PowerA MOGA XP-ULTRA Multi-Platform Wireless Controller – Hardware Review
When you’re in the market to buy a new controller to play your favorite games with, you’re often looking at the design, the overall build quality, and other features such as battery life or cable length. At other times, however, you might be looking for some more premium features. In this scenario, it might be difficult to know which brands offer quality hardware. Third-party controllers have come a long way from being bulky chunks of plastic that were typically given to a friend or family member who came over to play multiplayer games. We now have a lot of reliable brands on the market, such as Thrustmaster or PowerA when it comes to fairly standard (but good) controllers. As stated above, sometimes we want a bit more than just the basics, and this is where modular controllers come in. For today’s review, we’ll be taking a closer look at PowerA’s MOGA XP-ULTRA Multi-Platform Wireless Controller, which scored rather well across the board.
Design
Two things are immediately noticeable when taking a closer look at the MOGA XP-ULTRA controller, namely that the entire grip is removable and that this is in fact a premium controller. It’s clear that the build quality is decent, and the overall finishing touches have that premium look and feel. Outside of the clear indication of where the grip handles can be removed, you’ll be treated to a very sleek and elegant matte black controller. Only a very subtle MOGA logo is visible on the front plate and you’ll also see the iconic different colors of the Xbox controller buttons. Other than that, the controller doesn’t come with too many bells and whistles, and even the LED lights on the front are quite subtly handled. The back of the device also has two programmable buttons.
When removing the grip handles, you’ll see a pocket-sized controller that still looks quite good. While bulkier in size, the controller is somewhat shaped like a classic Wii Pro Controller when the handles are removed, albeit with the Xbox stick layout and slightly squared edges.
Comfort
In terms of comfort, the MOGA XP-ULTRA is a very comfortable device for longer gaming sessions. The controller comes with a nicely textured grip, and it isn’t too heavy either. All buttons were easily accessible, and when the grip is attached, you don’t even notice that it’s two separate parts you’re holding. We only found the small menu buttons a bit awkward to reach at times. That being said, this was a simple matter of getting used to it. The buttons themselves give very nice feedback.
When playing with the so-called Mini-Pad, we found the controller to be a bit less comfortable. The latter is also quite normal for smaller controllers such as this. Even so, it never got to the point that we got cramps in our hands or that we had to cut our gaming sessions short.
The MOGA XP-ULTRA also comes with a clip that you can attach to the controller that allows gamers to insert their smartphones. The clip felt a bit more plastic-y, but it was more than sturdy enough, and the overall system was very easy to use. We could easily enjoy some more intense games on our controller, and we once again fell in love with classic games such as Crazy Taxi, which are just so much nicer to play with a controller.
Overview
There is very little setup required when it comes to PowerA’s premium controller. In the case of wireless play, you just need to connect to the (Bluetooth) device of your choice, in this case, an Android device, an Xbox Series X/S, or a PC. We mainly experienced a few connectivity problems with the Xbox Series X/S where the controller would disconnect at a few random times. When playing on Android, we didn’t experience a single issue, and the controller would easily reconnect when we turned it on for each gaming session. For PC, if you do not have a Bluetooth connection, you can still play in wired mode with the charging cable connected. We did regret that there was no Bluetooth dongle in the box for those playing on a desktop PC. The online manual also leaves a lot to be desired.
Overall, the battery life is very decent for the MOGA XP-ULTRA. The controller can last up to 60 hours before needing a recharge, and while we never truly reached those 60 hours, we on average could get to 50 hours before needing to recharge the device. Those playing on PC can of course also play with the cable attached, making this a wired device. Overall, we didn’t notice any input lag, and the device also offered a few other interesting features, such as a button to see your current battery life, as well as two programmable back buttons.
Conclusion
PowerA’s MOGA XP-ULTRA Multi-Platform Wireless Controller was a delight to work with. Even though there were minor remarks, such as the lack of a Bluetooth dongle for desktop users or the somewhat less comfortable mini-pad mode, we truly enjoyed our gaming sessions with this premium device. Of course, this one comes at a higher price tag than standard controllers, but if you’re a multiplatform gamer, and you also want a decent Android controller, then we suggest checking this one out.
PowerA MOGA XP-ULTRA Multi-Platform Wireless Controller - Hardware Review,
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