A few days ago, I got my hands on the Turtle Beach Victrix Pro BFG Reloaded, and if the PS5 Slim wasn’t already my favorite console, this controller just solidified that fact for me. I’ve been thinking of getting the DualSense Edge for a while and now that I’ve used the Victrix Pro BFG Reloaded, I don’t want to — that’s how good it is.
Extremely customizable, Turtle Beach’s latest gamepad comes with 11 interchangeable components, including a fightpad, making it great for all genres. Four customizable back buttons as well as Hall Effect triggers and thumbsticks give you a competitive edge, while long battery life ensures you don’t run out of juice when you’re in the middle of an important fight. The controller is mighty comfortable too, with chunky grips and five-stop triggers for maximum comfort.
Is it without its drawbacks, though? No, as there are a couple. But is it still one of the best game controllers out there? Yes. For the complete breakdown, read my full Turtle Beach Victrix Pro BFG Reloaded review.
Turtle Beach Victrix Pro BFG Reloaded review: Cheat sheet
- What is it? A wireless controller for PlayStation, Xbox consoles or PC, with 11 interchangeable components and Hall Effect tech
- Who is it for? Anyone who wants a highly responsive and customizable gamepad
- How much does it cost? It ain’t cheap — the Turtle Beach Victrix Pro BFG Reloaded is available for $209 / £179
- What do we like? It’s comfortable, its Hall Effect triggers and sticks are very responsive, it has long battery life, and comes with 11 swappable components
- What don’t we like? It isn’t for bargain hunters, and some PS5 features are missing
Turtle Beach Victrix Pro BFG Reloaded review: Specs
Specs |
Turtle Beach Victrix Pro BFG Reloaded |
|---|---|
Price |
|
Layout |
PlayStation Shapes | Xbox ABXY |
Connectivity |
2.4GHz wireless, USB-C wired |
Compatibility |
PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, PC | Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Xbox One |
Triggers |
Hall Effect |
Thumbsticks |
Hall Effect |
Back buttons |
Yes, four customizable |
Dimensions |
6.3 x 4.1 x 2.4 inches |
Weight |
9.3oz |
Colors |
White, Black |
Battery (rated) |
20 hours |
Turtle Beach Victrix Pro BFG Reloaded review: The ups
From its ergonomic design and user-friendly companion software to its Hall Effect triggers and interchangeable face buttons, the Turtle Beach Victrix Pro BFG Reloaded is a “pro” controller in every sense of the word.
Ergonomic and comfortable
One thing I’ve always loved about the PlayStation DualSense controller ($74) is the rounded and contoured shape which provides a natural fit in my hands. But as someone who used to own an Xbox back in the day, I do miss the chunky grips of the Xbox controller. Luckily, Turtle Beach adopts that style for both its officially licensed Xbox and PlayStation models.
The Victrix Pro BFG Reloaded is chunky and its textured surface makes it grippy to hold, ensuring the controller doesn’t accidentally slip out of your hands. It measures 6.3 x 4.1 x 2.4 inches and weighs 9.3oz, which are my ideal dimensions for a gamepad. Having used the controller for an eight-hour gaming session, I didn’t feel any discomfort or fatigue.
Lovely design
In terms of the Turtle Beach Victrix Pro BFG Reloaded’s design, not much has changed since its predecessor, the PDP Victrix Pro BFG ($179), but as they say, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” I personally really like how the Victrix Pro BFG Reloaded looks. It comes in either black or white and as it is officially licensed, the PlayStation model sports the PS home button while the Xbox model sports the X home button. Both models work on PC too.
Similar to the DualSense, the Victrix Pro BFG Reloaded features an LED lighting strip that runs along the touchpad and it looks great. Both this lighting strip and the X/PS home button light up in purple, adding an elegant, premium touch to the gamepad.
Customizable back buttons
Ever since I tested the GameSir Cyclone 2 ($49) with its back buttons, I’ve found it hard to go back to controllers without rear paddles. But what’s better than two back buttons? Four. Similar to the first-party DualSense Edge ($199) and the Xbox Elite Wireless Series 2 ($199), the Turtle Beach Victrix Pro BFG Reloaded features four back buttons within easy reach of your fingers. And unlike the Razer Wolverine V3 Pro’s ($199) back buttons, the Victrix Pro BFG Reloaded’s never feel like they’re getting in the way.
These are remappable on-the-fly: all I had to do was press the Profile button on the back and press the back button I wanted to remap, wait for the LED to flash, and then press the face button (or trigger) I wanted to assign to the said back button. The entire process takes just under 10 seconds — or you can do it via the companion software on a laptop (more on that soon).
I love using back buttons in racing games as I find them the most useful there. In F1 22, I assigned gear up (X) and gear down (□) to the Victrix Pro BFG Reloaded’s top left and right back buttons. Not only did this free up my right thumb to focus on the brake and clutch, but it also made the game more immersive, making me feel like an actual Formula One driver.
Since it’s so easy to customize the back buttons, I did so depending on the title I was playing. It helped with inventory management to quickly skim through everything I had hoarded in Baldur’s Gate 3, and I assigned sprinting to one of them in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 to free up and keep my right index finger from feeling tired.
Responsive Hall Effect sensors
While the controller’s design hasn’t changed much since its predecessor, analog sticks and triggers have now been replaced with Hall Effect ones on the Turtle Beach Victrix Pro BFG Reloaded. This means they’re more durable and longer lasting, and they give you heaps more control and precision over movements and actions.
Each of the Victrix Pro BFG Reloaded’s triggers features a dedicated switch that lets you adjust the trigger’s sensitivity up to five stops — so you can have a short, clicky press or a long press, depending on your play style. That’s four settings more than on the Razer Wolverine V3 Pro and a couple more than on the Xbox Elite Wireless Series 2.
I found myself using a short, clicky press for R2 in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, which is a reactive turn-based RPG. R2 toggles Gradient Counter which can deal massive damage, so having it set as a short click meant I could instantly tap it and deliver a lethal blow — I now prefer this over a long press, and going back to the DualSense has only become harder.
Hall Effect sensors in the controller’s thumbsticks also remove the possibility of your sticks developing stick drift over the years. Their sensitivity can also be adjusted to give you extremely precise control over your movements, as I found in Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty. Aiming and shooting at an NPC’s head from very far away became almost too easy, and there were rarely any instances where I was missing headshots with my long-ranged sniper or my handgun.
The importance of Hall Effect sticks can’t be overstated. It’s as simple as me misclicking a dialogue option and initiating a fight in Baldur’s Gate 3, when all I meant to do was roll for a Deception Check. Hall Effect sticks reduce the possibility of that happening because you can fine-tune movements with pinpoint precision.
Easy and extensive customization
If you want a controller with customizable parts that increases its versatility and ensures exceptional performance across all genres, then the Turtle Beach Victrix Pro BFG Reloaded is for you. Thanks to its modular design, you can unscrew the controller’s facial components and switch to different ones.
Speaking of, the Victrix Pro BFG Reloaded comes with 11 interchangeable parts: a six-button fightpad module with Kailh microswitches, a reversible D-pad and thumbstick left module, a swappable button and thumbstick right module, swappable thumbsticks and a pair of octagonal stick gates. And it is ridiculously easy to remove and swap components. Included in the box is a purple screwdriver, so all you need to do is unscrew the bolts, remove the part and pop the new one in. It couldn’t be simpler.
I found the fightpad the most useful of the aforementioned, as it came in clutch when playing fighting games such as Mortal Kombat 11. While RPGs are more my thing, I’m not averse to fighting titles, and the Victrix Pro BFG Reloaded makes me want to play these more. Since the face buttons are extremely responsive and input recognition is instantaneous, button mashing felt like a walk in the park. The controller had zero issues registering my commands even when they were overlapping — sort of like a mechanical keyboard with N-key rollover.
I also like that I can turn the left-hand module to have the thumbstick at the top end and the D-pad at the bottom end, giving the PS5 controller an asymmetrical Xbox feel — something I miss from my days as an Xbox gamer. There are many different possibilities, so it’s worth taking your time and experimenting to find your preferred play style.
User-friendly companion software
While you can remap the programmable back buttons on the move, you’ll need to download the Victrix Control Hub app on a Windows laptop — or on your Xbox Series X or Series S console if you own the Xbox model — to customize everything else. Alas, there’s no app on the PS5 if you own the PlayStation Turtle Beach Victrix Pro BFG Reloaded. But you should be fine as long as you have a Windows laptop within reach.
The software itself is extremely easy to use, sporting a clean interface, and it gives you quick access to everything you need. Here you can remap buttons, customize and save profiles, recalibrate sticks and triggers, adjust dead zones and the mic’s EQ settings, as well as run diagnostics. If there’s one area Turtle Beach is yet to let me down, it’s software.
Long battery life
The cherry on top of this delicious cake is the Turtle Beach Victrix Pro BFG Reloaded’s long battery life. Look, I love the DualSense but its short battery life of around six hours has always been a gripe of mine. I hate running out of juice mid-fight and having to plug it in as it breaks my flow.
And that is why the Victrix Pro BFG Reloaded’s battery life is so refreshing. It’s rated at 20 hours which puts it way ahead of the DualSense and the DualSense Edge and on level playing field with the Razer Wolverine V3 Pro. The DualSense Edge costs nearly as much as the Victrix Pro BFG Reloaded but it dies very quickly, just after five hours, making Turtle Beach’s third-party controller the better choice of the two. I used the Victrix Pro BFG Reloaded until it died, and it took the controller just over 20 hours to run out of charge, matching Turtle Beach’s claim.
Turtle Beach Victrix Pro BFG Reloaded review: The downs
There isn’t much wrong with the Turtle Beach Victrix Pro BFG Reloaded but it’s worth noting that the gamepad isn’t cheap, and there’s no haptic feedback or adaptive triggers.
A bit steep
I won’t beat around the bush here: the Turtle Beach Victrix Pro BFG Reloaded isn’t for bargain hunters. It’s a premium controller that equally costs a premium. It retails for $209 / £179, making it slightly more expensive than the first-party PlayStation DualSense Edge ($199) and the Xbox Elite Wireless Controller Series 2 ($199), as well as the Razer Wolverine V3 Pro ($199). If you don’t care much about having a fightpad or swappable components, then any of those controllers will suffice.
Some PS5 features missing
While the Turtle Beach Victrix Pro BFG Reloaded is a fantastic controller that works like a charm, it may not impress PlayStation die-hards due to the fact that it's missing some features. For instance, the controller does not feature haptic feedback — something I absolutely adore about the DualSense as it makes games more immersive. There are no adaptive triggers either, which means that L2 and R2 don’t dynamically change resistance to simulate different in-game actions and environments.
The omission of haptic feedback and adaptive triggers isn’t a rare occurrence in third-party controllers — the Nacon Revolution 5 Pro ($199) doesn’t have these either. It isn’t a massive drawback but when I was testing the Victrix Pro BFG Reloaded, I did think about swapping back to the DualSense a couple of times.
Turtle Beach Victrix Pro BFG Reloaded review: Verdict
If you’re after a premium controller and money is no object, I’d highly recommend the Turtle Beach Victrix Pro BFG Reloaded for the PS5. This is a fantastic and extensively customizable gamepad, thanks to its modular design and 11 interchangeable components. I also love the four back buttons that can be remapped on the fly, as well as the five-stop Hall Effect triggers that are extremely responsive and comfortable to use.
Speaking of, the Victrix Pro BFG Reloaded is a very comfortable controller, and its 20-hour battery life means you can keep playing all day long without worrying about running out of juice or your hand cramping up. User-friendly companion software makes customization easy too. While I wish the controller featured haptic feedback and adaptive triggers, it isn’t uncommon for third-party gamepads to leave these out.
If you aren’t fully convinced by the DualSense Edge and want a highly customizable controller with swappable face buttons, the Victrix Pro BFG Reloaded is the way to go. It looks great, it’s powerful, and it gives even the most casual of gamers a competitive edge.
