Razer Wolverine V3 Pro 8K PC controller review — An upgrade fit for a pro

Razer is all in on the esports space. Beyond their partnerships with many esports organizations, their gear has been honed to top the spaces where gaming competition is at its apex. This has led to quite a few pros swearing by their products, like the BlackShark headset or the DeathAdder mouse. Although controllers are still the little brother in esports, Razer is getting a jump on being the best choice with their new Wolverine V3 Pro 8K edition. Now that I’ve spent some time with it, I appreciate the tweaks to an already winning formula.

Just like the previous model, the box includes the Razer Wolverine V3 Pro 8K PC controller, a USB-C charging cable, the USB-C dongle for wireless connectivity, and two extra thumbsticks to swap in a different style, all contained in a carrying case. For reference, the wired variant of this controller doesn’t come in a carrying case. That’s reserved for this premium model, and everything in the box is certainly of premium quality.

If you’ve read my review of the Wolverine V3 Pro, you’ll know I like the build of the controller, but with one caveat. That’s not been solved here. The V3 Pro 8K is more or less the exact same controller, with the same faux-Xbox button, trigger, and thumbstick layout. My issue with the previous controller still exists here, stubby grip handles. The grip texture has been made a bit rougher to help, but when combined with less weight from removed vibration modules (more on that in a bit), it’s actually tougher to hold. You eventually get used to it, but if my small mitts are having trouble, most will.

Razer Wolverine V3 Pro controller review — Like a scorestreak

Razer’s latest controller is a competitive advantage on the battlefield

Even with the grip issue, the placement and feel of your controls feels great. Face buttons and the D-pad are made of PBT, which is used in many keyboard keycaps and is a super comfortable material. The mecha-tactile button presses feel fantastic, with the nice clicky response you get from a mouse button that Razer has transplanted over. This is also present with the D-pad design. Although the options, menu, share, and profile buttons are a tad hard to reach for, they aren’t as important as others and it doesn’t hurt the controller.

The biggest addition to this controller has to be what’s in the name: 8K. Yes, this controller offers Razer’s own 8K Hz HyperPolling tech on PC, which is insane. As someone who runs with an overclocked controller, I know how much of a difference it makes for your inputs to register even slightly faster. It’s one thing to go from 250 Hz to 1K, it’s another level to go from 1K to 8K.

I recently reviewed Razer’s DeathAdder V4 Pro gaming mouse, which was my first exposure to this 8K polling rate. Let me tell you, I can’t do this feature justice in writing. You feel like you’re actively fighting yourself at first; your sensitivity almost feels raised due to the incredible response time. My time with controllers makes handling this heightened capability easier, and the wonderfully smooth Hyperspeed allows the V3 Pro 8K to stand out. This is available both wired and wirelessly on PC, and this being possible wirelessly would be more mind-blowing if not for my experience with the DeathAdder.

Razer has made an adjustment to the thumbsticks with this model. The V3 Pro 8K features magnetic Tunnel Magneto-Resistance (TMR) thumbsticks, which are somewhat new to the scene. Although many will bemoan Hall effect thumbsticks being absent, most don’t realize this new tech is actually more precise and durable. During my use, I also found them to be easier to instantly adjust to as well. While I love a good Hall effect thumbstick, there’s often a learning curve when first using them. With these TMR thumbsticks, I dropped in a game of Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 and posted a 2.0 K/D right away. You can also dive into Razer Synapse and fine-tune your sensitivity, which is appreciated.

Three returning items to the V3 Pro 8K are the Razer Pro HyperTriggers, mouse click back paddles, and claw grip M-bumpers. These didn’t need to change in the slightest. The trigger locks are some of the best out there, with a mouse-click style that gives you an immediate response to your pull while offering feedback also. Back paddles are one of my favorite features on a controller, and the V3 Pro 8K’s fit right in your grip and have the same kind of feel as the HyperTriggers. While I rarely put them to good use, the M-bumpers are a nice bonus, filling a want rather than a need for players who want that one additional button to keep their thumbs on the sticks. Surprise! You get two.

As mentioned above, Razer has removed vibration from this controller to give competitors a lighter option. If you’ve played anything competitively, you’ll know that vibration gets in the way in a match rather than assisting. I turn it off myself. Getting rid of this functionality might be a tad disappointing given how great the haptic feedback can be through Razer Synapse on the V3 Pro, but Razer has managed to offer one of the lightest controllers out there at only 220 grams. Besides that, no vibration will help with battery life, another nice extra.

Speaking of battery life, Razer advertises the same life as the Wolverine V3, which is in the twenty hour range. I run wired on my controllers, which is better for competitive play. Anything to counter input lag, amirite? Even so, that 8K polling rate will work whether you’re wired or wireless, so feel free to put the battery life to the test. At any rate, it’s a decent amount of battery that will keep you going throughout the day.

While the previous model works with the Xbox, the V3 Pro 8K is only compatible with PC. It is a disappointment, even though it’s right in the full title as to what it will work with. Spending a lot of money on a controller, it’d be nice to have a bit of overlap with consoles, at least somewhere. I tested it on everything I have, without a hint of recognition. Maybe an update could unlock additional versatility, but for now, know that your money is going towards your PC.

Gaming on PC with it though, is somewhat of a cheat code. Similar to its older brother, it’s on par with my daily use controller, and the V3 Pro 8K is much more acclimated to the games I’m playing. There’s going to be a bit of an adjustment period if you’re playing quick twitch games like I do – I didn’t have any issues in Black Ops 6, but admittedly swapped controllers when my squad changed to Ranked Play. That said, in a session of Ready or Not I was more than able to take on the high stress SWAT team environment with outstanding precision. If you give yourself time to acclimate to the excellence the V3 Pro 8K offers, you will absolutely tear up competitive lobbies.

Lastly, let’s dive into Razer’s proprietary software. If you’re familiar with Synapse, you know a lot of what it provides. Here you’ll be able to shift between polling rates, adjust your thumbstick sensitivity and response curves, and even change your D-pad between registering 8-way clicks to only 4-way, which I would imagine would be useful in a fighting game. You can also customize your back paddles and M-bumpers, even down to using a PC specific key as an input. Of course, adjusting your polling rate is in Synapse as well, so make sure you have it downloaded to take advantage of it. It’s not the most intensive application, but it does everything you could need it to do.

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