Scuf Valor Pro review: premium Xbox controller is a fine runner-up

digitaltrends.com:

Scuf Valor Pro MSRP $100.00 Score Details Pros

• Hall effect joysticks are a plus
• Handy onboard audio mixing
• Easy trigger locking
• Lots of customization potential

• Tricky audio wheels
• Awkward back buttons
• Few extra parts included
• Pricey for a wired controller

The four year mark of a console generation is an important milestone. It’s generally a halfway point, where the first few years of hype settles into routine. That presents a challenge for third-party accessory manufacturers who always need to find new ways to spice up products like headsets and controllers for players who have accumulated plenty of good add-ons over the years. How many more ways can you make the same product feel fresh?

That’s the challenge Scuf faces with its latest Xbox controller, the Valor Pro. The new wired gamepad brings some premium features to Xbox Series X/S and PC players, though nothing that’s exactly new. There are no shortage of ways to get back paddles, adjustable triggers, onboard sound mixing, replaceable parts, and hall effect joysticks on a controller in 2025. The Valor Pro collects all of those disparate staples into one $100 purchase, but it’s a tougher sell now than it would have been in a less crowded market three years ago.

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Design and comfort

There are a lot of features packed into the Scuf Valor Pro, but it’s your standard Xbox controller at its core. It comes complete with an X-shaped home button and a familiar ABXY layout. Every button is where you’d expect it to be and the build quality feels high enough, though I can see where its face buttons could get a little sticky over time. The only major improvement over the standard Xbox Series X controller is