PDP Victrix Pro BFG – Hardware Review
It seems it’s the season for premium third-party controllers, as we only recently took a closer look at NACON’s Revolution 5 Pro, which proved to be a great multi-platform controller. Now, however, we’ll be taking a look at another multi-platform device, albeit PDP’s Victrix Pro BFG, which is a modular controller that offers a wide variety of options. For our review, we were given the PlayStation model, but this device is also available for Xbox Series X/S. While we had a few minor remarks here and there, the Victrix Pro BFG performs well across the board.
Design
It’s hard to discuss the design of a modular controller, as it can be adjusted to the user’s liking. Even so, the base model has a matte black finish with a few purple highlights. Overall, the Victrix Pro BFG looks great, and with the mods, you can change the layout from an asymmetrical design to a symmetrical one. The device doesn’t have that many bells and whistles, except for the Victrix logo on the touchpad. Other than that, there are a few LED lights visible and textured rubberized grips.
Comfort
Truth be told, the bulk of the review will probably be about the overall comfort factor of the Victrix Pro BFG. This premium controller comes with a variety of options to ensure a comfortable experience, and this is mainly thanks to the fact that it’s a modular device. In essence, this means you’ll be able to swap out different parts to customize your gaming experience. In the box, you’ll find different D-pads, several different sticks (including a high-rise one), two stick gates, and a fight pad mod. With the added small screwdriver, you’ll be able to remove the stock modular pieces.
Out of the box, the device has the Xbox controller layout, but you’ll be able to flip the left modular piece to have the traditional PlayStation controller layout. This is, of course, a matter of personal preference, and it’s up to user discretion. On the right side, you can remove the right stick and the standard buttons to use the fight pad mod, which works great for most current fighting titles. That being said, we would have loved the buttons to be a bit higher on the controller for this mod, as it does take some time to get used to the six-button placement. Even so, swapping mods was easy, and in no time we were messing around with different layouts and sticks for different games.
As stated above, there’s also a high-rise stick included, which is great for shooters. The high-rise stick allows you to be more precise when aiming, which is certainly a plus when you’re playing precision-based titles, or if you want a competitive edge. Swapping sticks is also extremely easy. We did struggle with swapping the D-pad, as it’s not that easy to remove the installed D-pad. You’ll have to use a lot of force to remove it, and we struggled when we had to remove the traditional D-pad, as we couldn’t get a grip on the sides to remove it. We reckon, however, that when you find the D-pad you like the most, you probably won’t swap it that often.
The controller itself is very light, weighing only around 260 grams, making sure your wrists will not be strained during longer gaming sessions. There’s also some rubberized padding on the front of the handles, adding a layer of comfort for the balls of your thumbs to rest on. The Victrix Pro BFG is also slightly smaller than a traditional DualSense controller, and thus everything feels a bit more compact. If you have large hands, this might take some time getting used to. On the back, there are also programmable buttons, which are easy to reach and not overly sensitive.
To further customize your experience, you’ll also find so-called trigger stops. This means you’ll be able to lock your triggers, limiting their motion range. If you want to make them more button-like for a quicker response, then you can easily do so with the back switches. It does take a bit of trial and error to find the desired range of motion for your triggers, but the system works great. For shooters, for example, it’s interesting to have a quicker response time, opting for a button-like approach. While a racing game will require a more precise input to regulate your speed, making it better to have the full range of motion. The triggers did perhaps feel a bit too light for certain games, and we would have liked a bit more resistance when pressing down.
Overview
The Victrix Pro BFG is a plug-and-play device where you just need to make sure the switches on the controller are selecting the correct platform. You’ll have a small switch on the topside of the controller that indicates PS4, PS5, and PC, and there’s another switch on the backside to switch between wired or wireless mode. If you opt for wireless mode, you’ll have to make sure the included dongle is inserted in the platform of choice. There is no additional setup required for the device to work. With a single charge, you should be able to get around 10 to 12 hours of gaming time.
We reckon it’s to prevent a lot of paper from being used, but a proper manual inside the box would have been nice. Now you get a small sheet with some information and a QR code that takes you to the store page, where you will then find a manual to view or download. You will not need the official software to program the back buttons or to create profiles, as you can do this yourself. To do so, we suggest simply following the steps of the online manual. The Victrix Contol Hub can make certain items easier, but if you’re not a fan of installing software for every piece of hardware you own, or you simply solely game on PlayStation, then you can still easily customize your gaming experience.
All in all, the button feedback is great, and the fight pad has that arcade stick-like clicky button feedback. We didn’t notice any input lag, and that’s already what matters most when playing games that require timed responses. The sticks have a sufficient amount of resistance, making precise movements a lot easier. The high-rise sniper stick did help us a lot when playing shooters, as it allowed us to be even more precise.
Sadly, just like NACON’s premium controller, the Victrix Pro BFG does not offer everything a DualSense controller offers: haptic feedback and rumble. While for a lot of games, this doesn’t influence the experience that much, it still feels like something is missing. We love experiencing titles such as Returnal with the haptic feedback and the added resistance to triggers to add another layer of immersion. This is of course no omission by choice, but simply because Sony doesn’t allow third-party developers to use their technology. As also stated in our Revolution 5 Pro review, it does limit the overall experience for PlayStation 5 gamers.
Conclusion
PDP’s Victrix Pro BFG is a great premium controller for multi-platform and multi-genre gamers. We loved the modular design as it allowed us to swap components on the fly, and the overall comfort factor was also amazing. We still regret that Sony refuses to allow third-party developers to use their latest technology to unlock the full potential of these premium controllers for PlayStation 5, but you’ll be treated to a great device nonetheless. If you’re a multi-platform gamer, and you’re looking for a high-quality device with a lot of functionalities, we suggest checking this one out.
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