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One of the controllers I've been most excited about this year is the untethered version of 2025's best value gamepad. The GameSir G7 Pro has blasted onto the scene in the last year, and at CES back in January, it was announced that GameSir was launching a PC-dedicated model that improves its polling rate from 1,000Hz up to 8,000Hz. Despite that being a fairly common polling rate in a lot of competitive mice and keyboards, most of the best PC controllers still top out at a 1K polling rate.
Despite being available for pre-order at GameSir's own website for the last little while, it's now available to buy at Amazon in the US and the UK, and it brings that newfound speed to the PC gaming masses for just $89.99.
The GameSir G7 Pro's only competition at that speed is the Razer Wolverine V3 Pro 8K. Interestingly, both products started their life as an official Xbox Series X controller, before their popularity led their makers to launch separate, Esports-tilted models for enthusiast PC players. GameSir is making quite the statement however, because its 8K G7 Pro is comfortably under $100, while Razer's Wolverine V3 Pro has kept its $200 price tag.
As I found when I tried the 8K model of the Razer Wolverine, its super-fast polling rate really doesn't make all that much of a difference in the grand scheme of things. Sure, if you play games competitively and you can tell the infinitesimal details of latencies and lag, you may feel a slight increase in responsiveness, but truth be told, most human reflexes are going to be unable to tell the difference in a latency rate that instantaneous compared to another TMR controller that boasts a 1K polling rate.
What's the point of these 8K polling controllers, then? Well, for starters, you're really buying peace of mind. If you play competitively, you don't want the risk of your hardware holding you back. If you buy an 8KHz peripheral, you're going to mitigate the chance of latency stopping you from winning a fight, getting a kill, or otherwise securing you a win.
Secondly, with TMR thumbsticks, the higher the polling rate, the more accurate you can be (in theory). TMR thumbsticks don't just have a higher resolution than Hall sensor ones (which allow a controller to register a thumbstick's position more accurately), but a TMR module can send signals at a much faster polling rate. With an 8K polling controller, you're essentially going to maximize the potential of the tech you have in your hands, as opposed to a 1K polling controller that's really not letting it show you what it can do.
It's sort of like driving a Bugatti Veyron down a 70mph speed-limited road. It'll feel good, and it'll respond to your acceleration almost immediately, but the car isn't really getting to showcase its potential.
Of course, GameSir is leaning into this higher polling rate with more than one of its controller collections. In recent weeks, the brand announced the revival of the GameSir Tarantula Pro, which is coming soon in Xbox and PC flavours. The PC 8K versions will offer players who prefer a symmetrical controller the chance to enjoy that polling rate, and I look forward to seeing how they compare to the G7 Pro 8K, which is next up on my controller review pile.
For my thoughts on the G7 Pro 8K Aimlabs edition, check back soon.
See also the best PS5 controllers, the best Nintendo Switch 2 controllers, and the best Nintendo Switch controllers.
