The first thing you’ll observe about Razer’s Raiju Ultimate is how significant it feels in comparison to other PS4 offerings, like Sony’s standard DualShock 4, or even SCUF’s comparably high-end Vantage: it weighs in at a noticeably hefty 352 grams/0.77 pounds, and it’s immediately apparent how dense and physically solid this peripheral is. Unfortunately, you can’t adjust the mass of of the Raiju Ultimate like, say, Nacon’s Revolution Pro 2 controller, so if you’re not a fan of heavier accessories, there aren’t any swappable weights to change out.
With its traditional side-by-side analog sticks, the Raiju Ultimate is decidedly more DualShock 4 than Xbox One gamepad, a design choice that honors traditional PS4 input layout, but is sure to disappoint gamers who prefer Microsoft’s off-kilter alternative (for those players, the cheaper Raiju Tournament Edition is highly recommended). The metal sticks feel absolutely sublime, though they may come across as a bit loose to some – it’s not that whipping back to center is delayed or anything, but they do reset in a slightly relaxed manner, especially when compared to options like SCUF’s Vantage or even Sony’s pack-in controller.
Magnetized thumbstick tops can easily be pulled off and switched out for any of the included concave or convex rubberized options, even one that adds some nice height to the mix. The same goes for the two pack-in directional pads, though each possess a sort of cheap plastic rigidity, so neither feel ideal. Conversely, the Mecha-Tactile face buttons, as well as the Chroma-outlined touch pad, are a pure joy to press. Honestly, it’s difficult to use anything else after experiencing the clicky goodness of the Ultimate’s action inputs. Similar to the original Raiju, there are four extra multi-function buttons on the Ultimate that can be quickly programmed with either the bespoke app or on-the-fly with button combinations and vibration confirmation: M1 and M2 sit between the L2 and R2 triggers (which can be adjusted with switches to be hair triggers) while M3 and M4 have been smartly flattened and now conveniently rest toward the back of the Raiju’s handles, though during heated gaming sessions, it’s still way too easy to accidentally press them.
Razer’s Raiju Ultimate is a big improvement over the original Raiju controller, offering superb build quality, plenty of customization options and largely dependable wired functionality. That said, annoying latency, especially in Bluetooth mode, may be enough to keep this pricey esports gamepad from reaching must-have status. If you liked this post then you may like some others so please check them out.
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