, it gives me a slight chance and boosts my K/D ratio, even by a little. Whether this would justify the cost of purchasing a pro controller, is subjective. That being said, if you were to buy a SCUF controller, obviously you’re already serious about gaming and I very much doubt you’d regret the purchase.
If you’re already reading this review, then chances are you’re familiar with the gaming accessory company KontrolFreek. For years I’ve been using KontrolFreek Thumbstick Grips, as they can also give me a little advantage when gaming online. Yet, as I found with my Elite controller, every time I switched over my KontrolFreek Thumbstick Grip, the analogue stick would likely be removed. Thankfully, due to the analogue sticks being secured under the SCUF chassis, you won’t have that inconvenience.
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If there was one negative with my SCUF Reflex Pro FPS, is that the battery life doesn't seem to last quite as long as the standard DualSense likely due to its extra features. Yet, there is an easy fix. Upon purchasing your SCUF controller directly from the website, you can choose to have the vibration removed which will not only extend the battery life, but it will also make the controller lighter. Being a fan of the DualSenses haptic feedback, I chose to keep its vibration unction.
So, what else do you get in the SCUF Reflex Pro FPS box, aside from the controller? You’ll get four extra analogue sticks, with one pair being slightly longer than the other. When playing an FPS, it is recommended to have the short analogue stick on the left and the tall analogue stick on the right, which should give you extra aiming precision. Speaking of precision, the KontrolFreek Precision Rings also work great with the SCUF controller, though I would recommend stacking rings for the longer analogue stick. In the box, you also get a universal protective case, a 6ft braided cable giving you the choice of playing wirelessly or wired and the controller has a 3.5mm jack for a wired headset.
There’s a reason why SCUF has been a leader in the competitive gaming market and it’s thanks to its quality pro controllers for PC, PlayStation and Xbox that offer a fantastic degree of customisation that you’d struggle to find elsewhere. Not only that, but everything about the SCUF Reflex Pro FPS feels premium and you can feel that quality in the palm of your hands. Most importantly, the SCUF controller can be tailored to your needs and with a bit of luck, it might give you that added edge that you’ve been looking for.
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The SCUF Reflex Pro FPS controller can be purchased from SCUFgaming.com as well as various retailers. A review sample was provided by Corsair.
Featured Image Credit: CORSAIRTopics: PlayStation, PlayStation 5