I’ve reviewed my fair share of pro controllers over the last year or two, with every peripheral maker seemingly putting out their own iteration, but none have interested me more than the Thrustmaster eSwap X2 Pro, and this is mainly due to just how many components on the controller are interchangeable.
Not an exclusive idea by any stretch, the eSwap X2 Pro allows you to swap out the left and right analogue stick to have them be symmetrical or asymmetrical depending on what you prefer and the d-pad component can also be changed out with the face buttons seemingly being static.
Unlike other pro controllers that I’ve used that allow you to swap out these components, the eSwap X2 Pro uses a really clever magnetic system that allows you to literally pull them out whilst playing and swap them on the fly, without requiring any tools to pull them out.
Whilst I think it’s great that you can swap your analogue sticks to suit your preference, I was more excited by the fact that there is a steering wheel component (and others such as a fighting d-pad) that can be purchased separately, but was provided as part of the review.
I slotted it in and was absolutely amazed at how quickly I had a little thumbstick steering wheel at my disposal, that was fantastic for Forza Horizon 5 and worked really well. It felt super natural, and rather than having to lug out a massive steering wheel set, this felt like a great compromise.
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As far as what else is customisable, you can obviously pop off the analogue caps, although there’s only one different type in the box (you get both convex/concave), but you can also totally replace the triggers as well as the grips which can be unscrewed using a provided little screwdriver, although those components need to be purchased separately and I’m not sure what availability is like in Australia.
That’s probably the only gripe that I have with the controller, which will set you back $349. There are others on the market that really give you a wide variety of components in the box, and whilst I was really, really impressed with the amount of customisation on offer, it’s almost a tease with not a lot of options in the box, but it’s still much appreciated how much effort Thrustmaster have gone to in allowing long-term customisation.
As far as the actual design of the controller goes, it’s not the prettiest thing you’ll ever see, but it looks high-end, and has a great weight to it that feels super comfortable to hold. It is a wired only controller with a nice, lengthy cord provided in the box, but if you are someone that likes playing wirelessly, that might be a dealbreaker.
There’s a trigger stop adjustment that allows you to go through two distances for the triggers and there’s also four customisable back buttons that aren’t designed or positions in a way that you’d expect, but are actually super comfortable to use and mould to where your hand fits quite nicely.
These can be programmed using a row of little buttons that sit at the bottom of the controller (these can also be used to control audio for a connected headset), or via a free Thrustmaster app that can be downloaded on the Xbox Store, and once again provides a really nice amount of customisation for everything from button mapping to vibration.
