Cubed3 takes a look at the PXN P5 8K Wireless Gaming Controller. This is the sort of device that can be used for PC, Nintendo Switch, or Switch 2, Android, or iOS devices. It can work wired, but it can also work via Bluetooth, as well. It has an 8K rate chip, 4,000 DPI KSG joystick for great control, four macro buttons that are all programmable, plus it includes dual motor control chips, meaning this actually has rumble, unlike the officially licenced Super Mario Star Rematch controller that Cubed3 looked at recently. It has Hall Effect trigger shoulder buttons and app-visible programming (via the PXN Nexus app), so if you want to download the app, you can do.
It’s a very delightful controller with a lovely purple button and finish with a black controller base and grey joysticks. The package comes with a Bluetooth dongle included for PC connection, and comes with an in-built 8K chip with a maximum 8,000 hertz polling rate and a response time of up to 0.125 milliseconds, giving truly precise gaming indeed. It’s equipped with third generation KSG joysticks, offering 4,000 DPI resolution, as well as independent control chips for left and right motors that provide ultra-fast start, stop, and realistic vibration feedback. Yes, there is haptic feedback in this controller.
There are four macro buttons with app-based visual programming for instant 64 button combos, meaning that if you think about what you want to do, you can change any of the face buttons to the back of the controller’s extra buttons in a different combination that suits you. The shoulder buttons are 256-level Hall Effect triggers with adjustable travel switches. It supports wired, Bluetooth, and 2.4G connection modes for phones, PCs, controllers, consoles, and basically anything that you can think of that works with any of those three functions – this is likely to connect with them all.
The box and manual list that the P5 8K is compatible with PC, Nintendo Switch, Android, and iOS, but this has also been tested with Nintendo Switch 2, and it works very well indeed. Now, it must be remembered that there is no C button, and whilst the back buttons are programmable, they are not replacements for the GL or GR buttons of the Switch 2 controllers themselves. Therefore, if you think this is going to be a replacement for a Switch 2 Pro Controller, that is not the case, yet it will work like a standard Switch Pro Controller would do when connected to a Switch 2. As long as you know there’s no Game Chat button, and you cannot make it so that the buttons on the back are the same as the GL and GR, then you are good to go indeed. In terms of lifespan, it has a built-in 10,000mAh lithium battery, so it will last for a heck of a long time, and it has a six-axis gyroscope for motion sensing operation. Most people don’t particularly love user manuals, but in this case it is definitely worth taking a look in order to know exactly how to programme all the buttons properly.
PXN‘s controller is definitely a thing of beauty, with a real shine to it and such an amazing finish. The back grip support has a sort of a mottled effect, for holding it tighter without letting slip in those sweaty and superbly intense gaming sessions. The finish on the top, though, is so smooth and the purple colour is definitely easy on the eyes. On the back there are the M1, M2, M3, M4 programmable buttons, along with different switches for changing the way the shoulders buttons need to be pressed. There is another switch on there, also, which takes it from the wireless dongle for PC to mobile Bluetooth to Nintendo Switch mode. The wireless dongle included has the PXN P5 8K logo on and it has a little purple button to activate it when it’s plugged in via its regular USB-A connector, which is handy for hooking up to PCs. If you want to connect it to mobile, using it in the 2.4G mode for connecting it to phones, it slips into the second, central switch position, with the final right-side position being for playing on Switch via Bluetooth.
During the testing process, it was mainly used for the highly impressive 3D adventure, Donkey Kong Bananza, and the joysticks did an amazing job. One thing to note, though, is that the face button layout is ‘ABXY’, rather than ‘XABY’ that Nintendo gamers will be so familiar with, so that definitely takes some getting used to. The layout is prepared for Xbox or Microsoft PC gaming. There’s also a D-pad on the left side, under the left joystick, but it’s not the standard one that Nintendo systems have, but it still works well enough. Then there are smaller extra buttons in the central top area, for aspects like menu, going to the home screen, taking screen grabs and stuff like that.
When hooked up to a Switch or Switch 2, these buttons actually mimic the face buttons on a those respective systems’ controllers. That means the top left and the top right buttons are your minus and plus buttons on Switch, and the bottom-left and the bottom-right are your screen capture or home screen buttons. There’s also a triangular purple button centralised near the lower part of the front face, which can be held down to connect to a different device. Then you have the standard left and right shoulder buttons, as well as the Hall Effect triggers, plus the ever-useful USB-C point for charging or connecting via a cable for PC or even for syncing the controller to Switch quickly. All the cables that you need are in this P5 8K box, making it very handy and easily accessible.
One thing to mention is that when using the P5 8K on a Switch 2, it won’t automatically turn on the Switch 2 because this isn’t an official Switch 2 controller, so the signals being sent out are ever-so slightly different, but it doesn’t stop it from working smoothly (plus it does wake up the original Switch). All you need to do first is turn the Switch on by pressing the power button manually, and then the home button gets it connected swiftly enough, indicated by four little green lights (which also act as the amount of battery remaining). This comes in at a pocket-friendly £39.99, and it really does feel sturdier than the more expensive Super Mario Star Rematch, yet is much more lightweight. There is also the bonus of no drift issues with the thumbsticks, and ultra-low latency (0.125ms).
