SCUF Valor Pro Wired Xbox Controller Review | Geek Lifestyle

Recently, we got our hands on the SCUF Valor Pro, a new wired Xbox controller that packs some nifty features without a wallet-busting price.

Whether you’re playing on an Xbox console or PC and a standard Xbox controller isn’t cutting it for you, now is a great time to get a more premium option. After all, there are plenty of models that pack lots of useful additions like back paddles and customization options. However, most of these controllers have premium price tags, meaning you end up spending over twice what you would on a standard Xbox controller.

Enter the SCUF Valor Pro. While SCUF already has a premium Xbox controller option, this latest model promises to be worth taking a look at for buyers who want something a bit easier on the wallet without compromising on features. That’s because this controller is priced at just a bit over USD 100 while having extra back paddles, swappable analog sticks, and Hall effect analog triggers, among other features. In exchange, this controller can only be used wired.

Looking at its list of features, the Valor Pro seems to be a great deal, but does it hold up in actual gaming use? Here’s what we think!

Note: While this is a Designed for Xbox controller (meaning it’s fully compatible with Xbox consoles), we did most of our gaming tests on PC, mostly due to the fact that Xbox consoles aren’t officially sold in our region.

Geek-sthetic

To start, let’s take a look at the Valor Pro’s design. As you can see, it looks very much like an Xbox Controller shape-wise. While there are some slight differences, they feel almost the same when you grip them while playing games. The SCUF model even has an Xbox logo button in the middle, though it has extra SCUF and Valor branding on the sides in orange along with orange accents below the analog sticks.

Where it differs noticeably from the standard Xbox controller is at the back. That’s because this controller packs four back paddles which you can remap to any of the buttons on the controller (more on remapping below). The controller has two paddles on the inside of the grips and two at the back, making them easy to access and press.

The left back paddle is uncovered while the right back paddle is covered.

What’s great about the Valor Pro is that you can cover the back paddles. Out of the box, the controller has the default back paddles on, but you can easily take them off and cover them with the included covers so that you don’t accidentally press them when playing.

Another interesting addition in the Valor Pro is the volume control system. Instead of just having one knob for volume control, this controller has two scroller wheels. The left one controls headset volume and mutes the audio while the right one changes the chat and game volume mix and mutes your mic. This is a small addition, but it’s no doubt helpful as it gives you easier access to mic and headset volume.

While the back paddles and volume wheels are the main additions, the Valor Pro also sports Adjustable Instant Triggers – a feature that players who have used other SCUF controllers should be familiar with. This feature adds switches for the left and right triggers, that when you use, will make the trigger’s input feel like mouse clicks. As such, this is a nice option for shooters as you can quickly fire instead of pressing the trigger the whole way down. On the flip side, you’d want to use the standard trigger mode for racing games.

Also worth noting is that the SCUF Valor Pro has textured grips. These feel nice as they make the controller feel grippier, though it seems to made of a rubberized material. Hopefully this won’t be an issue in the long run as rubberized grips can become sticky after a while (especially in warm and humid places).

I can’t say for certain how the controller will age, but its’ fair to say that it feels great, enough that the in-hand feel is comparable to first party controllers. This is worth noting, especially as other third-party controllers can feel cheap.

What’s also nice is the fact that the Valor Pro has a removable front plate which is easy to take off as it attaches with magnets. For now, there aren’t any other front plate options, but SCUF promises that it will release new ones soon.

For now, the only reason to remove the face plate is if you want to swap the analog sticks. Yes, the controller comes with an extra pair of analog sticks which are noticeably taller than the default ones. This is another nifty inclusion as having taller analog sticks may be better for some gamers in certain titles.

Do note that the analog sticks are quite hard to remove as there were times I thought I was going to damage the sticks while removing them.

Gaming Experience

So, while the design is great both in terms of in-hand feel and features, does it deliver a proper experience when playing games? After testing the controller out on a variety of titles, we can safely say that it’s a great controller. We had no issues when using it as the Valor Pro was responsive, and we didn’t run into any problems with the button inputs, not to mention that it had good rumble. Essentially, the gaming experiencer is close to what you can expect to a standard Xbox controller.

When playing, you can switch to the Instant Triggers for mouse-like clicks which, as I mentioned above, is great for shooters. Personally, I still preferred the standard trigger style, though it’s nice to have this feature for avid players of shooters given how much faster you can shoot in-game with them on.

As for the back paddles, they also feel nice to click and are quite responsive, though the back paddles in particular are too easy to accidentally press. We asked different members of our team, and we found that this was not the case with everyone. So, this means the back paddles will only be easy to accidentally press depending on your grip. Thankfully, you can switch cover them so that you can avoid accidental inputs.

What’s more, you can remap the paddle profiles so you can set them as any of the controller’s buttons. There are pre-installed profiles which you can cycle through with the profile button on the backside of the controller, though we recommend changing the profiles to suit your needs.

To do so, simply long press the profile button, and you’ll see the LED light at the top blink. Once in profile editing mode, simply press a paddle along with the button you’d like to remap it to. If you want to turn the paddles off, just press the paddle and the share button at the middle. This is a nice touch personally as I preferred not using the paddles for some games.

Aside from the extra buttons, the Valor Pro’s Hall effect triggers are a highlight as they should be great for longevity as stick drift shouldn’t be an issue. Of course, we can’t talk about longevity in this review as we’ve only used the controller for over a week, but we can say that the analog sticks feel great, comparable to how a more typical analog stick feels.

Usability and PC Connectivity

The SCUF Valor Pro is designed for Xbox consoles mainly, but it should also work well as a PC controller, albeit one that’s not as customizable as other models.

For one, the Valor Pro does not have any software that you can use to edit profiles, meaning you can only tweak the button inputs manually. It’s also worth noting that this is still a standard console controller so you can’t map the paddles as you would keyboard keys. To be fair though, that’s a feature that’s only available in a select few controllers that are notable more expensive.

In that sense, it’s a bit of a barebones controller for PC, though you can say the same even with the standard Xbox controller. During our time with it, this did not prove to be an issue as we still enjoyed using it for games.

Best of all, we ran into no issues with game compatibility, something that we can’t say the same for other third-party controllers. Plus, even if it’s a wired only controller, it means connecting to PC is quick and easy.

SCUF Valor Pro – Final Geek Lifestyle Verdict

Thanks to is good design, coupled with great responsiveness and welcome addition of extra buttons, the SCUF Valor Pro is overall a great controller for Xbox if you’re looking for a model that has more bells and whistles than the standard Xbox controller, all without spending too much.

Given its USD 109.99 price tag, it’s definitely a great buy for Xbox gamers who are fine with a wired controller if it means you don’t spend as much. Plus, the extra features, coupled with the Hall effect triggers (which should eliminate stick drift issues) makes it a great deal.

As for PC gamers, this is still worth a look. While it’s not as customizable as other controllers for PC, it still offers a similar experience to the standard Xbox model, albeit with additional features that give it an edge over other options.