Nacon Revolution Unlimited Pro review: the best PS4 controller ever made
A PS5 controller in all but name, the Nacon Revolution Unlimited Pro is a stunning, feature-packed gaming weapon
The Nacon Revolution Unlimited Pro is the best PS4 controller ever made. The build quality, features, accuracy, customisation and extras on offer are simply best in class. Sony better take note when finalising the controller design for PS5, as this absolute weapon of pad has just gone and done the next-gen, but done it now.
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Build quality is first rate
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Super soft feel with A+ ergonomics
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Responsive and super-accurate inputs
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Super customisation options
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Looks absolutely stunning
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Presets can only be set up on PC
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Cannot turn PS4 on wirelessly from standby
Why you can trust T3
T3's Nacon Revolution Unlimited Pro review is here and, if you want the most authoritative take on the PS4 controller, then you've definitely come to the right place.
That's because ever since T3 originally reported on the Nacon Revolution Unlimited Pro back in February this year, I absolutely new that I had to get hands on and review the peripheral as, simply put, it looked like a product from the future of gaming.
UPDATE: The Nacon Revolution Unlimited Pro just won the Best Gaming Accessory award at the T3 Awards 2020.
Seriously, just check out the launch trailer below to get a flavour of what I mean:
In short, the Unlimited Pro looks like a true next-generation controller, something that should actually ship with the Sony PlayStation 5, so the fact that it is a very real product available right now is incredibly impressive.
I've been testing out the Nacon Revolution Unlimited Pro now for more than two weeks playing PS4 games and what follows is my considered take on the premium accessory. Before we get to the review proper, though, I've rounded up the controller's current pricing and availability info.
Nacon Revolution Unlimited Pro review: price, release date, and availability
The Nacon Revolution Unlimited Pro is available right now from a range of stockists, inlcluding Amazon, Littlewoods, and Very.
The cheapest price we've found right now at the time of review for the Nacon Revolution Unlimited Pro is at Very, which has the controller for a very attractive price of £119.99. This is, at the time of writing, £30 cheaper than at Amazon and a whole £40 cheaper than at Littlewoods.
More information about the Unlimited Pro, as well as where the controller is stocked in your local area, is available on Nacon's official website.
Nacon Revolution Unlimited Pro review: design and build quality
In terms of design the Nacon Revolution Unlimited Pro just drips with premium and class. A simply stunning soft-touch casing with ring-illuminated right thumb stick are just the start, with the Xbox-style shaping, rubberised rear handle grips, plush thumbstick caps, and a lush black colourway with silver accents communicating that this is one very special controller at all times.
The EVA case that the Unlimited Pro comes with continues this high-end aesthetic, with cushioned rests for both the controller and its accessories box (which holds weights and thumbstick extras) also styled up in black and blue.
In the lid of the casing is a cabling net, which can be used to carry the controller's charging / hardwired connection cable as well as the pad's USB connection dongle. The case closes with a zipping locking mechanism, too, so you can be sure its contents won't come free if jostled in a carry bag.
In the hand I was simply blown away by the comfort and build quality delivered by the Nacon Revolution Unlimited Pro. I'd absolutely loved the feel of the Nacon PlayStation 4 Revolution Pro Controller on review, and this new model felt like that but subtly refined.
The new rubberized rear hand grips genuinely grant more security when the action gets frantic, while the fact that you now don't have to be tethered via cable to the console means even greater freedom in terms of gaming position.
The Unlimited Pro's battery level is indicated by a series of four narrow rectangular blue light bars that sit underneath the controller's touch pad.
Nacon Revolution Unlimited Pro review: hardware and performance
In terms of actual on-controller hardware, the Nacon Revolution Unlimited Pro comes with all the standard primary inputs for a PlayStation 4 controller, with dual joysticks, a centrally-located PS button, a D-pad, and triangle, circle, X and square, as well as share and options buttons.
However, and as you would expect from such a high-end controller, the Unlimited Pro also comes with four shortcut buttons (S1/S2/S3/S3), which are located on the back of the controller. These buttons can be mapped to simulate other inputs on the pad, to allow for a quick way to execute a certain move in-game for example, and the mapping can be done on the controller itself, too. This on controller mapping is genuinely impressive functionality.
Elsewhere, a fully functional touchpad (which comes coated with a lovely triangle, circle, X, and square repeating pattern), two internal storage compartments and six additional weights to adjust the balance (2x10g/2x14g/2x16g) are also included.
Adding weights to the controller is easy, with the rubberised rear handle grips simply clipping off to reveal a purpose-made weight cavity.
Two pairs of joystick heads (concave and convex) are also included, as well as three pairs of joystick shafts (30°, 38° & 46°). Finally, a well-positioned built-in 3.5mm audio jack means that if you are used to using one of the best gaming headsets on the market today that uses a wired connection then you won't be disappointed.
Setting up the Nacon Revolution Unlimited Pro was also very straight forward. Simply plug in its USB dongle, which I was very pleased to see come with a mid-point hinge so that it doesn't have to protrude out massively from the console, sync the controller and you are away.
One minor annoyance though is that the controller cannot be used to start its connected PlayStation 4, with me having to use a vanilla controller to turn it on before then switching to the Nacon. The fact that if you want to set up controller presets then you have to do so on PC and not on PS4 also isn't ideal.
Accuracy of triggers, buttons and sticks was simply best-in-class good. This controller absolutely kills in first person shooters, and for any other genre it just delivers. From the hectic and bloody carnage of Mortal Kombat 11, through to outrunning Freakers in Days Gone (and spending a disturbing amount of time pimping out my motorbike) and onto cruising through the skies in anti-gravity classic Gravity Rush 2, I always felt in total control when using the Unlimited Pro. The only thing I had to worry about was my own reaction times!
Nacon Revolution Unlimited Pro review: verdict
This wrap up is going to be short and sweet. The Nacon Revolution Unlimited Pro is the best PlayStation 4 controller on the market and, with only a year to 18 months before the PS5 is slated to hit store shelves, it probably will remain so. It would require a massive play from a rival maker to even match the Unlimited Pro, let alone beat it, and right now I just can't see that happening.
The Unlimited Pro's comfort, build quality, features, accuracy and extras are all simply top draw and it really does feel like a controller from a future console sent back in time to smoke every other PS4 pas on the market.
Of course, as ever with high-end controllers, there is the caveat that, in all honesty, for most gamers this is way overkill. Will this controller make you better at games? Yes, but only marginally. If you're a hardcore gamer or eSports champion then maybe more so for sure, but for the average gamer there really isn't too much wrong with the stock DualShock 4 controller.
That said, though, if you have the money to ring up the Nacon Revolution Unlimited Pro and are looking for a premium controller upgrade on PS4, then this is a luxe treat and the absolute best on the market today.
Chapeau Nacon, chapeau.
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Rob has been writing about computing, gaming, mobile, home entertainment technology, toys (specifically Lego and board games), smart home and more for over 15 years. As the editor of PC Gamer, and former Deputy Editor for T3.com, you can find Rob's work in magazines, bookazines and online, as well as on podcasts and videos, too. Outside of his work Rob is passionate about motorbikes, skiing/snowboarding and team sports, with football and cricket his two favourites.