The NACON Pro Compact Controller is one of the first controllers branded for the new generation of consoles. Designed with the Xbox Series S and X in mind, this small yet powerful controller comes with some great options for a smaller price. Is it worth buying? Let’s find out!
Out of the box
The moment you take the controller out of the box, you’ll immediately notice the smaller size compared to the original Xbox controller or the other third-party controllers on the market. With a name as Compact controller, you would assume it’s created for gamers with smaller hands but that’s not entirely true. The moment I held it in my hands for the first time, I noticed that the small curve in its design resulted in a rather natural and comfortable position for my hands. Sure, it felt a lot smaller and lighter than my original Xbox controller, but it fitted my hands perfectly. Besides its size and weight, you’ll also notice the 3-meter long cable, as this isn’t a wireless controller, justifying its lower price. Now having a wired controller both has its advantages and disadvantages and it really depends on the gamer which style he/she prefers. In my opinion, I’ll always go for wireless controllers simply because they give me more freedom, but after spending a couple of hours with this Pro Compact controller, I have to say, the wire never bothered me. It’s long enough and can be easily plugged in the front or back USB port of your Xbox console, giving you the amount of freedom you would expect from a modern controller. You won’t have to worry about pulling down your Xbox console during some frustrating moments, since the cable is attached to the console with an extra port, it will always detach rather than pull down your console, a small yet important design choice. On top of that, the cable itself feels pretty sturdy and solid but remains flexible enough to ensure a smooth experience. Out of the box, this really is a pretty decent controller for its price. But is that all?
Some extra features
Although the size and weight are reasons enough to get excited about this controller, it comes packed with some fun little extras too. The moment you plug it in for the first time, your Xbox console will ‘recognize’ a Dolby Atmos subscription, giving you the service for free instead of paying the 15 bucks. This means you can enjoy true Dolby Atmos sound (if your headset supports this) when you use the controller’s 3.5mm jack. While testing this, I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the sound and I must say it’s a great extra service to have with this type of controller. The activation of Dolby Atmos is something you would expect when you buy a premium pro controller so, in my opinion, this certainly is one of the Pro Compact’s selling points. But, it doesn’t stop there.
The controller also comes with its own app on Xbox, enabling you to customize your experience. Unlike the official Xbox controller, this one is fully programmable, which is another nice surprise for this type of controller. You can change the functions of your buttons but you can also alter the sensitivity of your triggers to give you a different type of experience in, let’s say, shooters and soccer games. On top of that, there are some nice little extra features such as turning off the rumble and more, it’s all pretty impressive and again, rather something you would expect in a more expensive controller.
So, there are no downsides to this controller? Well, the biggest downside I faced was the placement of the menu button, which is frustratingly close to the action buttons. It happened a couple of times that I was clicking open the menu instead of attacking, a placement a bit more to the center of the controller would have solved this minor yet irritating issue. Besides this, there isn’t really a major downside to this controller, especially for its price of a mere 50 bucks.
Conclusion:
For its price, this controller really delivers more than you would expect. The inclusion of Dolby Atmos and the ability to fully customize your experience really raises the bar for future Xbox controllers. Yes, it’s a wired controller, and it’s a bit smaller compared to the regular controllers, but if you’re okay with that, this one is certainly highly recommended!
