SCUF Reflex Pro controller review: Impressive DualSense alternative

Better than DualSense? We get hands-on experience with the Reflex Pro

Updated: Oct 19, 2023 10:45 am

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SCUF Reflex Pro controller review: Impressive DualSense alternative

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Table of Contents

4/5

Price

4/5

We’ve had the pleasure of testing out the SCUF Reflex Pro these last few weeks, and it definitely looks (and feels) to be a solid controller choice, especially for any fans of the PlayStation layout. It has a lot to live up to if it wants to rival Sony’s own PS5 DualSense Edge premium pick, but it does have its own fair share of features and customization to play around with.

If you’re looking for a high-end controller to play on your PS5 or PC, the Reflex Pro definitely does a good job of catering to your style. With their first go at a PS5 controller, they’ve certainly given Sony some solid competition.

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Pros

Responsive controls which feel natural
Comfortable hold with secure grip
Customizable thumbsticks and remappable back paddles
Easy to switch parts in and out
Slightly better battery life than the Sony DualSense Edge

Cons

Pricey, especially with optional extras
Weaker battery life than a bog-standard PS5 controller
No accompanying software to tinker with
Detachable faceplate can feel a tad flimsy

Dimensions	6.3″ x 4.17″ x 2.6″
Thumbstick Layout	Symmetrical
Battery Life	Over 8 hours
Trigger Type	Adaptive
Rumble?	Yes
Warranty	12 months

The SCUF Reflex definitely has a premium feel to it when you first pick it up, certainly in our time testing the controller, every time we picked it up, it felt premium. But even before that stage, on opening the box, you’re greeted with nice and neat packaging, complete with a user manual, warranty information, a braided USB cable, and a travel case to keep your new controller safe. It’s an impressive set that immediately left us wanting to jump into our favorite games and give it a spin. And that’s exactly what we did (testing everything from shooters to racing to fighting games, Mortal Kombat 1 a fan-favorite) we really gave the pad a workout.

Design & features

We built our custom SCUF Reflex using the Reflex Builder over on the site, coming out with a rather modest white design that resembles a pretty standard PS5 controller. Call us boring if you wish, we did at least go for added grip on the back and optional universal thumbstick grips. The added back grip is what really makes it the Pro, though you could opt for the FPS variant which features clicky triggers. There is a whole list of interesting designs for you to choose from, and the builder allows you to play around with colors per part and even thumbstick shape/length. SCUF proves that you can’t really go wrong with them if personalization is your thing.

There is a whole list of interesting designs for you to choose from, and the builder allows you to play around with colors per-part and even thumbstick shape/length.

The controller comes with extended thumbsticks which can easily be switched in and out once you get the hang of it. Likewise, there are four removable back paddles that can be remapped to your liking, with these new bindings saved to one of three profiles indicated by a unique color on the back profile button – these are preset to ‘FPS’, ‘Sports’, and ‘Racing’ profiles fresh out of the box. The racing preset in particular is great fun if you don’t have the luxury of the best racing wheel out there. It’s worth mentioning that the paddles don’t exactly act as extra key binds, as they are simply remapped to another existing button, nice if you want to keep your thumbs on the sticks at all times though.

Price

It’s no secret that you’re paying a premium price tag for this kind of gear. The base SCUF Reflex starts at $199.99, while the Pro sits at $219.99, meaning you essentially pay an extra $20 for grip on the back and a wider range of base color options. The jump up to the FPS model keeps the grip, ditches the rumble pack, and adds mouse click-like triggers for $249.99.

While we’re happy with the Reflex Pro, the price for your average consumer is a big ask. We also got the optional Catalyst thumbstick grips for $14.99, which feel great if you want a grippy, heightened thumbstick.

Performance

Since we went for the Reflex Pro, we stuck with the adaptive triggers and they feel fantastic to play with, as do the bumpers, which are cushioned yet clicky – not mushy. Face buttons also feel responsive and durable, with a flat shape akin to Sony’s own, although they are left unlabelled (which isn’t a problem if you know your triangle from your cross).

As for first-time setup, the provided steps got us connected wirelessly in no time. If you’re playing on PC, then you may have to source your own Bluetooth adapter/dongle, as the Reflex doesn’t come with one of its own. Failing that, the wired USB-C to USB-A cable connection worked with no complaints.

We got straight to playing with the standard thumbsticks before later switching out to a longer right stick for some FPS action. The extended stick didn’t take too long to get used to, though we’re not entirely convinced it improved our aim a great deal – some players swear by them though. Switching parts is simple, as they securely click in place. Though we admittedly had to check out a quick video tutorial so as to not break anything; the thin faceplate did feel a tiny bit fragile.

In conclusion, everything just feels natural, from the thumbsticks that glide smoothly to the nice and clicky paddles. If you don’t have much use for the paddles, you can always detach them or deactivate them by mapping them all to the Home Button as we did find ourselves triggering one every now and then by accident.

In conclusion, everything just feels natural, from the thumbsticks that glide smoothly to the nice and clicky paddles.

As a long-time user of Xbox controllers, it did take some time to return back to form regarding the left thumbstick and it never felt quite as comfortable. SCUF’s Instinct Pro is the alternative in this case though. The D-Pad does perform super well, nice and accurate for the likes of fighting games, whereas the stick struggled with quick double-tap dashing inputs without messing around with dead zones.

Once you’ve got everything set up as you like, the SCUF Reflex is effectively a more comfortable and customizable PS5 DualSense which feels built to last. We don’t have any major complaints, but the price tag is certainly a hard pill to swallow. It doesn’t have me ditching my own Xbox controller just yet, but anyone familiar with PlayStation will be more than happy to make the Reflex their new go-to. That being said, it’s hard to justify the price if you’re not making use of the paddles and on-board profiles.

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