PowerA OPS v3 Pro Wireless Controller

Sometimes there are things or situations that get so damn close to being perfect but just miss the mark. It's like watching a Dolby DVD standby screen, seeing that little logo get closer and closer to the corner for a perfect rebound only then for it to clip the side at the last moment and bounce off in a random direction. That's the feeling I get with PowerA's latest device, the OPS v3 Pro Wireless Controller, albeit the main thing that holds this device back not being some minute manufacturing quirk but the platform limitations it holds instead.

What am I talking about here? Well... the fact that this controller is made for PC and cloud gaming only. There is a place for a controller to operate in this market, and yes, the OPS v3 Pro handles the task at hand with elegance and immense versatility, but considering most console "pro" controllers tend to cost an absolute fortune, have less flexibility than this device, and often are much flimsier, PowerA had a chance with this gadget to reset the power dynamic and blow a hole in the overpriced controller market. But it didn't take it and instead built a device made for PC and cloud gaming only. Oh to be so close to greatness...

So, why do I like this controller so much? It's simple really, it has all the features and systems that I want and need from a pro controller without much of the hassle that comes with that. It's built in the Xbox format and features A, B, X, and Y buttons and has asymmetrical analogue stick placement. Being a pro controller, it has the expected four rear inputs that can be remapped however you see fit, but also two extra top buttons that sit around where the bumpers and triggers are situated. Yes, you can remap any of these too, you can lock the triggers to three different settings to reduce the amount of input you need to activate them, the analogue sticks and triggers are Hall Effect to improve their reliability, it has both wired and wireless (via a Bluetooth dongle) support, and ways to turbocharge the device and make the response time for your inputs even faster. There's patterned rubbered grips around where your hands rest and grooves on the triggers, bumpers, and sticks too. Oh, and there is RGB too. I know what you might be thinking, but the way this is incorporated is also a prime example as to what makes this device such a joy to use.

You see, the OPS v3 Pro, despite being a PC controller, doesn't require any software to customise. Everything, I repeat everything, can be done on the controller itself. We have seen other instances where this is used, but PowerA has developed a system here that works with ease and class. To remap inputs, you hold the Program button, choose the input you want used elsewhere and then click the button you want it bound too. For RGB, you hold the button and then start playing with the various controller inputs to choose a really unique and highly modifiable colour scheme that illuminates the regular front-facing buttons, sticks, and D-pad, and the general frontal outline of the controller as well. If I had any criticisms up until this point, it would be that the materials PowerA has used to build the controller could benefit from being higher quality, but then you start to dance with the issue of losing the lower-than-usual cost for a pro device in favour of a more premium feel.

For those of you looking to run the OPS v3 Pro wired, a braided USB 2.1 to USB-C cable is provided, but if you want to run it wirelessly instead you can set-up a small included (and magnetised) wireless charging block that also serves as the unit that houses the wireless USB dongle too. It's all very intuitive and everything I would want from a pro controller, especially for a console, which is what makes me sooooo mad that it's as platform-limited as it is.

So, aside from the fact that PowerA had the chance to make picking up an Xbox Elite Series controller even less necessary (seriously, don't buy one, it will break!) and could have provided a way more cost-friendly option to the usually very good Scuf alternatives, the platform-limitations don't actually take away from the fact that the OPS v3 Pro is an excellent option. It's hugely versatile, lovely to use, requires no third-party software, is completely plug-and-plug, and has all the depth you would want from a pro device. If you're a PC or cloud player looking for something to improve your gamepad gameplay, a device that costs around half the price of a Scuf alternative, then you won't go wrong with this PowerA gem.

The PowerA OPS v3 Pro Wireless Controller can be picked up for $99.99.