FLYDIGI Vader 4 Pro Controller Force Adjustment Lever Joystick Hall & Micro Triggers 1000Hz Report Rate Stereo Vibration 800mAh Multi-Platform for PC/TV/NS/Android

I was a little skeptical and bit worried, since the last time I bought 3rd party controllers they were the kind of thing you'd give your little brother to use while you kept the good one for yourself. My last two Microsoft-made Xbox Series X controllers were fine at first, but one developed stick drift after a few months of use and another that I bought fairly recently has a problem when playing No Rest For the Wicked where holding the A button to run results in double-taps instead of registering as being held sometimes. Irritating little quality control issues that aren't game breaking, but are annoying enough that you shouldn't have them happening for the price those things sell for.So I bought the Vader Pro 4. I haven't had it for months to know the longevity of it, but after a couple of days of heavy use I can say that it's definitely a better controller than the 1st party ones, and that's amazing enough in its own right. Likely because of the higher polling rate, the sticks are more precise, so walking the little tightrope ledges in-game is much easier just because I changed controllers. No more A-button double taps on running, and even what I thought was a game issue where the controls were a little unresponsive at times turned out to be my old controllers and not the game at all.The software was easy enough to use, although what I was supposed to download was a bit unclear since the documentation is a bit lacking (it's the FlyDigi Space Station software, fyi). Turning on the controller wasn't in the instructions, either, which was just holding down the little Home button by the right thumbstick. It worked immediately with no downloads and no setup, right out of the box on Windows 11. The main thing I wanted the software for was the turn down the obnoxious LED lighting on the controller, which was thankfully easy (and it offers quite a few customization options, for those who want that). It also lets you bind the paddle buttons on the back of the controller easily, although I don't use them much.The only complaint I have is that I don't like the positioning of the Start and Select buttons. It doesn't take too long to get used to them, but they're a bit awkwardly placed compared to the 1st party controller and they're not very tactile so they never feel quite right. To make it a little worse, there doesn't seem to be any real reason to have moved them; there's nothing on the controller blocking them from being positioned the same as the 1st party controller. Everything else is great; the sticks feel perfect, the buttons feel good, the D-pad is actually way better than the 1st party controller, the battery life seems to be very good... all around, I'm really impressed.I'm a little surprised to say so, but this thing was actually worth the money. It's just an outright better controller than Microsoft's. It has the feel and features of Microsoft's Pro controller, while being way less expensive. I'll probably buy another one in the near future.

I can’t tell you if the Vader 4 Pro is truly the best gamepad on the market, but I can say that it runs circles around the Xbox Core controller that most users will probably be comparing it to.First is the extra buttons. The four underneath are easily reachable, which isn't always the case with these specialized gamepads. They also don't click loudly, nor do they require much force to press -- both of which are problems with the Aim gamepad’s paddles, IMO. Then there are two extra face buttons, conveniently located. They are mapped by default to L3 and R3.The extra buttons were of immediate help to me, actually. You see, in Assassin's Creed Shadows, you have to hold the R3 button down to use Eagle Vision. Holding down the Z button feels much better. The ABXY buttons are also mechanical, which should help with durability. They make a light mouse-like click when you press one of them, and they require much less force and have much less travel than the usual membrane buttons that you see here. The 8-way D-pad is also quieter than the one on the Xbox gamepad.I also really appreciate the tension dials on the analog sticks. You can adjust these in-game to get the exact amount of resistance that you prefer. Speaking of analog sticks, they also offer up to 12-bit accuracy. Between that and the 1000 Hz polling rate, aiming and movement do feel smoother than what is possible with an Xbox gamepad.I also find the Space Station app pretty easy to use. Most of the settings have detailed explanations — but what I like best is that I didn't need to fiddle very much to begin with. The V4P works great right out of the box. It also already had the latest firmware, according to the app. And despite it coming from a company in China, all of the app text is written in pretty much perfect English. I actually handle this kind of copy in my day job, so I can tell you that they went the extra mile here.For those who want to fine-tune how the V4P behaves, there's just a nutty amount of settings. For example, you have 100 increments of trigger vibration, and you can adjust the amplitude for each one. You can also adjust how quickly a game responds to different levels of trigger pull. You can also fiddle with the sensitivity curves of either analog stick. Or you can make one of the sticks act as a mouse pointer. And of course you can tune dead zones. And the V4P can store up to four different configurations, swapping between them with just two button presses. The list goes on.The 800 mAh LiPo battery sounds small on paper, but users report at least 10 hours of usage per charge. That should be enough even for a marathon session, as long as you remember to plug it in after. If you're playing on PC, then you're probably sitting right next to a USB port anyway.Overall, I feel like you get quite a lot for the price: lots of additional well-designed buttons, high accuracy and fluidity for the analog sticks, and loads of optional configuration in the app. You would be hard-pressed to find a gamepad this featureful elsewhere for anywhere near this price. If you are missing rubberized grips, you can actually order an inexpensive third-party set right here on Amazon, from an outfit called Talon Games. You can even use this gamepad with an Xbox, via the Mayflash Magic-X wireless Bluetooth USB adapter, also sold here on Amazon.I'm not sure what the other reviewer is referring to about the digital trigger setting. I don't notice any particular extra force needed to get a click in that mode, nor do I experience a significant amount of travel. And I guess that the analog sticks are slightly taller than normal, but I honestly wouldn't have noticed if someone hadn't mentioned it, and I've played thousands of hours with gamepads over many years. And my hands are towards the smaller end of the spectrum.

I’m a hardcore gamer for 25+ years. I invest all kinds of gaming accessories including controllers. I have the PS5 Elite, Xbox Elite, Game Sir controllers, and others.This controller is lightweight, all of the buttons and D-pad feel amazing with the mouse click tactile feel, and the software customization options are vast for fine tuning up to 4 profiles for different game types. I used it wired on the pc, but wirelessly on phone and console and it’s super responsive. The extra 6 buttons and gyroscope are the cherry on top. The adjustable thumb stick tension is very convenient and should be a standard feature on controllers. I guess if I had to find something wrong, I’d say that after a few weeks of gaming, the thumb stick tension seems to get looser when you adjust it somewhere in the middle, and I have to tighten back to the desired tension. If it’s fully loose or fully tight, it maintains though. Super pleased and happy that I was able to raise the bar on my controllers features without raising the price tag!!! Would 100% purchase a Flydigi controller again due to the value, build quality, features at a good price point. In an era where some hard drives and controllers cost 1/2 to 1/3 of the price of the console itself, it’s a welcome addition!