EasySMX X05 Pro

After releasing a steady stream of quality controllers over the last year, the folks at EasySMX are back at it again.

Earlier this year, I had a great time putting the EasySMX S10 through it's paces - and I enjoyed it so much that it has become my default Switch 2 controller. I'm currently using it to play through Hyrule Warriors, and I'm loving every minute of it. And last year, our own Jason Dailey took a look at the EasySMX X05, which was more of an entry-level controller. Still, he came away from it with a great impression, ultimately scoring the X05 a 9/10. So when we saw that EasySMX was issuing a new version of that controller, we knew we had to jump on board. The track record for EasySMX is just too good to be ignored at this point; they are quickly becoming our favorite third-party manufacturer of gaming controllers.

And, I hate to break it to any haters out there, but EasySMX's winning streak is not going to be broken. The new EasySMX X05 Pro is another winner. This is a controller that doesn't do a ton of tricks, but with functionality this reliable and solid, it doesn't have to. I've played with some of the fanciest fancy-pants controllers out there, but there is no substitution for a device that simply feels good in your hands.

The first thing I noticed when I opened the X05 Pro box was the two-tone iridescent paint job on the controller. The look of this thing is absolutely stunning; depending on the lighting and the angle, it can appear either blue or purple. It reminds me of the paint I put on every single vehicle when I play Saint's Row, giving the controller a premium feel before you even pick it up. 

When you do pick it up, you notice right away just how solid X05 Pro feels in your hands. I was immediately reminded of a Stadia controller, which had a similar solid-state heft to it. The mark of a premium controller build, in my opinion, is that it feels like one solid object in your hands, not an assembly of various parts. It has no give, and it does not creak if you squeeze it a little bit. And that's how the X05 Pro feels, like it was carved from some greater object instead of being assembled from smaller plastic bits. (I looked it up: the official weight of the X05 Pro is 261g, for those that are interested. Stadia controllers are 268g, so my estimation was pretty darn close.) The controller is really nicely sized, with just enough tactile texture on the back to make it feel like it has the slightest amount of grippiness without being sticky.

Some of the primary features EasySMX is touting for the X05 Pro are the new silent buttons. EasySMX did some sort of manufacturing magic trick, injecting the buttons with silicone to quiet them down while still leaving them poppy and responsive. This is perfect for me, because I frequently have an easily disturbed two-year-old sleeping in a room next to my primary gaming space. I found the face buttons to be fairly standard noise-wise - not loud, but nothing special. They still make that little echoey "pop" when you press them. But the triggers, bumper buttons, and d-pad are extraordinarily quiet, to the point where I couldn't hear them while sitting next to my son on the sofa as he played Fortnite. He is a button-jammer, so this was a big deal. It is an interesting dynamic, because the buttons still feel responsive - they just don't make much noise. I had to pull out a variety of other controllers in my stable (I have a lot), and I can confirm that the X05 Pro is definitely the quietest. The triggers simply don't "click" when you use them, no matter how aggressive your shooting style is.  

Speaking of the d-pad, the Pro upgrades from the standard X05 by adding a rounded eight-point d-pad instead of the standard cross-configured four-point. I found the perfect game to try this out with, as the Mortal Kombat Legacy Kollection arrived almost in tandem with the X05 Pro. As a veteran of old-school PS1-style d-pads, I've now got arthritis in my knuckles, so I'm very appreciative of the way the X05 Pro's d-pad is a bit concave in the middle. The points of the cross are still raised enough that your thumb can tell exactly where it is on the d-pad, but the overall experience is much smoother than standard d-pads. I also, once again, appreciated the quiet performance of the d-pad, so my entire family could clearly hear my loud cursing as I failed over and over at various incarnations of Mortal Kombat.

I am somewhat allergic to gaming on my phone, so I split my time with the EasySMX X05 Pro between PC and Switch. I don't play my original Switch terribly frequently anymore, but I do still sometimes have reviews to do with it, so it's nice to have a new controller (my Pro Controllers are all pretty beat up at this point). I found getting started with the controller to be a breeze. There is a little toggle switch on the back of the X05 Pro, and you just slide it over to "Switch" position and hold a button to power on the controller. Then you put your Switch in pairing mode, and it syncs right up. Syncing with a PC is even easier - you just plug the little USB widget into your PC, slide the toggle to the correct position, and turn the controller on. It syncs immediately - and I do mean immediately, as in less than a second.   

The X05 Pro has a few other features that have become standard at this point. Trigger limiter switches are present - but those are never a feature I'm interested in, as I'm not a hardcore shooter guy. There is also a turbo feature that I tried out just to make sure it works, and then bailed on. And there are some nifty little RGB lighting options - which I appreciate simply for the fact that they aren't overwhelming. I game in the dark a lot, and I find that RGB LED features can be distracting when they are overdone. These are just right - there enough to be fun, but not like a fireworks show pulling your eyes away from the main event. Hall effect joysticks eliminate drift, which is unbelievably still a big deal when it comes to the lifespan of a controller.

I'm afraid that I kinda failed on testing the battery life - I'm an obsessive plugger-inner, and I have a charger on my desk that is in constant use, cycling between my phone, my headset, and whatever my current controller is. So I kept the X05 Pro charged up pretty well for the duration of my review period. I will say that I logged some pretty long 6 -7 hour sessions during my Verho - Curse of Faces review, and never once had to worry about the controller needing a charge. 

The EasySMX X05 Pro continues the EasySMX tradition of delivering very high quality products at a very low price. The suggested retail on this one is $35, which feels like a steal. A quick Google revealed that someone is selling the X05 Pro for $26, which is just flat out insane. This is a very solid, attractive controller that looks and behaves like a product that would sell for at least double the asking price. It is comfortable to use, reliable, and easy to set up. If you need an extra controller, or just want one that looks pretty sweet, I can't imagine why you should hesitate to snap up an X05 Pro.