I may have been hasty in recently dismissing the lack of third-party PS5 controllers. Shortly before launching the Atlas 200 headsets, Turtle Beach announced that its high-end Victrix Pro BFG Reloaded controller is coming to Australia, with both Xbox and PlayStation flavours. It may be pricey, but it’s still an oasis in a desert of different PlayStation peripherals.
Priced at $309.95 when it arrives, the Victrix Pro BFG Reloaded is undoubtedly on the upper end of the scale. Yet it’s cheaper than PlayStation’s premium $339 DualSense Edge offering, so its price isn’t unprecedented. Especially when Razer’s alternative costs nearly $450.
Modularity is what makes Turtle Beach’s controller such a drawcard for enthusiasts. You can swap out sticks and face buttons — including a module optimised for fighting games — to customise the controller’s look and feel. It also has Hall effect sticks and triggers, which are regarded for precision and resistance to drift over time.
Even though Turtle Beach targets fighting game players with the Victrix range, the bulkier design is what’s most intriguing. My partner, who has small hands, hates the PS5’s regular DualSense controller. It’s too uncomfortably thin and narrow for her to use, particularly because she struggles with various chronic pain conditions.
Instead of adopting PlayStation’s in-house design, the Victrix Pro BFG Reloaded looks much more like an Xbox controller. I can see this controller doubling as an alternative gamepad for those who dislike the DualSense.
However, $309.95 is a lot to pay for comfort alone, but that’s the price you pay when there’s much less variety in third-party PlayStation peripherals. Conversely, you can get an 8BitDo PlayStation-shaped controller for Xbox for under $100.
If the Victrix Pro BFG Reloaded’s modularity and different shape catches your eye, the PlayStation version is coming to Australia this month, followed by an Xbox version in October.
