It’s been over a month since I gave my initial video review of the Wolverine Ultimate by Razer (thanks to Apex Interactive), and I now feel more confident in giving a review of this amazing piece of technology. At first I have to admit I wasn’t entirely sold on whether the controller was worth its admittedly steep price tag (R2500 seems to be the going retail price), but after living with it for some time now I can say that this is definitely something you don’t realise how much you want until you’ve tried it.
FEATURES
Before I get started though, I feel it necessary to highlight some of the key features of the controller, for those who may not know :
• 6 additional, remappable buttons : 2 buttons between the standard bumper and trigger buttons, 2 buttons on the back of the controller, and 2 triggers underneath those.
• Chroma RGB light strip surrounding the Xbox guide button with full 16.8 million colour range and various lighting presets.
• 4 Interchangeable magnetic thumb sticks (2 regular, 1 extended and 1 rounded stick) and 2 magnetic d-pads
• Controller-mounted Quick Control Panel, with access to audio and mic controls, quick button remapping and control profile switching.
• Trigger stops on both left and right triggers
• Ergonomically designed and rubberised non-slip grips.
• 3.5mm audio port for audio output and mic input
• Protective carrying case
• Braided 3m cable with Micro-USB connector
The Razer Wolverine Ultimate controller with carrying protective case. Source: Greg Cawood
PROBLEMS (THERE ARE SOME)
I feel it best to get the negatives out the way first, so just like I said when I made my video review, the one major problem is that it doesn’t have a battery and is a 100% wired controller. The cable that comes standard is 3m long, which is more than long enough to cover most lounges or bedrooms, but it does get in the way like any cable would, and the Quick-Release feature means that if you forget about the cable it’s very easy to accidentally disconnect it. It happened to me a few times, when a game was getting heated and I sat forward in my chair, shifting my legs a little, that I would disconnect the controller in the middle of a game.
Now one must remember that this controller is not aimed at the casual gamer – it is aimed at the competitive gaming market where tiny margins win or lose games, and ultimately money or fame. Wired controllers offer the benefit of instant response time, as wireless controllers can have a tiny delay, but these margins are so small that the average gamer won’t see much noticeable difference either way. Also, the extra buttons on the controller are placed where the battery pack goes on a regular controller, so the cable was probably introduced when they decided to add the extra buttons, preventing a battery pack.
Those triggers on the back of the controller look quite awkwardly designed. Source: Greg Cawood
The only two other problems are minor. Firstly, the way the triggers on the back of the controller are designed, if you place the controller down on anything but a flat surface (eg your leg), the triggers will activate and, depending what they’ve been mapped to, could cause some problems with your game. Secondly, when connecting a headset, you need to unplug the controller and plug it back in with the headset connected, which can become frustrating, but both of these small problems are just new things you get used to working around after a few days.
WHERE IT GETS GOOD
Now that I’ve mentioned the negatives, we can focus on where it really gets good. From the moment you pick it up and unpack it from its beautifully made protective case, this controller instantly feels special. The ergonomic, rubber grips provide so much more secure handling during long games, as clammy hands are no longer a problem. Each set of buttons also have their own feel and sound, with the main face buttons (A,B,X,Y) feeling like the click of a top-quality mouse, and the left and right bumpers feeling like the click of a gaming keyboard. Every button feels responsive, predictable, and reliable compared to the “squishy” buttons on the original controller, meaning combo’s become easier and button-mashing less-required.
Playing with it is where it really excels though, as the features of the controller start to shine. The trigger stops, which are small mechanical switches that halve the travel distance of the right and left triggers, will instantly improve your performance. From sports games to shooting games and many genres in between, having the ability to essentially halve the time it takes to press the trigger is incredible, as it will increase your IPS (input per second).
The more buttons and triggers, the better. Source: Greg Cawood
The 6 extra buttons, which can be set to any of buttons already on the Xbox controller, excel when used as replacements for the 4 face buttons (A,B,X,Y). Their location allows you to access them while still keeping your thumbs on the sticks, however it takes some getting used to, as you’re using fingers that are usually planted firmly on the back of the controller. Once you become comfortable using them, the ability to keep your thumbs on both sticks while having access to all buttons on the controller allows for vastly improved accuracy and response time, as you no longer need to lift your thumb from the stick to press one of the buttons. When you start combining this feature with the trigger stops, you will feel like you’re playing with an undeniable advantage.
The buttons and ergonomic rubber grips are a few really good features on the Razer Wolverine Ultimate controller. Source: Greg Cawood
The Quick Control Panel offers a wide range of controls right from the controller that make using the controller so much easier and seamless. The first button allows you to remap any of the additional buttons on-the-fly, allowing you to instantly change what each additional button does if you find a more comfortable configuration in the middle of a game. The second button switches between the two profiles you have saved to the controller via the Synapse Xbox App, profiles which allow customisation of all the extra buttons, unique Chroma light and colour patterns, stick sensitivity and vibration level (you can even turn vibration completely off!). The third button is a microphone on / off switch with a light indicator on the button itself, and the last button is a volume level control, allowing you to turn volume up or down and control the balance between game and party chat volume.
VERDICT
Amazing : 9/10
Simply put, it is an amazing piece of technology that any level of gamer would appreciate. I see it as the sports model of an already brilliant motor car : sure, you can do everything you need to in the normal model, but the sports model just does everything better, with a few extra bells and whistles. While casual gamers might not notice a vast improvement in their gaming, professional gamers and even gamers who play at a high level and want to improve every possible variable of their gameplay will undeniably begin noticing improvements within minutes, when compared to a normal controller.
As mentioned above, the only major problem is the cable, which is unfortunately a necessary evil, but having the option to play wirelessly (even if it means the Chroma strip is turned off to save battery), would change this to a perfect score in my eyes.
