A confused Redditor recently posted a picture of the Razer Wolverine PS5 controller, asking "What makes this controller so special for the [$250] pricetag?" The respondents were quick to ridicule the product, but it's not as bizarre as you might think.
When u/phantonyte asked Reddit why there was a PS5 controller worth $250, they were probably just confused. As one of the most upvoted comments in the thread put it, "How the f*ck is it worth half the damn console". But there is actually a fairly large demographic of players who will pay between $150-300 for a new controller each year: shooter players (also racing game players, to be fair, but when those folks get serious they usually go far beyond controllers).
The number one accessory for any shooter player (discounting keyboard and mouse players) is an upgraded gamepad, whether it's from a third-party company, like those who supply CDL pros with controllers, or even Sony and Xbox themselves, with their Dual Sense Edge controller ($200) and Xbox Elite Series 2 controller ($180). These controllers, often marketed as pro/competitive controllers, provide you with a few extra features that default controllers don't have.
For anyone else wondering why a controller is actually worth $250, we're going to go into a quick breakdown of what these kinds of controllers offer, and why they might be worth it. We hope it clears things up.
How Could A PS5 Controller Be Worth $250?
Let's clear up a technicality to begin with, the Razer Wolverine PS5 controller can also be used on PC, so it's not exclusively for PS5, but it's optimized for that platform. As we mentioned, shooter players are the biggest audience for expensive controllers like this, and obviously we're only talking about shooter games where controllers are common (CoD, Halo, Apex).
But if you play a game like that, and you're willing to spend some cash on a gaming accessory, a controller like the Wolverine could be worth it. Marketing for controllers like this often claim they will improve how well you play by 5-10%, and while we won't vouch for anything like that, we think the added features and their benefits are quite interesting. Let's get into what the actual difference are between an expensive controller like this and a standard one.
Back Paddles
Upgraded controllers, or however you want to describe them, will have a set of buttons or paddles on the back. You can operate these back buttons with your middle and ring finger, which are otherwise wasted merely gripping the controller.
Crucially, back paddles can be mapped to crouch and jump. This means that you can keep your thumbs on both sticks and continue to move and track targets while also jumping and crouching simultaneously.
Smart Triggers / Adjustable Triggers
With an upgraded controller, the regular triggers are replaced with "smart triggers". With "smart triggers" installed, instead of slowly compressing the trigger, you instead just click it in a millimeter or two (it feels like a mouse click). It might be difficult to imagine, but it effectively makes for a much shorter and crisper trigger pull, which makes aiming and shooting feel far more responsive.
Smart Triggers and Back Paddles are really the two main things that seriously change the gameplay experience. Besides these two features, you're also paying for a few general improvements around the edges (really fast wired connection, slightly raised thumbsticks, high-quality components etc.).
That was a brief overview of why controllers can be worth $250, and if you're a shooter player looking for a nice accessory, why not?
In other news, Xbox are releasing their new Series S toaster soon.
If you'll be playing this puppy, then a controller like the Wolverine could be perfect: