Razer has been knocking it out the park with its controller designs of late. We had the Wolverine V3 Pro as our pick for the best high-end controller for a short while, and now that's been replaced by, er, another one, the Wolverine V3 Pro 8K PC. And now Razer has launched the Raiju V3 Pro, available for purchase immediately, which looks to be a PlayStation-shaped answer to the Wolverine V3 Pro.
It's a little strange calling it the V3 Pro, because as far as I can tell there was no Raiju V2 or V2 Pro, just the original Raiju, plus an Ultimate and Tournament edition.
Still, I suppose it makes sense to name it V3 Pro to keep it in-line with the Wolverine V3 Pro, given it looks like it's essentially the same controller but in symmetrical PlayStation layout. It works with and is at least in part designed for use with the PS5, of course, but also for PC.
In fact, on PC it reaches up to 2,000 Hz polling, which is twice what you get with the Wolverine V3 Pro, but obviously less than what you get on the 8,000 Hz Wolverine V3 Pro 8K PC. You really don't need 8,000 Hz polling on a controller, though—heck, you don't even need it on a mouse.
1,000 Hz is usually fine, and 2,000 Hz is ideal. Moving up to 8K gives an unnoticeable performance boost but drains battery a lot. The Raiju V3 Pro's 2K is a nice sweet spot for a high-end controller.
And make no mistake, this is a high-end controller, with a $220/£200 price tag to suit. I had my hands on it earlier in the year at Gamescom, and can confirm it feels incredibly premium, just like the Wolverine V3 Pro.
Our Jess has had her mitts on the Raiju V3 Pro now for far longer than I did back then, and she is fairly happy with its lightness and robustness, as well as its TMR sticks, although she's not sure about the resistance felt in the button presses.
The TMR sticks are certainly a highlight here, as these should prevent stick drift, which is kind of a requirement these days on such an expensive controller. You're also getting 'HyperTriggers' that can switch between click and trigger modes and also have adjustable actuation points. Plus there are removable rear buttons (in paddle position) and claw grip bumpers, and you can even swap out the thumbstick caps.
The long and short, though, is that Razer's finally offering its high-end, premium controller design in a symmetrical PlayStation layout. I personally enjoy the asymmetrical Xbox-style layout, but I know there are plenty of people—lots of Rocket Leaguers, for instance—who prefer the opposite. So this one's for them.
