The new Asus ROG Raikiri 2 Xbox Wireless controller has been announced, and it looks like a second iteration of a pad done right.
With deliberate and carefully chosen changes, plus a handful of very worthwhile upgrades compared to its predecessor, it looks like it will successfully breathe new life into a tried and true design.
Even in a market that’s bursting at the seams with a wealth of alternatives, it’s an upcoming Xbox and PC controller that offers a bunch of features that will surely make it an attractive choice, especially for those looking for every edge in competitive online gaming.
Although there’s no confirmed price point yet, it will surely offer a compelling controller proposition when it graces digital and physical shelves.
Ally-d design
Right off the bat, the overall look of the Raikiri 2 looks like it has a lot in common with the upcoming Asus ROG Ally Xbox handhelds, and there’s a clearly planned shared design language here.
First is the overall shape, not to mention its layout. There’s also the strange, almost Dorito-chip look of the Xbox button, close to identical shortcut buttons, plus similar-looking and feeling thumbsticks. It’s even covered in the same kind of decals, tiny letters spelling out ‘ROG XBOX’, that cover swathes of both this controller and the upcoming handheld.
It’s a good look, though, and, like the handhelds, has slick and premium written all over it. I especially like the variety of textures across the surface of the gamepad, which lends it a nice tactile feel, not to mention the swanky RGB ROG logo and subtle strip of lighting around the grips.
But that’s not all: there are tangible innovations in the bumpers, LB and RB, which are now more rounded and a bit longer for improved ergonomics, and a bunch of work has gone into adjusting the placement of the back buttons in order to make them far easier to use.
The design also ditches the OLED panel and DAC (to mention just two features) found in Asus’ last pro-level controller – making for a simpler package that doesn’t come with any extraneous features.
Under the hood
There have also been lots of less obvious changes. The most significant one is the move micro switches on the face inputs and the D-pad. These more sensitive and tactile inputs can reportedly reduce travel distance and press force by up to half so you won’t have to worry about an unresponsive controller letting you down in the heat of battle. If you have particularly fast reaction times, this might even put you at an advantage.
These switches work in tandem with a ridiculous polling speed (on PC in 2.4Ghz mode, that) where players can enjoy a response rate of up to 1000Hz. That is blisteringly fast, though there are still higher spec options out there. Even with the likes of the Wolverine V3 Pro 8K PC controller purportedly offering 8000Hz, this is still a robust showing from the Raikiri 2, and will be more than enough for most players, and certainly casual players looking for a more pro peripheral
Dual mode triggers are a mainstay on high-end pads and appear here, with actuation being controlled by a switch on the back that toggles between short presses (ideal for first-person shooter games) to the longer press distance that’s ideal for the analog input required in racing titles.
However, one big surprise in the pad, for me, is the inclusion of tunnelling magnetoresistance (TMR) thumbsticks – not Hall effect ones. TMR is an upgrade compared to Hall effect and is fast becoming the new top-tier in thumbstick tech.
Offering more precision and longer durability, it’s a great feature to have, though it might be one that pushes a pad’s price up. I thought that Hall effect was going to be the standard in third-party gaming controllers for a while, but the Raikiri 2 might be proving me wrong…
Regardless, what this does mean is that there’s almost no chance of stick drift (he says, optimistically), but also far greater precision in gameplay.
The hard case shown off alongside the controller looks sturdy but, even without knowing the controller’s price tag, I’d expect that to be included. Like the case included with the Xbox Elite Series 2, it even lets you charge the controller while it’s being stored – a handy option that I wish all my controllers had.
The charging stand is pretty slick too – it’s a solid stand in itself, with some fun RGB to it too. It’s not only a charger for the pad, but it even acts as a signal booster too when plugged into the machine you’re playing on.
As for price? Well, as previously mentioned, Asus is keeping that card close to its chest for now, but I reckon something in the region of the price of the Raikiri Pro controller, which was $149.99 / £149.99, is a safe bet.
All of this considered, the new Asus Rog Raikiri 2 Xbox Wireless controller looks like it will be the complete package when it releases.
If you’re a fan of the brand, the design of its new Xbox handhelds, or have just been waiting for a premium new Xbox controller offering that crams an awful lot of top-level features, then this might be exactly what you’re looking for.
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rob.dwiar@futurenet.com (Rob Dwiar)
