Thank you PDP/Turtle Beach for sending us this controller to review!

Modular controllers are a unique niche in the ever-growing controller market. Thrustmaster was the first to do this as far as I can tell, and I reviewed their unique approach to this here. It's a great controller, with some serious flaws; the most glaring being a lack of wireless connectivity. Another big flaw is that the fighting game module is implemented in an awkward way, with only the new buttons to support remapping; this means rather than the controller mapping to what the game expects, you have to map the game to what the controller expects. PDP must have seen this otherwise good product and realized they could do it better - and in many key ways, they did. Thus enters the Victrix Pro BFG.

Before I get into specifics, I should probably point out that the version reviewed here is the Call of Duty - Field OP version for PlayStation 5. This Call of Duty - Field OP version has a gray and black aesthetic, along with some Call of Duty artwork on the top of the controller. Normally, I'm a pretty utilitarian guy - make it work well, and I don't care much about how it looks. But this controller is absolutely gorgeous. The color scheme, along with the front paint looks just incredible. With that said, the more basic color versions have a lower MSRP by $20, and are often on sale for even less. I can't speak to whether the pretty finish is worth the money, but just keep in mind that while this is an expensive controller, part of that is because it just looks so good. And I don't even play Call of Duty!

PDP took a different approach to modular controller design with this Victrix Pro BFG. Unlike the single, per unit modules held in with magnets as Thrustmaster did it with their eSwap X2, PDP has two module sections, each held in by small hex screws. Each module covers two units of control; one on the left, and one on the right. The left module covers the left analog stick and the D-Pad, both of which can be swapped in position, if you prefer an Xbox or PlayStation-style layout. I prefer the Xbox layout most of the time, unless I'm playing a precision-heavy 2D platformer, where having the D-Pad on the upper left is preferable. The D-Pad is a membrane type, which some gamers like better, while others like the microswitch one used by some of the competition. While I slightly prefer microswitches, implementation goes a long way. In this case, the membrane D-Pad here is fantastic. More on that later, but it definitely holds up.

On the right side, there is installed a module with the standard buttons and right analog stick out of the box. Like the left module, this is removable, but unlike the left module, it cannot be rotated to put the stick in the upper right. But what you can do is swap it out with the included FightPad module. This thing is nothing short of amazing, blowing away all of the six face button competition I've tested. More on this later also, but it's great.

It would have been enough for PDP to implement this really nice module system, include the hex-bit tool needed to swap them around and call it a day. Fortunately for us, PDP went well above and beyond, including a nice storage/carrying case, a high-quality USB-C cable, the 2.4GHz wireless dongle, and even more ways to customize this controller. You can swap the thumbstick caps; the defaults are nice concave ones, but if you prefer one to be convex, you can swap one of them. There is also a longer-stemmed stick that many like to use for shooters, like Call of Duty. I personally left the default stick in place most of the time, but if you want to swap them, you firmly pull up on a thumbstick, and it just pops right off.

Where this thing is really unique is that they didn't stop there. The D-Pad has an inset design where you can literally pull the cap off and swap the top of the D-Pad. What this means is if you like the classic cross D-Pad, one is included for you. That's not actually the default, though. The preinstalled D-Pad doesn't look like one at all. It's a slightly concave diamond-shaped disc of sorts that you place your thumb on and move it around. It works surprisingly well, especially for fighting games. But for games where you activate menus, I prefer D-Pads with a more defined up/down/left/right. For those cases, I prefer the classic cross or the third included D-Pad, which is probably my favorite. This one is an interesting hybrid between the classic Sega D-Pad, and the Xbox One D-Pad. It has a clearly-defined cross, and then an indent in each diagonal, making it easy to tell just by touch where you're pressing. To swap D-Pads, you just pull up until it pops off, and you push down into place the replacement you prefer. There are guiding indents to keep you from putting it in wrong.

Despite being a membrane D-Pad, each press registers really well. The way it floats higher than most controllers makes it feel really good to me. When I tested this controller with fighting games like the classic Street Fighter 30th Anniversary Collection, I found that executing Dragon Punches and fireball attacks to be really easy to pull off. If you know anything about the Street Fighter II era, you would know that Dragon Punches are notoriously difficult; they are much easier to pull off in later titles. Given how well I was able to do, I'd say this D-Pad is pretty great.

Speaking of which, whoever designed the FightPad had plenty of time playing fighting games like Street Fighter, which it's ideal for. The buttons are larger, mechanical via microswitches, and feel so good to use. The six-button layout makes fighting games so much better, because having to use bumpers or triggers for heavy attacks just feels terrible in comparison. Also, out of the box, the button config lines up perfectly with Street Fighter V (and no doubt others), so no in-game configuration was needed at all. But if you do want to reconfigure the buttons, you absolutely can; more on that later. But just know that this FightPad is one of the highlights of this controller; if you love fighting games and prefer a controller over a fight stick, this may well be the best one around.

Being able to swap the stick positions, stick caps, D-Pad top, and FightPad is already a lot, but there is one final thing that PDP gives you the ability to swap out, and that's the analog stick gates. This is pretty amazing, and only fans of older Nintendo consoles would even know why you would want to do this. What this does is replace the circle around the analog stick (one or both, your choice) with an octagon instead. Older Nintendo systems like the N64, GameCube, and Wii include controllers with gates like this. While making circular motions is more difficult in this case, in its place you can much more easily make sure the analog stick is pointed in an exact cardinal direction, while still giving you some sense of analog freedom of movement. Certain moves, like Mario's side jump, really benefits from these guide corners. It can also be really handy when moving over thin areas for precision platforming. While I doubt I'll use these gates most of the time, if I'm playing classic 3D platformers, you better believe I'll consider putting them on! To my knowledge, PDP's Victrix Pro BFG line is the only modern controller with these optional octagonal gates.

Inside of the included controller storage case, there are pre-positioned foam blocks that have open slots for all of these included accessories. This even includes a small hex bit screwdriver. I like how compact it all is, making this controller case barely larger than any other high-end controller which includes one. I know this because I have four controllers from different manufacturers with included carrying cases - Turtle Beach, this PDP, Nacon, and the Thrustmaster one I purchased for the eSwap X2. This PDP is about the same size as the Turtle Beach, making it one of the smallest footprint controller cases I currently own. Space is used very efficiently, while protecting everything inside well.

As I mentioned before, this controller supports both wired and wireless connectivity. No matter how you connect, you can choose to in a PS5 mode, a PS4 mode, and a PC mode. If you are connecting to a PS5, you really only need PS5 mode, but if you connect in PS4 mode to a PS5, only PS4 games will see the controller, so it's best to use the right mode for what you are connecting to. One exception may be when connecting to PC; all modes work pretty much the same there, except PS4/5 modes support the touchpad while PC does not. There is no other practical difference, though you do need it in PC mode to adjust any settings on the controller with the Victrix Control Hub app. I was able to get the controller to work just fine in Linux via the PS5 controller mode; on some Linux computers the PC mode worked, and it didn't on others. Not a big deal for the penguin powered, since Sony wrote the in-kernel driver for PlayStation controllers, and in PS5 mode the Victrix works perfectly on Steam.

As for the Victrix Control Hub, well, this is unfortunately where things take a turn. Don't get me wrong - when and where it works, it works really well. But with the PlayStation version of the controllers, there is a compatibility issue with at least some Windows 11 computers. Enough where I wasn't able to get the app to detect my controller at all on several Windows 11 PCs, while it worked every time on Windows 10. I am not your average guy with just one PC and maybe a laptop; I have at least four computers that I call my own, and I could probably get more if I needed to. I'm a tech nut, and have lots of them for different purposes. All of that to say, I didn't just try it once and give up. UPDATE: I was able to get it to work on at least one Windows 11 PC. It turns out the software for my keyboard conflicts with the software for this controller!

For clarity, the controller works fine on Windows 11, you just can't configure it if the app doesn't detect it. On one machine, I used two virtual machines with a passed-through graphics card and USB controller, and tested this there. The two configurations are almost identical, with the same virtual hardware. The Victrix software detected the controller perfectly on Windows 10, and not at all on Windows 11. UPDATE: This virtual machine also has the conflicting keyboard software installed. With that said, the recommended registry file to import if you have problems did not resolve this for me. According to PDP support documents, the Xbox version of this controller does not suffer from this, so gamers looking for a PC controller may want to check that one out instead. After much trial and error and figuring out the Windows 10 (and eventually 11) workaround, I was finally able to check out the rest of the features. Thankfully, what I did discover was mostly excellent, with a few areas for improvement.

As one would expect, the menu is navigable by controller or mouse. From the main home screen, you can see the status of the volume, audio mode, mic mute, and mic monitoring. You can also go to the configure, diagnostic, support, or update menus. Update is for updating the driver or firmware; support give you quick access to the manuals, legal agreements, and customer service. Diagnostics gives you a quick and simple way to test out various aspects of the controller. The meat of what's here is in the configuration menu.

Here, you can configure buttons, back paddles, analog sticks, the L/R triggers, and the audio settings. There are three EQ modes listed, but it's unclear what they do, as there is nothing on-screen to indicate this. The audio settings are only used if you connect a headset to the 3.5mm jack on the bottom of the controller. It's worth noting that this audio jack only works on a PlayStation mode, not when using the PC setting. Another thing is that while the controller does support three onboard profiles, (these profiles impact every stored setting, from buttons to audio) you have to look at the controller to know what profile you are on, by pressing the rear profile button once (it has a people icon on it). Each profile is assigned a color, and the LEDs will briefly flash the color of the selected one. The app will respond and update depending on the profile you select, but it doesn't display what the active profile is. This is a misstep, in my opinion.

What isn't a misstep is the ability to remap buttons from the Configuration menu. Finally, a controller that lets you remap any button to any button! This is especially useful for the FightPad. For example, let's say you want to have the actions of the fight pad emulate a certain classic console, say the N64. That controller has an octal gate for the analog stick, and you can then swap to the FightPad, and configure the buttons to be exactly like the N64 had them. While the Thrustmaster disappointed me in this area, the Victrix is decidedly excellent, and passes this test with flying colors. You can also easy map or remap the four rear buttons as well, though they are positioned in such that I find them really easy to activate by accident, so I turn them off. But if you want that functionality, they are very easy to access and feel great to use. It's also worth pointing out that you can remap those rear buttons on the controller itself with key combinations, and that the app isn't required to change them.

The Analog Sticks configuration screen is not quite as good as some of the competition, as it lacks the ability to adjust response curves, though that's not really a feature I use much even with it available. I do appreciate that you can swap sticks or even invert them from there. Another feature that is important is being able to adjust the dead zones from the app. At first I thought this feature was missing despite being advertised; it turns out that it's there, but just really awkward to activate. You click on the stick, and press up or down to change it. Then a dot in the middle of the stick grows or shrinks. A very awkward interface, but once you know how to use it, it does work.

You can also customize the triggers by adjusting the dead zone, or even remapping what they do. I really appreciate the flexibility on offer. Do you want the right trigger to activate a D-Pad direction? You can do that. For most uses though, it's likely to match the default function, which is an analog axis, and these triggers have a pretty good amount of travel to them. There is a physical clutch that you can use to adjust the depth that the triggers can travel to reach 100%, and it works well. The only thing is that the location of the clutch buttons is easy enough to hit on accident, that I wish they were higher up. I've had to reset them to full travel countless times. It's not a huge problem, but one I've ran into.

Being a PS5 controller, there are some features that you might expect this controller to support. And one of them, the touchpad, does indeed work as expected. Unfortunately for us, Sony has decided that some features from the DualSense and DualShock 4 are not available at all for licensed third-party controllers. To be clear, this is not the fault of PDP, but Sony doesn't allow it. So that means that this controller lacks rumble, motion controls, and adaptive triggers. It's unfortunate that Sony doesn't share the goods with their controller licensees, as this controller is in every other way superior to the DualSense in my opinion. It's for this reason that if you play games on PC primarily, you may want to consider the Xbox version of this controller. With that said, every advertised feature does work as expected. If you are a fighting game enthusiast and wish to take your controller with you to tournaments, this PS5 version makes the most sense to use, as most tournaments use PlayStation as their fighting game platform of choice. This controller then makes a ton of sense, even if you practice on PCs at home with this controller. One last thing to note is that this controller will not wake up your PS5 from sleep; you'll have to press the power button.

The PDP Victrix Pro BFG Wireless Controller for PS5, Call of Duty - Field OP version (that's a mouthful, isn't it?) is one amazing and premium controller, with a plethora of features available. I will say that it's a shame that the polling rate, when connected wirelessly or wired, seems to be limited to 125Hz, which is the USB standard, at least on PC. Some of the competition does support a higher polling rate, like 250Hz or even higher. This won't likely impact most users, but it's worth noting. Even with that being the case, I still absolutely love this controller. The sturdy plastic, and the rubber coating around the grips makes it feel great in my hands. I will say that the rubber grips smell strange out of the box though!

Though not without issues, some minor and some bigger, I still absolutely love the PDP Victrix Pro BFG. It's my hope that the Xbox version fixes some of my issues; if that's the case, I would probably use that controller going forward, because if nothing else, these are some of the most comfortable controllers I've ever used. Nothing is perfect. But comfort, feel, and the incredible customization available here has led to one amazing controller that is absolutely worth a look if you're a fighting game fanatic, or you want some of the extensive customization available on this modular controller. It's a real shame that this PS5 version of the controller might have a hard time working with the app on Windows 11 in some configurations. I am grateful to have finally figured it out, though!