I'm someone who reviews controllers for a living, and I'm going to say something that a lot of big brands won't like. There is literally no reason that a pro gamepad should cost as much as $200. You can talk to me about build quality and extra features, and show me as many quirky designs as you like, but I'd still feel the same way. When budget brands are out here charging under $100 for their best PC controllers with similar features, all of the high-end options fall flat on their faces.
Sadly, I do not have a say in how much the latest and greatest gamepads cost, and I can't deny that some of the best controllers I've tested in the last year have launched to the tune of $200. As good as some of them are, it's hard for me to recommend them at full price. That's why Black Friday season is so great, because right now, you can sneak into the Christmas period with the Razer Wolverine V3 Pro in your stocking, having only spent $169.99 at Amazon.
I don't think any controller should cost $200, but the Razer Wolverine V3 Pro is one of few I think comes closest to justifying that cost. It does, despite my protests, have amazing build quality, it has six extra buttons for you to map and use in high-level gameplay, and it has some clever design perks that other controllers can't match.
If you've been shopping for a new pro controller for a while, the Wolverine V3 Pro, or its cheaper alternative, the Razer Wolverine V3 TE, might have been on your shortlist already. This has been one of the breakout gamepads of the last few years, and it's absolutely sent Razer's controller division on a tear with some of its latest models. Having just reviewed the PS5 equivalent, the Razer Raiju V3 Pro, I can definitely trace its design lineage back to the Wolverine V3.
What separates this controller from the rest, in my opinion, are two things. Firstly, the massive improvements it makes over previous Wolverine controllers. A lot of the time, the biggest brands can fail to listen to feedback and prefer to stick to their guns on a product design. It's not often we see the biggest brands course correct on a product that's been around for more than five years.
Previous Wolverine controllers were received well, but they had some massive flaws, like unusable back buttons and really mushy-feeling microswitch buttons (see my review of the Razer Wolverine V2 Pro, for instance). I think the V3 Pro is actually worth buying because it makes the improvements that were needed to modernize this gamepad against its current market - and the end result is all the better for it.
Secondly, I think Razer's signature design flourish with this controller makes it insanely speedy, which is a huge win for competitive players. Thanks to the use of Razer's Esports mice switches in all of the Wolverine V3's buttons, every press clicks in at lightning speed. You've no sooner twitched your finger than you're seeing your in-game avatar perform the split-section reaction you've just had, and with six extra buttons at your disposal, you really do feel as though the V3 Pro is giving you an advantage.
Given Razer is at the premium end of the high-end controller pricing spectrum, I'd be totally shocked if we saw the V3 Pro come down any lower over the next few weeks. We may be nine days out from Black Friday at the time of writing, but this is an early deal I wouldn't wait on.
- Razer Wolverine V3 Pro: $169.99 at Amazon
- Razer Wolverine V3 TE: $75.25 at Amazon
- EasySMX X10: $35.99 at Amazon
Keep up with more discounts over the next few weeks by reading up on Black Friday gaming PC deals, Black Friday Secretlab deals, and Black Friday Meta Quest deals.
