Xbox Series X / S Scuf Instinct Pro controller: Kotaku review

Since 2011, Scuf Gaming has made a name for itself producing some of the highest quality third-party console controllers and owning a ridiculous number of controller patents. The Scuf Instinct and Instinct Pro are the company’s first stab at creating an elite-level controller for Xbox Series X / S consoles, and it pretty much pulled it off.

What is Scuf Gaming?

We wrote about Scuf controllers at Kotaku for years, testing both its PlayStation 4 controllers and his response to the original Xbox Elite Wireless Controller. We also covered his patent infringement case against Valve and its Steam controller, in which Valve was ordered to pay Scuf four million dollars.

Scuf Gaming is an Atlanta-based peripherals maker founded in 2011 that does two things. First, it makes highly configurable and usually quite expensive controllers for Xbox and PlayStation consoles. Second, it collects gambling certificates as if they were baseball cards. The company owns more than 100 patents, including back buttons or paddles on game controllers, “sax” side buttons, and trigger stops, which limit how far a controller’s triggers must travel to get there. activate. The company has an entire page of its website dedicated to its patents. Do you know the Xbox Elite controller from Microsoft? Most of the technologies that make it so elitist have been laid off by Scuf.

Scuf was purchased by Corsair Components in 2019, making it an integral part of Corsair’s evil gaming hardware empire, which also includes Origin PC and streaming device maker Elgato.

What is the Scuf Instinct Pro controller?

The Scuf Instinct Pro is a wired and wireless combo controller designed for PC and Xbox Series X / S consoles. This is the latest version of Scuf to create their own Xbox Elite Wireless Controller. There are actually two models of Instinct. There’s the $ 200 Instinct Pro, which comes with trigger stops and textured grips, and the $ 170 unprofessional Instinct, which lacks both of these features.

Both Instinct models feature four buttons on the back of the controller. These are Scuf’s beloved patent babies. Previously they were long, metal paddles, but now they’re cute little buttons that are easily activated by your middle finger. Underneath the battery compartment (yes, the Instinct Pro uses batteries instead of a rechargeable battery) there is a button for quickly switching between three different button configuration profiles. The little silver switches next to the battery bay lock the controller’s triggers so they don’t have to move to activate, which is nice for shooters.

The front of the Scuf Instinct Pro looks a lot like your standard Xbox Series X / S controller, right down to the share button and one-piece directional disc. There is an additional dedicated mute button for headphone users which is very nice.

How does the Scuf Instinct Pro controller feel?

What really sets the Scuf Instinct Pro apart from standard Xbox Series X / S controllers is the removable faceplate. Not only does this allow you to change the look of the controller with different analog stick covers and rings, you can also swap the analog sticks for different sizes and shapes. There are a few convex sticks included in the package, which I immediately threw away because the convex sticks are garbage.

Aside from those groovy little back buttons, the Scuf Instinct Pro controller looks like an official Xbox controller with a textured grip. The form factor is roughly the same as my standard Xbox Series X / S gamepads. Despite its modular design, the Instinct Pro has a nice, solid feel. The weight is nice.

I was concerned that the little buttons on the back might not be as satisfying as the metal paddles on older Scuf models or Microsoft’s Elite wireless controller, but they’re actually decent and unobtrusive. You can smell them there, but they don’t feel like they’re in the way.

Is the Scuf Instinct Pro controller better than the standard Xbox Series X / S controller?

If you’re looking for extra features, more buttons, and customization options, the Instinct Pro has the original Xbox Series X / S controller hands down. If you don’t need any of these things, the standard controller should do the trick.

Is the Scuf Instinct Pro controller better than the Elite Wireless 2 controller?

It’s a much more difficult call. For one thing, Microsoft’s Elite Wireless 2 costs $ 20 less than the $ 200 Instinct Pro. The Elite Wireless 2 has multiple hair trigger stops unlike the Instinct Pro which are turned on or off. And the Elite Wireless 2 has an adjustable analog stick voltage, unlike the Instinct Pro.

That said, I prefer the nubby little buttons on the back of the Instinct Pro, and my custom front is so much prettier than the Elite Wireless 2. If you want to make a statement with your controller, the Instinct Pro is the one. way to go.

Should you buy the Scuf Instinct Pro controller?

Look, I’m not going to tell you what to do with your money. If it were up to me, you would spend everything to transform robots from Japan shipped directly to me. What I’ll say is if you drop $ 200 on Scuf’s fancy new Xbox Series X / S and / or PC controller, I don’t think you’ll be disappointed. It’s a solid, pro-grade controller that looks like something Microsoft could do, and not just because Scuf owns most of the patents on what Microsoft makes anyway.