Finding the right controller for gaming can often be daunting. There are many things to consider when purchasing. Battery life, comfort, and even what other features it might have. SCUF aims to check off all those boxes in one go with its upcoming fall line-up of controllers. Earlier this month, MonsterVine was invited to a hands-on showcase of the company’s upcoming controllers and chatted with Jake Tenorio, the director of product marketing for SCUF, about why these controllers are worth keeping an eye on.
The first thing I saw when I walked into the showcase was all the controllers lined up: the SCUF Valor Pro Wireless (Xbox Series X|S), SCUF Reflex (PlayStation 5), and SCUF Envision Pro (PC). As soon as I got my hands on all of them, one thing became clear: these are premium controllers. This feeling was reinforced as soon as I felt how comfortable each one felt in my hand, the mechanical sound they made when pressing the trigger, and most importantly, how natural the back buttons felt when I played. What was even more handy was that you could remove the back paddles from each controller so that they wouldn’t get in your way while gaming.
The one controller that SCUF really focused on throughout the event was the Valor Pro Wireless. An important thing worth mentioning before going any further is that this was the only controller I could use during the showcase with an actual game. That said, I could still grab and feel the other controllers, but I couldn’t play any games with them.
While talking to Tenorio, he explained that this controller was co-developed “alongside Pro [Gamers], and [Content] Creators.” Because of this, they wanted to ensure it catered to people who play many FPS games, such as Call of Duty or Battlefield. This was a huge reason the back paddles were placed where most users’ hands naturally rested. But most importantly, its paddles are not sensitive or heavy, so it eliminates the fear of accidentally pressing a button when you didn’t mean to.
On top of that, remapping buttons was straightforward. All I had to do was hold down a single button until the light began to flash, and once it did, I could tinker away. Of course, though, I could easily do so via the SCUF app if I wanted more in-depth changes. Like other pro controllers, SCUF offers various mapping profiles that can be easily switched while jumping between games.
But why should people consider purchasing SCUF over an official Xbox or PlayStation Pro controller? Tenorio explained that they should be doing so because their controllers are more precise than the competition.
“On both of them. On the Xbox and PlayStation side, they are meant for a more varied or wider variety of gameplay. They focused on specific things in that way, and while they’re great controllers, the way that we design or build our controllers is really geared towards a lot of that competition and getting out the performance. So one of the bigger benefits [is] our paddles, [with] the mechanical switches on the inner side. They’re a bit easier to press. You have multiple different points of actuation on those inner paddles, so just extend more features or more buttons to the back.”
Tenorio continued by stating that the trigger is also a huge selling point. When pulled, it’s meant to mimic the feeling of pressing down on a mouse. The most notable feature was TMR (Tunneling Magnetoresistance), which helps reduce stick drift to ensure your controller is as accurate as possible.
In addition to the perks of a premium controller, one of the major draws is its battery life. When asked how long the Valor Pro Wireless battery lasts, Tenorio explained that users can expect 17 hours of battery life with all features enabled. But if they turn some off, it can easily be extended to 30 hours. Unfortunately, the same couldn’t be said about the SCUF Reflex, which is “more [comparative] with the PlayStation 5” and lasts between six and eight hours of active use.
As previously mentioned, these controllers are designed for people who play a lot of fast-paced games. That said, they reassured that these controllers are still ideal for everyone.
“There are still just quality of life functions, and again, it begins with that core philosophy of, ‘we believe it is better to play with back paddles’ because it just keeps you in control more. The ideal is to keep your thumbs on the thumbsticks. You need to stay in control at all times, because in almost all games, your right stick really is your camera. So as you’re moving around, you want to keep your control of that camera and not have to press the face buttons by taking your thumb off.”
One thing that caught me by surprise was the SCUF Envision Pro, thanks to its G-Keys. For all intents and purposes, these act like an Elgato Stream Deck, but on your controller. If you really wanted to get creative with it, players can map each button to pre-written messages to type in chat, perform in-game actions, or open another app altogether. Although this wasn’t as impressive as the G-Keys, it also had side paddles for an additional shortcut.
SCUF Steps Up the Competition
Once the presentation was over, I was able to use the SCUF Valor Pro Wireless for myself in an Overwatch 2 game. As someone who uses the Xbox Elite Wireless Controller Series 2, this felt like I was trying on a pair of fitted shoes. Since the back paddles weren’t as sensitive as the Elite, I didn’t have to worry about accidentally reloading or couching when I didn’t mean to. This was especially nice because it meant I could grip my controller more tightly while playing. Hearing the mechanical parts go off as I held down the trigger or pressed a button released a little bit of serotonin every time.
Even though one game isn’t enough time to thoroughly test it out, I was generally impressed with what I could do. Especially when you consider that SCUF Valor Pro Wireless sells for roughly the same price as the Xbox Elite Wireless Controller Series 2 with back paddles, if you’re in the market for a premium controller, SCUF might have what you’re looking for. If you’re looking to purchase the SCUF Valor Pro Wireless, it sells for $209.99; the SCUF Reflex can be bought for as low as $229.99, and the SCUF Envision Pro can be bought for $169.99.
