The ESWAP XR PRO is the Best Racing Controller I Ever Bought, But it Takes Practice!

Performance

This controller is built to be customised, but not like Scuf controllers where you order a custom layout and you stick with what you got. With this controller, you can make changes while you’re in the middle of a game, if you really wanted to. It comes with a multi-tool, a screwdriver on one side, a puller on the other.

This allows you to remove the triggers, as additional types can be purchased from Thrustmaster.

It’s also designed to make removing the D-Pad a lot easier.

You can pull out the D-Pad and the analogue sticks easily enough, and they’re all plug-and-play ready.

What’s interesting though, is that they can be placed in any of the slots.

How about a PlayStation stick layout?

Of course, the one we’re really here for is the wheel, which you can see in the lineup below.

It’s certainly interesting, and it has some durable rubber grip coating and ridges that make it very easy to control with your thumb.

Now, this is where things started to go wrong… sort of. Thrustmaster showed this stunning video of a lap time, then dropping in the wheel and beating that time. That didn’t happen for me, and I think it’s fair to say this controller made me worse at driving games. It’s not a natural feeling action for someone who has many thousands of hours using traditional analogue sticks.

On an analogue stick, you move it left to right. You can actually point it forwards or backwards at an angle too, and get whatever % of left or right angle you also applied still work, but overall, it’s freely moved and doesn’t hinder you. The wheel needs to be turned in a circle, no big surprise there. However, the tendency to start with your thumb on the right side of the wheel and try to turn left by pulling your thumb horizontally to the left is something I’ve done a lot on this wheel. You have to make a conscious effort to sweep your thumb in an arch to turn the wheel.

With a bit of practice, you get used to starting with your thumb resting at the 12 o’clock position. Then you can turn it down to the left or to the right more easily with 95° or rotation to either side before you hit a stopper that tells you you’re at full lock turning. What I do like is that you can let go and it springs back to mid, allowing you to give it little flicks in one direction and the pull it the other for some sweet drifting action.

And that’s where this controller really shines. Holding an exact angle on the analogue sticks is pretty much impossible, your thumb moves a tiny bit all the time and you’ll find yourself making many tiny corrections on the fly, which still works great, of course. However, hit the angle just right on the wheel and you can hold it there effortlessly and just control the drift with the throttle and brakes, and it’s noticeably better.

The controller feels great, all the buttons are snappy and responsive, the adjustable triggers are great, and the programmable back buttons are really handy. The wheel is a gimmick though, and one that’s not for everyone. It hasn’t made me faster, yet, but after about 100 hours of gameplay with it, I’m slowly learning to use it right. Muscle memory sometimes kicks in and I try to flick it like a stick and crash. However, when you get it right, the precision, especially in those long sweeping corners and drifts, is a real game changer and a lot of fun.