When it comes to controllers, you're generally looking at three main tiers: budget, mid-range, and premium. And the assumption is simple—the more you invest, the better your gameplay. Enter PowerA’s new FUSION Pro Wireless controller for Xbox Series X|S, priced at $149.99/£149.99, firmly placing it in the premium category alongside the slightly cheaper (at the time of writing) Xbox Elite Series 2.
With that price tag, I was expecting nothing short of top-tier performance, unlike the leeway I gave PowerA's Advantage device with it being much, much cheaper. Thankfully, I was met with all the pro-level features you’d hope for when I unboxed it—extra back buttons, adjustable trigger stops, and, to my surprise, twistable thumbsticks to tweak their height. Then, I plugged it in, and the Lumectra lighting shone through, setting the scene for an enlightening gaming session.
Design
Visually, the PowerA FUSION Pro makes a strong first impression. Its Lumectra lighting is a real showstopper, transforming the basic black finish into something far more eye-catching. That said, the lighting is purely decorative. What interested me more were the controller's features and customization options, especially those that could improve gameplay.
First up, the quick-twist thumbsticks. These are an excellent feature, allowing you to adjust each thumbstick’s height independently and on the fly. This became particularly useful while playing XDefiant, as I could change thumbstick heights based on the weapon class I was using. However, I had some concerns about whether twisting the thumbsticks would affect their long-term accuracy. I will come back to this in the performance section.
Moving on to the three-way trigger locks, these can also be adjusted independently, which is great for shaving milliseconds off reaction times in FPS games. However, I found the layout of the switches less than ideal. To switch from full to short actuation on the trigger bumper, you have to flick a small, exposed switch left to right. The design here is a bit of an issue. More than once, I accidentally knocked the switch mid-game, changing the trigger height without realizing it. A vertical toggle or, even better, a protected switch like the DualSense Edge has, would solve this problem in my opinion, and make the controller more user-friendly during intense gameplay.
The back of the controller is actually a bit of a problem area for me, as it felt very overcrowded. For example, it has four additional buttons—two on each side—but they’re packed too closely together for my liking. This led to frequent misclicks, and while the buttons are super easy to press, that’s not necessarily a good thing. Swapping these buttons for paddles would likely reduce accidental presses and make the layout a little less button-heavy on the reverse side.
That said, I do appreciate the textured, rubberized grip on the back—it adds a premium feel and ensures the controller sits comfortably in hand. The headset dial on the front is another nice touch, making it quick and easy to adjust volume and mute audio. Plus, the controller comes with a solid carry case and a sleek charging stand, which you'll appreciate after the quoted 30-hour battery life starts to wind down.
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+ 3Performance
To put the PowerA FUSION Pro through its paces, I tested it across a range of games, from XDefiant to EA Sports FC and Forza Horizon 5, covering FPS, sports, and racing genres. To summarize my experience here, I would say the controller's gameplay-enhancing features definitely made an impact across all of these titles.
After some experimentation, I found my optimal setup for XDefiant: the movement joystick set to its shortest distance, the aiming joystick extended to its longest, with the trigger bumper on its shortest setting and the aim down sight bumper adjusted to mid-distance (the shortest setting didn’t register in-game. Would need to adjust in the settings to get it to work). With this setup, I logged some impressive matches and even set a quick time on XDefiant's assault course. I also noticed that the extended joystick heights improved my precision in EA Sports FC and Forza, adding a sense of control to both my dribbling and driving. Whether it was just in my head or not, I definitely felt like I was playing better.
To dig deeper, I ran some tests using controller testing software. At maximum joystick height, there was a noticeable increase in smoothness and fine control compared to the other two height settings—likely thanks to the contact-free magnetic sensors that keep the movements fluid. I also found that the shortest joystick length resulted in the fastest response times, which can be incredibly beneficial to in-game movements.
As mentioned before, I did have some reservations about the twist-to-adjust thumbsticks and their affect on the controller's accuracy. Turns out, I wasn’t entirely wrong—sort of. During testing, I noticed minor stick drift on both thumbsticks, which never returned dead center after adjusting them to different heights. This happened with two separate FUSION Pro Wireless controllers, which is a bit underwhelming given the price and the fact they’re equipped with hall effect technology. However, it’s worth noting that the drift was minimal; the thumbsticks were just slightly off each time. Fortunately, any significant drift can be countered by tweaking the deadzones in the PowerA HQ software if worse comes to the worse.
So, should you worry about stick drift affecting your gameplay with this controller? Not really. Could it get worse over time? Possibly, but it's hard to predict without using the controller for years.
click to enlarge + 3Software
For PC gamers, the FUSION Pro pairs seamlessly with PowerA's Gamer HQ software, which opens up a whole host of customization options alongside testing and calibration tools. Using the program, you can remap buttons, adjust dead zones, fine-tune audio and vibration settings, and even personalize that Lumectra lighting to your liking—pretty useful stuff.
The software itself is impressive. It immediately recognized the controller when I plugged it in, and from there, I could dive into the RGB lighting settings, adjusting the glow across four different zones. Then, in the Test/Calibration section, I discovered some less obvious input combinations for quick customizations. For example, holding the A button while moving a thumbstick lets you adjust its dead zones without needing to go through the software menus, making on-the-fly adjustments much more convenient. However, this section also revealed the minor stick drift issue when adjusting the thumbstick heights, as noted earlier.
One feature I appreciated is the ability to save up to three different profiles on the controller itself. This allows you to switch between optimized settings for different games without having to manually tweak everything each time—a really handy addition that I’m glad PowerA included to the customization side of things.
click to enlarge + 3Verdict
Overall, the PowerA FUSION Pro Wireless controller is a solid gamepad packed with a lot of gameplay-enhancing features that can help elevate your performance. However, I’m not entirely convinced it justifies its price tag, especially given some of the design and performance issues that detract from its overall appeal.
At the time of writing, this controller is priced $80/£80 higher than PowerA's new FUSION Pro 4 Wired controller, which I also have reviewed. Both models share nearly identical gameplay features—like the adjustable thumbsticks and trigger locks—so the wireless capability (which doesn’t extend to Bluetooth), the RGB lighting (which I didn't glance at mid-game), and an albeit good-quality carry case have to do most of the heavy lifting to justify the price difference. Also, as touched on earlier, the FUSION Pro Wireless is more expensive than the Xbox Elite Series 2 at the time of writing (depending on the retailer), which one could argue is the more well-rounded and customizable option for hardcore console gamers who are willing to make an investment at this level.
Don’t get me wrong—it’s not a bad controller by any means, and there’s definitely a place for a premium gamepad in this price range. However, I think there are better alternatives out there, especially if, like me, you’ve never really felt held back by your current controller. Personally, I’d rather put that money towards upgrading other parts of my setup and sticking with something a little more budget-friendly on the controller front.
Where to buy the controller *
* prices are accurate at the time of writing and are subject to change
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