FLYDIGI Vader 4 Pro PC Controller Force Adjustment Lever Joystick Hall & Micro 2-in-1 Triggers 1000Hz Report Rate Stereo Vibration 800mAh Multi-Platform Controller for PC/NS/TV/Android/Laptop

Before I start, I want to say that I recommend watching reviews of this controller on YouTube. (I’m going to comment on my specific unit). There is no shortage of them given the hype surrounding this unit and FlyDigi’s high-profile status. Personally, I would recommend the one by Gamer Heaven. Pugh’s Review was also good, and I assume VCuda’s will also be good once he finishes editing it. (All 3 have no problem calling out a problem if they see one, so I’ve come to trust them).I’ve only just started using this controller (on Ghost of Tsushima, and tested the d-pad specifically on FighterZ), but when I first picked it up….wow, I was floored. It had the best hand-feel I’ve experienced yet. Had enough weight that it felt of sound build-quality. I’m very glad they decided to add texture to the back, and this is the first time I’ve seen the texture on the “face” of the bumpers (L1 & R1), as opposed to the underside of them (which SHOULD be the norm, but isn’t for whatever reason). The buttons are in good positions and they all actuate very well.Honestly, the bumpers and triggers are the best I’ve ever felt. FlyDigi is known for good bumpers (--- as far as I’ve heard, I’ve only had the Vader 2 previously but this applies to them, too), able to actuate them with any part of your finger (tip, middle, etc). When in analog-mode the triggers are the best I’ve felt. Previously even triggers I’d consider good still felt hollow and I could imagine seeing an empty trigger push a little spring down to the magnet sensor (assuming hall-triggers). These however, feel “full”. This might just be because of the vibration in the triggers, but it definitely makes me feel more confident in the build quality. In digital/stopped mode, the triggers have a very satisfying click. Lastly, with the Vader 2 my biggest gripe was that when you pressed the triggers all the way in with the body of your index finger (I tend to do this, as opposed to the tip, clicking), you’d hit the shell of the controller because they depressed so deeply. With the 4 Pro, the body doesn’t jut out as much and the triggers don’t sink so deeply, so it feels much better even with my (possibly) atypical pressing method.Speaking of controller vibration, this is my first controller to have vibration that is more advanced than the typical half-cylinder spinning in the handle, and I must say it CLEARLY feels better. I didn’t think I’d care, but it’s pretty cool.The mechanical face buttons are great. Not much more to say. It’s my second controller with them and I really prefer them. The 6 macro buttons, despite not being mechanical, all actuate well and are in *good enough* spots. The 2 under the body aren’t quite as good as the 2 under the handles, but they’re fine. Personally, I think manufacturers should place 2 each under the handles (it’s rare, but I have seen this set-up. Unfortunately, not on any hall-effect controller). Also, what would really put this controller even further over the top, would be moving C & Z (or just adding 2 more buttons) to the shoulder area (by the bumpers & triggers). Ditch the cell-phone holder attachment point, I doubt many people use that. 2 buttons there are very ergonomical (on other controllers I’ve used), and you don’t have to take your fingers off the sticks to use them, like you would with C & Z at their current locations.The sticks are great, as are the tension rings. They’re easy to change and the sticks rotate smoothly at various tensions. Before this even came (which, it came in a couple days despite predicting a couple-weeks (ie: directly from China) -so, bonus points here), I purchased FlyDigi replacement (taller) sticks, and they attached very easily (and I really noticed the difference). If you’re interested in those – get them from AliExpress. They’re under 1 dollar there, compared to 20-something on Amazon (& zero shipping!). I tested the stick circularity on both the circular & square algorithms, and I’ll just summarize by saying they were very accurate. At first the snap-back didn’t *seem* great, but that’s because the controller is more transparent in regards to the actual values being produced (while some controllers run algorithms but don’t tell you). When the sticks are not moved for 3 seconds, they auto re-calibrate to a perfect center (assuming you leave that option switched on).ADENDUM (because I didn’t get around to posting this review right away): While video reviews I watched said the tension rings “probably” wouldn’t move during gameplay, that it took some effort – I’ve found this to be untrue, at least when you have the sticks set looser. I began playing a game without aiming (the right stick is just a camera), so I made both sticks 3 notches above Min, and with a gameplay session (2ish hours) with lots of flicking the camera around (I like to take in the whole environment, lol), I found it went 1 or so notches looser (& this has happened enough for me to accept this will continue to happen). When I was playing GoT & had the right stick at max (for bow-aiming), it never did this, though. For whatever reason, the left stick didn’t seem to get more loose (though, if you were playing a FPS with erratic back & forth flicking, I could see this happening). If your right stick isn’t for aiming, & already set fairly loose, it shouldn’t matter if it’s getting even more loose (based on that game style), but I wanted to be clear that it’s something that happens. I tried setting them to 4 above Min, and didn’t find them to have moved at all, after that.As I said, I tested the d-pad in a fighting game, doing quarter-circle movements, and it was as smooth as butter. Like with the sticks, I don’t have much more to say, the quality is very good.The battery life has been great so far (no light, and moderate vibration). I charged it once “accidentally” because I thought it died, but actually I had somehow hit the mode button over to Switch-mode (& it stopped working in my PC game). Since that charge, I still haven’t had to recharge it for decent number of 2ish-hour gaming sessions. (I don’t know about most people, but something like 6+ hour sessions are rare for me, so anything really is fine. I keep a back-up wired controller nearby, and I don’t mind plugging a wire into this controller if it comes to it).Finally, the software suite is great. I was familiar with the older version used with the Vader 2, and this one adds even more options. No complaints so far (though I do echo the sentiment that it would be nice to be able to change the window-size).

After having three Microsoft Xbox controllers break within months of buying them (and one of them had stick drift brand new right out of the box--utterly useless), I finally had enough and bought the Vader 4 Pro. I've been using it for about 3 months now, and I will never look back. The customization is great, the Flydigi Space Station PC app works awesome for rebinding keys (including a dozen other ways to customize from deadzone and sensitivity settings to creating macros), the clicky buttons are better than the Microsoft squishy membrane ones, rings on the face of the controller that you can rotate to loosen or tighten the feel of the sticks (genius), adjustable triggers that allow for a half-pull, the extra buttons (on the face and on the back) are equally great (or can be completely disabled via the PC app and ignored), and the hall effect sticks will never drift (or so the tech gurus say). It's got the same form factor (size and weight) as the Xbox controllers, so there's really no downside. If you wanna fancy it up, you can get rubberized add-on stickers to wrap around the grips (I bought them too right here on Amazon, and they work great, giving the controller a premium feel). And if you've been using (and sometimes struggling with) stick toppers like KontrolFreek grips, you can chuck that crap for good. The sticks on the Vader 4 Pro pop right off and can be replaced with taller or shorter sticks if you're that kind of person. I am using the tallest 10mm sticks on this puppy, and it's all good, don't miss my KontrolFreeks one bit. This is a total recommend without reservations. Link to stick pack here> https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0D5GL4LCZ?ref_=ppx_hzsearch_conn_dt_b_fed_asin_title_2

I'm mostly a PC gamer. For decades, I used the mouse and keyboard almost exclusively because I could never get used to a controller. Sure, I've had consoles in the house for the family. From Atari to Xbox Series S. None of the controllers did anything for me really.The specific problem I wanted to fix recently is that.... I like and miss driving games, but a racing wheel is a pain in the asphalt to set up and use. And, playing driving games with a mouse/keyboard is wholly unsatisfying. I also don't like using the analog stick for steering either. It's just not fun. I needed gyro for that.I did some research and I stupidly decided on the Sony Duelsense for PC. Don't do that. It doesn't work correctly most of the time, and even if it does, it's after copious amounts of fiddling with drivers, extra software, services etc.So I looked again. Did more research. This Flydigi Vader 4 Pro kept popping up in results, so I looked closer. I decided to give it a shot and ordered one.It was delivered the same day (!) and after searching a bit for the software, was able to get it fully running with none of the fiddling and hair-pulling that I had experienced with the Duelsense.Gyro gaming is all handled in profiles within the Flydigi software. Select a driving profile, tweak what you want, fire up your game. Want to switch to a shooter with gyro? Ok there's a hotkey combo for that, or go switch the profile in the software. Couldn't be easier. Also, it doesn't matter if the game is on Steam, Epic, GOG, Prime, whatever. They just worked. THat was a huge problem I was having with the Sony controller.I LOVE the fact that it has 6 extra buttons that the Xbox and PS controllers don't. M1- M4 on the back and 2 extra buttons below the A and B buttons (C and Z). I was able to map all of my Skyrim and ESO hotkey items to those extra buttons.The ONLY criticism I would have for this controller is that right now, the software is a little difficult to find. Their website is not functioning as of the time of me writing this review, so I had to go into forums and find someone who had it up on a shared drive. After grabbing that, the software updated itself, updated the firmware on the controller and everything worked perfectly. And no, I wasn't hacked :)Do yourself a favor and buy this controller if you are even the slightest bit interested in quality controller gaming, but don't want to pay premium prices.