Power A FUSION Pro 2 Controller Review

Manufacturer: Power A
Where to Buy: Amazon
RRP: £79.99

Third-party controllers serve a great purpose to consumers. It forces the console manufacturers to deliver a good product and it can also provide a decent alternative at an affordable price. Cabled controllers are usually the cheapest of third party devices as they don’t have to worry about wireless/Bluetooth chips. Power A has made an ambitious statement with the Fusion Pro 2 Controller. It answers the question: what would a wired, more affordable version of an Xbox Elite controller look like?

At around half the price of an official Xbox Elite Series 2 controller and £20 more than the standard Xbox Series wireless controller, Power A have set their sights on delivering an affordable Elite controller that is under £100. But at around £80 for a wired controller, I am sure I am not alone in thinking this has to deliver such a decent product that the fact it is wired doesn’t become much of a concern.

So what do you get for your money here? Unlike the Xbox Elite controller, you get a choice of two magnetic faceplates, one black and one white. They are very easy to swap out so these can be changed depending on what style you prefer. Similarly to the Xbox Elite controller, the thumbsticks are replaceable, with the Power A including two sets in the box. There are the standard height thumbsticks that look and feel almost identical to the standard Series controller in terms of grip and colour, then there are two taller thumbsticks, with one being convex in design. It has what it calls a mappable pro pack; a square attachment that sits in the centre at the back of the controller and contains four programmable paddles. The paddles themselves can be adjusted to just two or one depending on how many paddles you need or want. There is a 3-way trigger lock for each of the triggers to adjust the depth of how far the they can be pushed. Lastly, there is a volume dial that can be used to adjust the volume of headphones or a wired headset that can be plugged directly into the 3.5mm jack port on the controller and for muting the microphone. As with the Elite, the Fusion Pro 2 controller also comes with a sleek carry case, so it can be packed away and also store all the replacement parts or safely taken to play on the move.

Unlike the Xbox elite controller, the Fusion Pro 2 doesn’t have a replaceable D-pad and this might be a pain point for a few consumers. Not because they are not replaceable, but because they chose to just have the four point D-pad rather than the circular design. This, of course, is a matter of preference but the circular D-pad offers much easier access to the diagonals so personally, I thought it was odd they chose the four point cross D-pad.

As mentioned before there is a 3.5mm jack slot for some wired headphones and the sound quality is just as good as the standard controller. It also has the share button which comes with all Series controllers as standard now. The dual rumble motors in the pad give a bigger dose of vibrating feedback than the standard controllers. The cable length is three metres, which gives you plenty of room to be away from your console and still move freely. All the controllers and accessories can be nicely tucked away in the premium protective carry case.

As for the dimensions to the naked eye, I would say it’s pretty much the same size as a standard Series controller. It is almost the same shape except the Fusion controller has a more rounded shape at the base of the handles.

Conclusion

The Fusion Pro 2 controller is an impressive wired controller. Does it stand toe to toe with the Xbox Elite controller? I’d say almost, as a lot of the features are matched and the controller has a quality feel to it. I can see this attracting those wanting an Elite controller at a lower price who don’t mind a wire, or even preferred wired so their gaming isn’t interrupted by charging or battery swapping.

This game was tested and reviewed on Xbox Series X/S. All of the opinions and insights here are subject to that version. Game provided by publisher.