THRUSTMASTER HEART Controller, Hall Effect Gamepad with H.E.A.R.T. Anti-drift Technology (Xbox Series X|S & PC)

Good
Son happy

Overall a really great wired controller
This controller is very well built – if you’re looking for a controller with microswitches for every button, this has you covered – every button (except the triggers which are analog, and the L3/R3 buttons which feel similar to normal analog stick buttons) feels like a mouse button, basically, with a little tactile click when you’ve pressed it, so it doesn’t feel “mushy” like most membrane buttons do on typical controllers. The d-pad is also microswitches and clicks when you have pressed the directions, which was odd at first but I grew to like it quickly. The face buttons also don’t need to be pressed far to actuate as a result, which you may find that you prefer over normal controller buttons.The hall effect analog sticks feel solid, have a good amount of resistance, and are very accurate. It’s got two paddle buttons on the rear that can be programmed to behave like one of the other buttons on the controller using button combinations on the controller itself, and other button combos control the color and brightness (or off-ness if you prefer) of the controller’s light. It has a headset jack for console gaming, which as a PC gamer I don’t need, so I can’t say how well that works, but I expect it works just as well as any. There is a mute button for the headset jack on the bottom of the controller as well, in a position where you won’t hit it accidentally.The USB cable is detachable from the controller, which is a nice feature for all modern USB wired peripherals that aren’t “throwaway” devices — if your pet eats the cord, you can just replace the cord without needing to replace the entire controller. Good design choice.The controller itself doesn’t seem to attract dirt/oil like some of my other controllers do – this may have to do with the grips being textured plastic and not rubber/silicone, as well as the seams where the controller frame fits together being very thin. Another advantage to this is the grips won’t break down over time and get sticky feeling.I think this controller is likely to simply work for a very long time, between the hall effect analog controls, the microswitch buttons, replaceable USB cable, and the build quality. I think it should be a good solid controller for many years. (If it craps out on me, I will update my review, but it really doesn’t feel like it’s going to.)Relatively minor things I think could be improved:* The d-pad is actually squeaky when the plastic of the d-pad rubs against the controller frame a certain way. If I’m wearing headphones I don’t notice it, but if I’m playing a game without headphones on, the noise can be a bit annoying. If you’re not playing d-pad heavy games (as a retro gamer, I probably use the d-pad more than most people) you will probably never notice this at all. Despite this, the d-pad functions well; I like its design, I just need to figure out how to eliminate the squeak.* The printing on the face buttons is already starting to wear off a bit after a couple weeks of use. While most of us buying a game controller at this price point don’t need to see A on the controller to know that it’s the A button, I was surprised that the print started to wear this quickly since the build quality/feel of this controller is otherwise very good.

Not ergonomic at all
I really wanted to love this controller and trusted the countless sponsored advertisements surrounding this but sadly this controller did not live up to the hype.This controller is much “chunkier” than your standard controllers. The trigger buttons are super ridged and hard on your fingers. Only hours into playing, I was experiencing cramping through my entire right hand.The D-Pad (while not commonly used) is loose and allows for incorrect inputs very easily (I.e. pressing down could actually result in down+right). The shell body feels cheap and thin.The mechanical buttons were definitely nice with analog sticks smooth and almost felt “rubbery” on full rotation. But these minor perks didn’t sell me.I also experienced multiple initial connectivity issues. When using the usb-c cable and plugged into my PC, it took nearly 10 attempts of disconnecting and plugging back in, pressing the power button for it to finally register and sync up with my system. All in all, was expecting a lot more for the price and wouldn’t recommend this controller in its current form. Can only hope in future iterations the company re-evaluates the current design and quality.