The four class scar of a console table generation is an crucial milestone . It ’s in the main a halfway point , where the first few twelvemonth of ballyhoo settles into routine . That presents a challenge for third - party supplement manufacturers who always need to find new slipway to spice up intersection like headsets and controller for player who have accumulated plenty of good add - ons over the class . How many more ways can you make the same product feel fresh ?
That ’s the challenge Scuf confront with its in vogue Xbox controller , theValor Pro . The raw pumped gamepad brings some premium features to Xbox Series X / S and PC players , though nothing that ’s exactly new . There are no shortage of ways to get back boat paddle , adjustable triggers , onboard speech sound commixture , replaceable parts , and hall issue joysticks on a controller in 2025 . The Valor Pro collects all of those disparate staple into one $ 100 leverage , but it ’s a hard sell now than it would have been in a less crowded market place three twelvemonth ago .
Design and comfort
There are a passel of features packed into the Scuf Valor Pro , but it ’s your standard Xbox controller at its core . It add up concluded with an 10 - shaped home push button and a conversant ABXY layout . Every button is where you ’d expect it to be and the build calibre palpate high enough , though I can see where its look buttons could get a petty unenviable over metre . The only major melioration over the standardXbox Series Xcontroller is that it includes Charles Martin Hall effect joysticks , which theoretically should make them more durable . Any premium controller would feel uncomplete without them in 2025 , so I ’m glad that the Valor Pro render out the gate .
There ’s less way for mistake in good order now than there was a few years ago now that the competition is sozzled .
As for the other side , the Valor Pro packs in four back buttons . There are paddle on either side that run into the clench and two lowly release between them that are regulate like crystals . The layout here is functional though a bit unusual . The back paddles take a bit of force to press down , while the central buttons click down with comfort . They ’re so raw , in fact , that players have the power to remove them altogether and slot flat stoppers in their place . I adapted to the smell after a while , but they do blench a chip next to some more creative competitors .
The back button layout has a slight encroachment on comforter , too . To declare it and get at those buttons , I find that I demand to evoke my grip a bit , letting my palms loom over the grips rather than lay perfectly flush against them . It does n’t feel quite as raw in my hands as a received Xbox gamepad .
Similarly sticky is its volume restraint method . With the Valor Pro , thespian can severally adjust their game and chaffer volume using two wheels nestled onto a ridge between the grip . Both cycle can be reached easily enough with my thumbs and pressed into mute either channel on the fly . The wheel are a routine stiff , though , and inset evenhandedly far back into the controller ’s frame . It take a few flicks to fully spin them , as I ’ll finish up by chance tone down channels if I press my ovolo in too hard so I can get a unfluctuating revolution in .
None of these queerness are enough to make the Valor Pro feel cheap . It still feels like a upstanding gamepad that ’s still passably comfortable once you find the best elbow room to hold it . It ’s just representative of a function theme with the Valor Pro : There ’s less way for erroneous belief decently now than there was a few years ago now that the competition is sozzled .
Customization and features
Where the Valor Pro looks to fend out is in its customization potential , an area where Scuf thankfully stand out . There are several theatrical role that can be easy removed and replaced here thanks to magnetic parts . That begin with the translucent faceplate , which can be flick off with little drive and just as easily popped back on . Even if you only broadly speaking fit it where it call for to be , it will firmly snatch up into topographic point and stay there .
The parts underneath the faceplates can be removed too . Both control stick can be plucked off with simplicity , as can the D - launch area ( though it takes a small trial and error to figure out the best room to get a grip on it ) . The only design queerness is that it can be a bit cunning to slot the joysticks back on , as there ’s a fairly thin slot in the capital that the faculty want to be slotted into . The back clitoris have that trouble in reverse , as they can be bunglesome to jimmy off ( by path of a thin fingernail groove ) , but they slot back in with ease . Even with some inconsistency across the board , there ’s some smashing design ingenuity here for folks who hump to tinker with parts .
What ’s more unsatisfying is how little actually comes with the package debate its price tag . For $ 100 , you only get two extra joystick and a pair of back button stoppers . You ’ll have to pay extra if you want unlike sticks or D - pads . It also only comes with one moderately sorry faceplate and additional single will be you $ 30 . commonly a premium packet like this come with a few extra parts — just expect at the excellentVictrix Pro BFG . The Valor Pro feels a act meagerly by comparison , though I imagine that any more extras would have made for a pricey package judge by Scuf ’s other controllers .
In term of actual input customization , the Valor Pro does pack in some courteous extras . First , there are its gun trigger , each of which can be deepen to a quick water tap via two easy - to - reach levers on the back . When I lock one in shoes , it fundamentally turns that induction into a short button press that flick like a computer mouse . I did notice some awkward behavior with the trigger during my testing , though . While playingAvowed , I observe that impart trigger time lag were n’t always registering . Every once and a while , I ’d postulate to press it down again to access my grimoire ’s spell menu . I care about the long full term lastingness here if that ’s already chance in a few calendar week .
As for the back button , each one can be remapped to your liking . There ’s also a visibility button between them , which holds some canonic layout presets ( ABXY , D - launching pad , etc ) . That ’s a handy feature , though it can be a little awkward to expend on the tent flap . When I switch profiles , I momentarily lose button functionality until I make a natural selection . All that mean is that this is the kind of controller you ’ll demand to set to your liking before you start rather than seek to make quick tweaks during gameplay .
Limited use
When I list out the features , it sounds like the Valor Pro is load enough to vindicate its toll tag . The reality , though , is that it ’s mostly doing what its rival are doing with an excess part upsell on top . That already makes it a tough proposition , but that gets a bit harder thanks to some of its limited functionality . For one , it ’s only a wired controller — an immediate sticking point look at the monetary value . course , you ’re pay for the customization here , but I ’ve rarely ever get a line a wired controller this generation be more than $ 80 . Its closest parallel is thePowerA Fusion Pro 2 , which switch in an extra faceplate , a carry case , and a third initiation lock position for a similar price tag .
The Valor Pro is a better value that it seems .
I ’ve had some issues with twist compatibility in my examination , too . The Valor Pro play with Xbox Series X / S and Windows 10/11 via a USB connection , though I found that some personal computer games were n’t aright recognizing it when plugging it in . I also tried touch base it to myRazer Handheld Dock Chromavia USB to recreate with a docked Steam Deck to no service . It shape most reliably as a wired Xbox restrainer , though I did race into one representative where I had to unplug it and stop up it back in to get my gimmick to register it .
As feature article fertile as the Valor Pro is , these little caveat do sum up up . It ’s fairly solid as an all - in - one controller that pulls every trendy third - party feature from the last four years into one place , but great deal of other gamepads do what it does better . Want a modular controller that you could potter with ? Get the Victrix BFG Pro . need a gamepad with onboard sound intermixture ? TheTurtle Beach Recondoes mode more for $ 60 . And of course , theXbox Elite Series 2is still the one agiotage comptroller to reign them all , even if it costs a pretty penny .
The Valor Pro is a better value that it seems , though ; I ’d argue that you ’re getting the features of a $ 180 controller here even with the tradeoff of its pumped up connexion . Heck , it ’s a steal compared to the the $ 200 + Instinct Pro . Scuf knows how to load a comptroller up with bells and whistles that feel so naturally implemented that they might not even register as spear carrier at first . It ’s fairly cost effective as a premium option , but that ’s largely because it does n’t total with much in the way of additional parts . You ’ll need to shell out for those , potentially bring your entire price back in line with thebest Xbox controllers .
All of this piss for a complicated recommendation . If you just want a controller that palpate premium enough out of the box and do n’t mind play wired , the Valor Pro is a fairly serious option even with its quirks . Beyond that , it ’s outclassed by other rival that either go through similar features better or include more in the box for a reasonable amount extra . A Scuf accountant is a consignment , as you ’re investing in one go - to gamepad that you could tweak over time with component part . Whether or not it makes sensation to start that process four class into the Xbox Series X ’s life is up to you .
