Hyperkin's Drakong Goes Super-Cheap With a New Pro-Style Xbox Controller

Hyperkin's young sub-brand Drakong is putting retired a caller Xbox and PC controller, called The Challenger, that's planted firmly successful fund territory astatine conscionable $35. And, somehow, it's packed with pro controller carnal comforts that could marque it a existent contender successful a crowded tract of large controllers.

The Challenger looks and sounds similar a beauteous standard, pro-style controller. It's got textured grips and hallway effects sticks, 2 programmable backmost buttons, and adjacent haptic feedback, hallway effects analog triggers. It adjacent has a 3.5mm headphone jack connected its bottommost edge. It ships with a 10-foot USB-C cable, arsenic well.

So what corners did Drakong cut? Well, the evident 1 is successful the information that this is simply a wired-only controller. I'd beryllium funny to spot however it feels in-hand, too. Can you consciousness the seams connected your palms? Are the buttons clicky successful each the incorrect ways? Is the accepted four-way d-pad implicit trash?

That's each intolerable to cognize until a reviewer you spot gets their hands connected it, oregon you instrumentality the plunge yourself. Thankfully, astatine $35, it won't acceptable you backmost excessively far. The Challenger is disposable to bid today, astatine Amazon and Drakong says shipments volition commencement going retired connected July 9th.

Wes is simply a freelance writer (Freelance Wes, they telephone him) who has covered technology, gaming, and amusement steadily since 2020 astatine Gizmodo, Tom's Hardware, Hardcore Gamer, and astir recently, The Verge. Inside of him determination are 2 wolves: 1 that thinks it wouldn't beryllium truthful atrocious to commencement collecting crippled consoles again, and the different who besides thinks this, but much strongly.