PowerA Fusion Pro Wireless Controller for Xbox Review: You Can Get Better Gamepads for Much Less
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PowerA Fusion Pro for Xbox: 1-Minute Review
It gives me no pleasure to note that the PowerA Fusion Pro wireless controller for Xbox is the most disappointing product I have tested in the brand’s catalog to date. PowerA is admittedly a brand that I have had mixed feelings about in the past. Sometimes it offers real winners, like the PowerA Enhanced Wireless Controller, which I consider a solid alternative to the official Nintendo Switch Pro Controller. Other times it doesn’t really hit the mark, as we’ve seen recently with the PowerA Advantage Switch 2 Wired Controller and even with the Fusion Pro for Xbox here.
Above all, the best Xbox controllers should provide a satisfying gaming experience with minimal frustrations, but this PowerA pad is full of them. From its clunky d-pad and abrasive textured grips, to its obnoxious Lumectra RGB lighting and trigger locks that simply don’t work most of the time, this is a controller that tries and fails to punch above its weight class with an absurdly high price to match.
It’s not all bad. You at least get a carrying case and charging dock included in the box. Battery life is reasonably long, and a neat audio switch lets you adjust the headset volume or mute your mic in an instant. I also like PowerA’s quick twist controllers, which offer three adjustable height levels. Additionally, they are Hall effect, meaning they will be able to resist stick drift for much longer than traditional analog sticks. Still, these strengths aren’t enough to outweigh the myriad frustrations I have with this controller.
PowerA Fusion Pro for Xbox: Price and availability
- List price: $169.99 / £149.99 / AU$199.95
- Comparable in price to the Nacon Revolution X Unlimited and the Razer Wolverine V3 Pro
- There are many cheaper and better options available for Xbox and PC
I’d feel a little more comfortable recommending the Fusion Pro for Xbox without that exorbitant price tag. At $169.99 / £149.99 / AU$199.95, it sits on the edge of premium territory for Xbox controllers like the Nacon Revolution X Unlimited and Razer Wolverine V3 Pro.
If the Fusion Pro offered a great controller experience, the price tag would be an easier pill to swallow. The problem for PowerA is that there’s no shortage of great Xbox and PC compatible controllers like this available for less than half the price, including the 8BitDo Ultimate 2, the GameSir Kaleid, and even the official Xbox Wireless Controller.
PowerA Fusion Pro for Xbox: Specifications
|
Price |
$169.99 / £149.99 / AU$199.95 |
|
Weight |
1.44 lbs / 0.65 kg |
|
Dimensions |
6.1 x 4.2 x 2.4 inches / 156 x 107 x 61 mm |
|
Compatibility |
Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Xbox One, PC |
|
Connection type |
Wireless (2.4 GHz), wired (USB-C) |
|
Battery life |
About 30 hours |
PowerA Fusion Pro for Xbox: Design and Features
The initial out-of-the-box package is promising. The PowerA Fusion Pro for Xbox comes with a custom carrying case and charging dock, two incredibly useful accessories that I appreciate with any game controller. Both are also solidly made. Especially the charging station, which is well-built, minimally intrusive and can fit into any gaming setup, ready to charge your tablet via USB-C. The carrying case, on the other hand, is sturdy and has a compartment for the USB-C cable.
The pad itself bears a striking resemblance to the official Xbox Wireless Controller, which is certainly not an anomaly in the wider Xbox controller market. It feels slightly heavier than Microsoft’s pad, due to inclusions like trigger locks and a magnetic charging dock connector.
Continuing on the right path, the controller’s quick-turning thumbsticks are truly brilliant. Turning them clockwise raises the joystick stem, while lowering it when turned counterclockwise. There are three height levels here, and I personally found the middle setting to be the most comfortable. They also lock firmly in place after adjustment, so there’s no unnecessary fiddling.
Besides a convenient headphone audio adjustment switch, that’s where my praise for the PowerA Fusion Pro ends. To that end, I just couldn’t get enough of the abundance of RGB lighting here. By default, a glowing rainbow effect covers the controller, revealing a predefined tribal silhouette. It’s a nice pattern, but I found it very distracting during gameplay.
You can change the RGB pattern profile (or turn it off completely) via a dedicated button on the back of the controller. I opted to keep it off, as some of the other pulse type models weren’t really any better.
The overall feel of the controller also leaves a lot to be desired. The textured grips are just a little too hard for my hands, making long gaming sessions rather uncomfortable. The D-pad is also quite listless, feeling good on one end while awkwardly squishy and difficult to press on the other. Granted, this might be an issue with my particular device, but it’s something to keep in mind if you’re considering a purchase.
PowerA Fusion Pro for Xbox: performance
Despite my criticisms, I can at least say that the PowerA Fusion Pro gets the job done as a controller. If you can overlook the awkward directional pad and abrasive textured grips, performance is perfectly reasonable across the board.
A major problem here, however, is that the 3-stage trigger locks simply don’t work. When set to the middle, you have to press the triggers very hard to register the press. And on the sharpest setting, the triggers stop working altogether.
This was the case in several games that I tested with the controller, notably Halo InfiniteFortnite, And Final Fantasy 14 online. I like shallow triggers in games like these because they let me fire weapons (or access hotbars in the latter’s case) much faster, but I wasn’t able to do that on Fusion Pro.
On a more positive note, the Fusion Pro’s battery life exceeded my expectations, reaching around 25 to 30 hours when used wirelessly over a 2.4GHz connection. I tested the controller for a week, both on Xbox Series X Digital Edition and PC, and found that I didn’t need to charge the controller until my very last sessions with it. Impressive stuff, and beats many other Xbox controllers – both cheaper and more expensive than this one – on overall battery life.
Should I buy the PowerA Fusion Pro for Xbox?
Buy it if…
Don’t buy it if…
Also think…
I’m being honest here; The PowerA Fusion Pro for Xbox would be a hard sell at most price points. Consider these two great alternatives if you’re currently in the market for a new Xbox and/or PC game controller.
| Row 0 – Cell 0 |
PowerA Fusion Pro |
Nacon Revolution X Unlimited |
8BitDo Ultimate 2 |
|
Price |
$169.99 / £149.99 / AU$199.95 |
$199.99 / £179.99 (around AU$229) |
$59.99 / £49.99 (around AU$90) |
|
Weight |
1.44 lbs / 0.65 kg |
0.72 lbs / 0.33 kg |
0.54 lbs / 0.25 kg |
|
Dimensions |
6.1 x 4.2 x 2.4 inches / 156 x 107 x 61 mm |
6.5 x 4.5 x 2.2 inches / 164 x 115 x 56 mm |
5.7 x 4.1 x 2.4 inches / 147 x 103 x 61 mm |
|
Compatibility |
Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Xbox One, PC |
Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Xbox One, PC |
Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Xbox One, PC |
|
Connection type |
Wireless (2.4 GHz), wired (USB-C) |
Wireless (2.4 GHz, Bluetooth), wired (USB-C) |
Wireless (2.4 GHz, Bluetooth), wired (USB-C) |
|
Battery life |
About 30 hours |
About 10 hours |
10-15 hours |
How I tested the PowerA Fusion Pro for Xbox
- Tested for a week
- I played several games on Xbox and PC
- Compared to competitors from Razer, Nacon, 8BitDo and more
I used the PowerA Fusion Pro for Xbox for a week to write this review. During that time, I played a wide range of titles on Xbox Series X Digital Edition and PC, including Fortnite, Silent Hill, Tekken 8, Hollow Knight: Song of Silk, and much more.
Given the high price of this controller, I compared it directly to similarly priced competing Xbox game controllers, like the Razer Wolverine V3 Pro and Nacon Revolution X Unlimited. These pads are slightly more expensive, but offer more satisfying play with better build quality and premium features (not to mention trigger locks that actually work).
Even then, I found a lot more to like with cheaper controllers, including the GameSir Kaleid and the 8BitDo Ultimate 2. Both offer sublime features like Hall Effect or TMR joysticks, clickable microswitch-operated buttons, and a tasteful amount of RGB that isn’t too distracting to the eyes.
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First review in October 2025
