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Pick up the Razer Wolverine v3 Pro for the first time and you might accidentally mistake its predecessor for a practical joke. Albeit, before this I’d only used the non-Pro v2; far from the build quality of the v3 Pro. The latest edition of the Wolverine offers enough of the bells and whistles you’d expect from an esports-ready controller but with its fairly standard pricing you’re going to have a hard time differentiating it from the key competitors without digging deep into specs and features.
Available for $199.99 in the US and £229.99 in the UK, the Razer Wolverine v3 Pro is far from a cheap controller to add to your collection. You might find the DualSense Edge at a similar price point, but you’re going to get a much cheaper deal with the SCUF Instinct Pro. You’re already thinking, why bother with Razer’s? Well, it has a few hidden tricks up its sleeve that make it a very worthwhile investment.
Features
Like hard drives and chip-and-pin cards being replaced by SSDs and contactless, hall-effect thumbsticks are the next level up from potentiometer powered sticks. And, it’s going to save you heaps of money in the long run. With these you’re going to enjoy a stick-drift and inaccurate-deadzone-free experience that you might not have noticed had I not pointed it out. The simple clause that you will never have to replace the thumbsticks in the Wolverine v3, unless you have a tendency to break things, gives it a huge advantage over peers such as the DualSense Edge that only feature hot swappable modules.
The eight-way D-Pad is a nice addition, especially if you’re into fighting games. Pulling off combos in both SF6 and Guilty Gear feels much easier thanks to the reduced proximity between activation points, and with the tactile switches underneath you’re going to hear the precise moment of actuation too. This sounds ideal, at least on paper. In reality, it’s so easy to activate two directions simultaneously that you might end up fluffing your input entirely, so perhaps this controller is better served to fighting game experts. Who am I to talk anyway … I was exclusively playing in training mode.
The configurable paddles on the back are a nice touch. They can’t be removed, so if you find you have no use for them, unlucky. Like every other button on the controller, they’re clicky and tactile, exactly what you’d expect from the paddles. There are four of them, and you can map them via Razer’s proprietary software which I will get to later.
On top of the controller, you’ve got your triggers. The bumpers are fairly standard and, again, tactile. Behind them, you’ve got the Razer Pro HyperTriggers. They’re modular to an extent. With the lock on the back surface, you can flash between pressure sensitivity or binary. Most ordinary triggers are pressure sensitive, meaning they activate after a specific threshold. You can disable that entirely, and have the trigger lock into a ‘Mouse-click’ mode that activates at the slightest press. Between the triggers and bumpers, there’s another programmable button that sits nicely between the two without ever being a nuisance. If you’re a Claw Gripper, you’re going to like these.
I’ve always thought that designing a Pro controller must be a pretty difficult exercise in restraint. From a frontal view, you get none of the high-tech cyberpunk mumbo-jumbo that makes other Pro controllers look so unappealing. Similarly, beyond just the looks, there are times that the Razer Wolverine v3 feels nothing like a Pro controller in your hand, and I think that’s a very good thing. The distinct lack of clutter helps keep the controller feeling comfortable and lightweight in your hands, while the relatively small number of additional features mean randomly misclicking haphazardly added buttons and triggers is rare.
Performance
When it comes to the actual performance of the Razer Wolverine v3, the hall-effect sensors do a lot of the heavy lifting. The range of 11-12% error between the left and right stick is far lower than what you’d expect from a regular controller.
The main competitor for the Razer Wolverine v3 is the SCUF Envision Pro, the only controller I would say matches it in terms of performance. Most of the games I play while testing controllers are fighting games, and input responsivity is key here. Like the Envision Pro, the Wolverine v3 hangs up the membrane D-Pad, alongside the membrane face buttons. Even PlayStation were reluctant to do this with the Edge. The result are face buttons that snap and crackle when you press them, but also actuate much faster than membrane ones. While it might feel different than what you’re used to, or even cheaper at times, my personal philosophy is that all controller buttons should be tactile switches. Razer, you win points for this.
The 1000Hz polling rate while in wired mode is the perfect solution for esports and competitive gamers. Included in the box is a 10ft USB-Type C cable, but there’s a wireless dongle too.
The Razer Wolverine v3 looks good. It’s slick, simple. There’s not much to say really. Everything looks good in its matte black coat. The rubber grip around the controller handles feels professional and comfy. I’ve not yet used the controller enough to find out if it’s going to be one of those that gets sticky, so stay tuned, I will update this page in a week.
I’ve had a lot of very good things to say about the Razer Wolverine v3 so far, and not much critique. If I’m being honest, it might be one of the best Pro controllers you can buy right now. Returning back to a regular Xbox controller is going to be a tough ask after trying this one out. It’s comfortable enough so much it never feels like you’re holding something as heavy as the DualSense Edge, and there’s a little more going for it than the Envision Pro thanks to the Hall Effect sticks. The Razer Wolverine v3 is a tidy bit of kit, and if you’re serious about esports, definitely consider it.
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