Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

UPDATE 11/24/2017: The audio bug I reported in my original review is now finally fixed. After working extensively with Razer support (who have been great) and two replaced controller it was finally determined to be a firmware bug as predicted. They issued a new firmware v1.02.00 which fixes the issue . So if you experience the audio bug I faced you should contact Razer support to get the firmware updater . I now full, 200% recommend this controller . The only reason I am not bumping my original rating from 4 stars is to recognize the existence of this initial (but resolved) issue I'm an avid console FPS gaming enthusiast and spend a significant portion of my game time playing online competitive multiplayer games like Titanfall 2, Battlefield 1 , Overwatch, Halo 5 etc. And just like me I'm sure you will come to a point where you'll realize that the stock OEM Xbox controller doesn't really cut it. Hence I have a amassed quite the collection of 3rd party controllers including my current favourite the Razer Wildcat controller (before using the Wolverine controller that is). For this review I will compare the new Wolverine controller to the Wildcat controller, how it feels in hand while gaming and reasons why I had initially chosen the Razer Wildcat over the Xbox Elite controller ( all of which apply to the Wolverine controller as well) WHY I CHOOSE THE RAZER CONTROLLER OVER THE XBOX ELITE CONTROLLER When I first purchased my Wildcat I had spent an embarrassingly large amount of time researching between it and the Elite controller and in the end it came down to this : - If you read online forums, Reddit etc you'll quickly come to realize that the Elite controller is plagued with build quality issues and cheap plastic parts that break easily and on top of that the elite controller only has a 6 month warranty. These Razer controllers come with 1 year warranty. To me the the length of warranty told me all I wanted to know about the confidence each of the manufacturer had in their product - The second thing that really seals the deal in favor of the Razer controllers (both Wildcat & Wolverine) is MECHANICAL buttons - You see even while costing $150 the elite controller had the same rubber domed ABXY buttons as the stock Xbox or any other cheap controllers. Rubber dome buttons do not provide the right feedback while intense gameplay as they tend to bottom out / fade away and 'stick' over time . Whereas the Razer controller feature proper mechanical switch ABXY buttons that are responsive , Clicky (just like a mechanical keyboard) and feature a very short travel distance and actuation time - Well these two reasons were more than enough for me to look away from the elite controller DESIGN & BUILD QUALITY - From the first moment you unbox the Wolverine controller , open its velvet lined hardshell case and hold the controller in your hand - you realize that it just oozes with quality worthy of its asking price. It is neither too heavy nor too light , the matte finish plastic construction, triggers , trigger locks all feel solid and operate smoothly without any creaks and rattles - Unlike the Razer Wildcat controller where you have to stick the rubberized grips yourself which is hard to get right , the Wolverine controller now features a permanent rubberized dotted grip which works out much better in practice without adding too much bulk. It is very comfortable to hold/squeeze even with sweaty palms - The trigger stops are also better built and feel sturdier than Razer Wildcat controller - The four rear buttons on the rear of the controller ( M3 to M6) are made of plastic and are also of the mechanical switch type with very short actuation distance and clicky operation. One thing I would like to point out is that the rear triggers/buttons on the Wildcat controller are made of metal whereas they have switched to plastics for the new Wolverine controller - Another aspect where the Razer controllers are better than the Elite controller is their built in chat & program pad. You can quickly program the 6 customizable buttons without the help of any software and quickly change assignments on the fly . It can store two profile assignments and also adjust chat and game volume - You can swap the rubber domed metal- thumbsticks , D-pad out to match your preference whether you like the stock xbox controller feel, taller wider or dome shaped thumbsticks - there's one for every preference. While the magnets that hold the thumbsticks and D-pad is strong they can still come out if the controller falls or is kept face down . Hence i would recommend some caution there - The reason why most of the 3rd party controllers on the market today are wired (with the sole exception of modded stock $170+ Scuff controllers) is because Xbox One uses a proprietary wireless protocol for their controllers which is probably very expensive to license, so its hard to be critical on this controller for being wired. Having said that the included 10 Ft nylon braided cable is durable and long enough for most gaming setups and can easily reach your couch PERFORMANCE, TRIGGER LOCKS & CUSTOM BUTTONS - Lets first talk about the trigger locks as they're one of main game changers when compared to stock controllers, as they limit the motion of the RT/LT triggers right upto their actuation point and cutting their 'dead' zone by almost 75%. If you prefer high precision or semi-automatic weapons in your FPS games, then you can get in significantly more number of shots faster than you would on a regular controller. The importance of that in a tense encounter with another player cannot be understated. Also unlike the Wildcat controller you dont have to activate a special 'Hair Trigger' mode on this controller as some games do not accurately recognize trigger locks . The Wolverine controller does that automatically the moment you engage the trigger locks. Very convenient indeed - The positioning for the additional shoulder buttons M1 & M2 is genius if you ask me and once you get used it , you will stop using the regular shoulder buttons LB & RB . That's because when your fingers are on the LT & RT fingers are already exactly where the shoulder M1 & M2 buttons are located . That way you can operate them without having to lift your fingers off the triggers - Another advantage in multiplayer - The four buttons at the back M3 to M6 are ideally located and easy to reach , but it does take getting some used to for incorporating into your gameplay. But the thing is once you get used to it you cant do away with it - I find it very hard going back even to my Wildcat controller now! - By default the rear triggers M5 & M6 are configured for two modes with the left rear trigger for a mode called 'Focus' which decreases the sensitivity of the analog sticks by half as long as you keep M5 pressed (you can fine tune this in the Xbox Synapse app) . This allows you to carefully line up those headshots using sniper rifles . Pressing the right rear trigger activates the 'Agile' mode which doubles the analog stick sensitivity for faster response. Once you get the hang using these two mode - It does give you yet another very tangible advantage over your opponent - Of Course if you dont want to use the Focus & Agile modes you can always re-assign the rear triggers M5 & M6 to any button you like. Think of of it - With the four rear buttons you could map the entire ABXY buttons to them and never have to move your fingers off the thumbsticks and the triggers ! ( as even the shoulder buttons M1 & M2 are right there) - Now for the Chroma lighting on the controller which I first thought was mainly gimmicky as you never get to see it while you are actually gaming - But it does look cool for onlookers. What changed my view of it was a lighting mode called 'Immersive' which lights up as according to the controller's vibrations ie say when you fire a weapon it lights up or when you are running . It does look very cool- Check out the small clip i made of it in action AN ANNOYING BUG - My only disappointment with this controller is a firmware bug I encountered where if you use the Wolverine to turn on the Xbox it does not activate the audio on the 3.5mm jack and you have to do literally unplug the controller and plug the controller back in to get audio. Sometimes even the controller fails to turn on when you power on the Xbox - I contacted Razer support for this and they did RMA my first controller and since they did not have one in stock in their local warehouse they sent it to me from their Hong Kong warehouse with two day international shipping ! Kudos to them for that but even my second controller has the same issue. - I am decking one star for this bug alone. And the reason why I am not taking away more stars is because it can be fixed via a firmware update (which just happens to not be available yet) and they had the other similar issues with their Wildcat controller at launch which was fixed by a later firmware upgrade. I just hope it comes soon enough - I have the original Xbox (not the S) and this bug happens on Xbox on both power saving and instant on modes FINAL THOUGHTS So there you have it the Wolverine controller is miles better than their own Wildcat controller (and by extension the Xbox Elite controller) . It is so good that I dont like using my Wildcat anymore as it does give a very tangible edge to my gameplay and has better overall ergonomics and precision. The only thing I would like to caution you about is the audio bug I faced requiring you to unplug and replug the controller every time. I will update this review once there is a firmware update available but until then you'll have to decide if its a quirk worth living with or not. And according to me - It is...See you in the battlefield !