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Game controllers continue to creep up in price, and sometimes it feels like it’s hard to justify. Especially with stick drift looming over the longevity of a potentially expensive controller, I wouldn’t blame you for just grabbing whatever is on sale.
The PowerA Fusion Pro Wireless is one of the few controllers I’ve used that actually feels worth it. At $150, it certainly isn’t cheap, but it does come with an impressive set of features that cover a wide range of gamers, deep customization, durable Hall effect sensor joysticks, and an intriguing invisible RGB lighting setup. Wired or wireless, this is my favorite new game controller, and it comes equipped with everything you need to get going.
Photograph: Brad Bourque
New Sticks
When you’re spending well over $100 on a game controller, you want to know it’s built to last, and durability is the main pitch here. Even the best physical joysticks will wear out eventually and develop drift. Hall effect sensors, which rely on magnets, should have a much longer lifetime. They have a super smooth feel, which is kind of hard to describe, but definitely stands out next to a standard Xbox controller. We have a great explainer on exactly how they work, as well as their benefits and limitations, if you want to learn more.
One other big advantage of the PowerA Fusion Pro is that you have precise control over the inner and outer dead zones on each stick. There’s no way to set this from the controller itself, so you’ll have to do so in the software, but I imagine if you’re getting to that level of specificity, you’re already digging around in those settings.
There are three height settings on the sticks, which range from “a little short” to “teetering,” and changing the height is as easy as lifting and twisting. I’m not totally sure why you’d need to adjust the sticks that quickly, but I do appreciate that doing so is easy.
Photograph: Brad Bourque
Triggers and Buttons
I’m really impressed with every button and bumper on the Fusion Pro. The face buttons in particular have a quiet, respectable click to them, and they spring back up nicely. There’s a dramatic scoop to the shoulder triggers that leave a nice rest for your fingers. Overall, it’s a very comfortable controller even after a few hours.
I’m particularly pleased to see a volume adjustment and mic mute tucked away down in front. I often wear a headset while I’m playing on the couch, and I hate having to pause to turn down a loud moment or mute myself before crunching on a snack.
