Victrix Pro BFG Reloaded Controller Review

What do you do when you’ve already made one of the best game controllers of all time? If you’re Victrix (or Turtle Beach, its parent company), you take a look for any missed opportunities and set to work again. That’s why we now have the BFG Reloaded. It’s a revision, rather than a revelation or revolution, but Victrix are steadily moving closer to peripheral perfection.

The BFG Reloaded is a wireless and wired, pro-styled modular controller, available for both the PS5 and Xbox Series consoles, with either iteration also playing nicely with PC. The BFG was named after the ultimate weapon in Doom, and while they might be stretching that metaphor to its logical conclusion, Victrix made a controller that can make a decent claim for it being the ultimate weapon for gamers… and they’ve now reloaded it for another devastating blast.

In the box, you’re getting the controller itself, a sturdy hard case, modular units for the new Hall Effect left and right analogue sticks, and a revised six-button layout for fighting game aficionados that has shifted the inputs to make them more comfortable.

Besides that, there’s a thick braided cable in the requisite Victrix purple, alternate height analogue sticks, two further D-pad styles, as well as different-shaped gates for each analogue stick. All these options allow you to set the controller up exactly how you would want it, and there should be enough variety for everyone, no matter your skill level.

It’s a smart-looking piece of kit. If you were to turn up to a tournament with this in tow, you’d be certain of a few admiring glances. Our review unit came in black, but there’s also a white edition if that’s more your bag. It exudes modernity, edging towards futurism, but it doesn’t overdo the Cyberpunk, industrial vibes. In terms of visuals, I think it looks better than either Microsoft or Sony’s official controllers from this generation. Then again, at £170, it’s basically three times as expensive, so you’ll want something that bit more special.

Built from solid-feeling plastic, there’s rubberised grip sections at the front and wrapped around the rear grips, so it won’t slide about, even if you’re particularly prone to sweaty hands. These feel comfortable under your hand, and avoid the type of roughness you might experience with the PowerA OPS V3 Pro or Gamesir Cyclone 2.

Modular controllers are the Swiss Army Knife solution for pro controllers. Like the Thrustmaster eSwap series, the BFG Reloaded has alternate units that you can take out or swap in, allowing you to shift from a symmetrical to an asymmetrical stick layout, or to wholly change the controller setup by bringing in more face buttons for fans of games like Street Fighter 6. If you play a variety of different games to a competitive level, it makes more sense than most, as the BFG Reloaded can easily fulfil multiple roles.

It’s made particularly easy because you have a mini hex-shaped screwdriver in the case. Undoing each control unit is very straightforward, and you can whip the different parts out in a minute or two. To be honest, it’s fun just swapping the parts, never mind actually using them to play a game.

Visually, there’s little to differentiate the BFG Reloaded from its predecessor. This is fundamentally the same core controller, enhanced by the now-expected Hall Effect sticks and the improved fightpad layout. It is marginally more comfortable, but then, I didn’t have any problems with the original unit.

Amusingly, some members of the gaming community are now already decrying Hall Effect sticks as being a poor cousin to TMR sticks, even though the technology is a clear and distinct step up from the old-school potentiometer sticks we’ve had for years that have a nasty tendency to develop stick drift.

TMR sticks are admittedly newer and capable of being more precise, but Hall Effect sticks are still tried and tested, with proven durability that will last far longer than standard potentiometer sticks. The majority of players won’t be able to tell the difference between TMR and Hall Effect, and even at this price, I’m still happy to see Hall Effect sensors in place, and they feel excellent in the Pro BFG Reloaded.

The standard face button layout is enhanced by four further ‘pro’ inputs on the back, and I really like the way these are flared out, and differently sized so that they fit perfectly beneath your ring and middle fingers. They’re firm enough that I didn’t find myself accidentally hitting inputs, but quick enough to reliably perform in the heat of a Star Wars Battlefront II battle (my current multiplayer obsession).

At the rear, you’ll also find the lockouts for the triggers. Now, in the original version, I did find myself catching these at first, but I didn’t do that at all with the Reloaded edition, though perhaps that’s due to muscle memory. The lockouts reduce the travel of the triggers, and in doing so drastically improve your reaction time – generally a very good idea for games where you’re trying to shoot other people. Uniquely, you can set these at five different depths, and they’re independent of one another, giving you another level of customisation you won’t find elsewhere.

There are a few negatives though. The BFG Reloaded is coming out at the tail end of a year that’s seen multiple extremely competitive and advanced pro controller releases, and the triggers and the face buttons aren’t quite on the cutting edge that we’re seeing elsewhere.

The trigger shapes are excellent, comfortably rounded and perfectly flared, but they feel a touch too light and, in fairness, a little cheap and clacky. There’s also no mechanical switches in the standard control module – they are in the fight pad module, though – or in the trigger lockouts, and when that’s increasingly the norm that we’re seeing from manufacturers like Gamesir, it’s hard not to pine for the instantaneous feel you get from them.

The Victrix Pro BFG Reloaded still feels fast and responsive in use. Turtle Beach list it as having 5ms of input lag, though I can only imagine that this is in the wired mode, or based on its polling rate, with further testing generally finding that it hovers around 9ms.

This is still very fast, but it does put it behind the DualSense Edge or the Nacon Revolution 5 Pro. If you want the absolute fastest, this isn’t it, but equally, I prefer the way the Pro BFG Reloaded feels in the hand over both of those options.

Few controllers have the customisation and modularity of the BFG Reloaded, and if you’re the type of gamer who’ll repeatedly hop between Street Fighter 6 and Battlefield 5, or who’s looking to create a very particular setup, there’s no better option out there. I really like the construction materials and the way it feels in the hand, but there are still missed opportunities in terms of mechanical inputs throughout, and the triggers aren’t in line with the competition anymore.

On PlayStation, your only other option for modular-style control is the Turtle Beach Stealth Pivot, which sees the extra controls hidden away in the body of the controller. The Pro BFG Reloaded is far more comfortable, though the Stealth Pivot is considerably cheaper at £120. On PC, if you’re looking for modularity, it’s well worth considering the Thrustmaster eSwap, which has also just received a Hall Effect update, though this only comes in a wired option, and is better suited for larger hands.