Now that the PlayStation 5 is three years old, the number of “pro” PS5 controller options available for it has grown considerably. The Nacon Revolution 5 Pro is one such contender, which has some unique tricks up its sleeve, including direct Bluetooth headphone pairing via the controller, but its high price and lack of some basic features makes it hard to recommend over Sony’s own DualSense Edge.
Nacon Revolution 5 Pro – Design and Features
Similar to the Nacon Revolution X Pro controller for Xbox Series X/S, the Revolution 5 Pro is a PlayStation-flavored variant that includes a few notable upgrades over the previous controller, including wireless play and Bluetooth headphone pairing directly through the controller. It also doubles the MSRP to $199.99 – the same price as the DualSense Edge, which offers arguably more compelling customization and features that work in tandem with the PS5. Notably, the Revolution 5 Pro lacks the DualSense’s haptic feedback and adaptive triggers. It also features an Xbox-style offset thumbstick layout, which seems like an odd choice for a PlayStation-centric controller.
Upon unboxing the Revolution 5 Pro, I was shocked to discover that there was no instruction manual included. Sure, there’s a quick start guide that takes you through basic features such as how to toggle between wired and wireless play, or how to activate the trigger stops, but for such an intricate controller with so many customizable components and buttons, it’s odd that you have to search for the full manual online.
The Revolution 5 Pro features dozens of customizable parts, including three sets of interchangeable thumbstick toppers: the default concave thumbsticks, a set of short, convex toppers for quick run-and-gun style gameplay, and a set of tall toppers for precision and sniping. I preferred the feel and grip of the standard concave sticks, as I found my fingers slid off the short convex sticks too easily, and the tall thumbsticks, while a bit weightier, had virtually no grip on them, making it increasingly difficult to line up shots the longer I played. It’s also worth noting that the analog sticks use Hall effect sensors, meaning you’ll never need to worry about stick drift, including replacing the sticks, through normal gameplay.
There are also optional stick guards that you can install around the base of each thumbstick that increases the circumference of the stick itself, making its overall travel distance a bit shorter. This is beneficial for quick run-and-gun style gameplay once again as you can switch directions and aim your weapon more quickly since the thumbstick doesn’t need to travel as far. It’s a very minor adjustment that doesn’t feel like it has any meaningful effect on gameplay, but it’s a nice option for those that want to dial in their gunplay as best that they can.
One of the more unique customization options is the Revolution 5 Pro’s adjustable controller weights. On the back side of both controller stems are removable covers that reveal a small metal barbell-like weight that can be slotted into each grip to increase or decrease the total weight of the controller. There are three different weight options available: 10g, 14g, or 16g, which gives you a total increase in weight of 20g, 28g, or 32g when both weights are inserted into the controller. While this feels the most gimmick-y of the customizable options for this controller, I quite like being able to adjust the weight in the stems. I prefer controllers to have weight distributed lower, as opposed to near the top of the controller, as I find it more comfortable to hold for longer periods of time. That being said, like everything on this controller, these weights are optional and you don’t have to utilize them if you don’t want to.
The face buttons are large and clicky, with minimal wiggle in each slot. All four feel great to press and are very responsive. The touchpad in the center of the controller is smooth and gripless, with a small Nacon imprint in the center. The D-pad features a circular design that allows for 360-degree input, a great option for fighting games where sliding through combos is essential. However, there’s also a traditional 4-way topper for the D-pad if you prefer a more classic design. Both D-pad options feel great, but I prefer the 4-way topper as it feels a bit tighter and more snappy. Rounding out the controller’s face you’ll find the Options and Share buttons opposite the touchpad, as well as the PlayStation button and a mute button to disable the microphone (which does need to be attached externally as there’s no built-in microphone).
Both shoulder buttons are snappy and responsive, and have a nice click to them, while the L2 and R2 buttons have a dotted grip running down the center to keep your fingers in place, and feature a nice, smooth travel. There are also built-in trigger stops on the back of the controller below L2/R2 that allow you to toggle between the full range or a shorter actuation – ideal for shooters where you want the trigger to activate as quickly as possible between each shot. There’s also a toggle on the top of the controller to swap between wired and wireless mode, a USB-C slot for charging the controller and playing in wired mode, as well as the multi-function button which allows you to map buttons and swap profiles on the fly. You can expect about ten hours of battery life on a single charge from the Revolution 5 Pro, which is a nice improvement over the standard DualSense and DualSense Edge controllers.
The back of the controller has quite a bit going on, so let’s break it down. As previously mentioned, you can adjust the trigger stops with a toggle located below both L2 and R2. Additionally, there’s a toggle in the center of the rear of the controller that allows you to swap between PS5, PS4, and PC, depending on which platform you’re playing on. To the left you’ll find a profile button that allows you to jump between the four pre-installed profiles, or select your custom profiles if you’ve configured them via the PC app. There’s also a toggle for classic or advanced control. Classic mode allows for on the fly customization such as button mapping, trigger travel data range, and audio controls via the touchpad, while advanced mode offers more granular customization when paired with the Revolution 5 app on PC.
One of the main selling points of any “pro”-style controller is back buttons. Unfortunately, I’m not a big fan of the ones here. The S1 and S2 buttons are located near the base of the controller and can be easily reached by your middle fingers. The S3 and S4 buttons, however, are located on the inside of each controller stem and are far too easy to press. I often found myself accidentally pressone one or both of them while simply readjusting my grip. It got to the point that I preferred disabling those buttons entirely rather than worry about pressing them accidentally while playing.
One of my favorite features of the Revolution 5 Pro may be a bit boring, but I do appreciate the included grips. Aside from the great grip on the standard convex thumbsticks and analog triggers, both stems are wrapped in a rubberized grip featuring a striped line pattern that feels soft to the touch and keeps your hands firmly in place while gaming. The texture extends all the way up the left and right side of the controller, adding a bit of two-tone color flare to give it a bit of personality. The soft, rubberized grip is a nice contrast to the matte-finish plastic that makes up the rest of the controller.
At the very bottom of the controller’s backside is arguably the best feature the Revolution 5 Pro has to offer: built-in Bluetooth 5.2 connectivity and on-device controls for volume. Why is this so important, you ask? This feature allows you to effectively bypass the PS5 and PS4 console restrictions for Bluetooth headphones as you’re pairing them up directly to the controller. This meant within moments I had my AirPods Pro paired up to my Revolution 5 Pro and didn’t have to dig up a wired or PlayStation-compatible wireless headset.
However, while the audio capability is a high point for the Revolution 5 Pro, there are some glaring weaknesses, especially for a premium-priced controller. Despite being marketed as a PS5 controller first and foremost, many of the most basic features are absent when playing in PS5 mode, such as built-in rumble and being able to check the battery status on demand – both of these features are limited to the PS4 or PC modes. Additionally, the lack of a built-in speaker and built-in microphone (if you don’t plug in the included 3.5mm microphone adapter in the bottom of the controller) feels like a huge miss.
Nacon Revolution 5 Pro – Software
While the Revolution 5 Pro works out of the box for both PS5 and PS4 without any additional software required, if you plan to utilize the controller on PC, you can download the optional Revolution 5 Pro app to customize some of the controller’s settings more easily.
Once connected to the computer, the Revolution 5 Pro app allows you to create and modify custom profiles across PS5, PS4, and PC and features the ability to map all of the buttons through a visual interface, adjust individual stick sensitivity and dead zones, adjust trigger sensitivity and dead zones, customize vibration intensity, and adjust the color of the lighting ring around the right thumbstick.
You can also update the Revolution 5 Pro’s firmware, if available, as well as enable an optional battery saving mode that disables vibration, lighting around the right stick, and microphone echo canceling and noise reduction to preserve some battery life.
Nacon Revolution 5 Pro – Gaming
I’ve grown quite accustomed to the DualSense’s key features – the adaptive triggers and haptic feedback, paired with the light bar and built-in speaker, have created some of the most immersive experiences for me this generation. So much so that my gaming experience feels hollow if I’m missing any of those components.
I didn’t realize just how much I was missing out until I was swinging through New York City in Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 and there was absolutely no feedback in the controller whatsoever. The web-swinging felt so lifeless when compared to the DualSense. Additionally, locating collectibles was difficult as there was neither any haptic feedback nor audio cues from the controller indicating I was getting close. While some may welcome the challenge of not being spoon fed every little detail while playing, it’s clear that Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 is built around these controller features, and without them everything just feels…empty.
Even third-party games like Alan Wake II and Fortnite felt a bit lackluster in comparison. So much of a game’s immersion comes from the subtle vibrations and helps to amplify a given moment and create tension. Even something as simple as being able to feel the recoil when firing a weapon was missed dearly, especially in the case of Alan Wake II where each weapon has a unique feel on the DualSense.
It’s worth noting again that the vibration is only disabled when in PS5 mode, so if you plan to utilize the Revolution 5 Pro on PS4 or PC, this is a non-issue, but there are also far better options available if you’re looking to drop $200 on a controller.
