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PowerA OPS v3 Pro review: a decent PC controller with some notable flaws

Nice console games September 22, 2024 Gaming

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PowerA
OPS
v3
Pro:
One-minute
review

The
PowerA
OPS
v3
Pro
controller
makes
a
strong
case
with
a
variety
of
desirable
features.
Those
include
Hall
effect
sticks
with
novel
‘quick-twist’
tech,
six
remappable
buttons,
micro
switches
in
the
face
buttons
and
d-pad,
and
the
brand’s
patented
Lumectra
RGB
lighting.

It’s
a
solid
effort
on
paper,
but
there
are
a
few
things
that
hold
the
OPS
v3
Pro
back
from
becoming
one
of
the
best
PC
controllers
out
there.
The
gamepad
simply
falls
short
in
many
of
its
design
aspects.
Its
remappable
buttons
on
the
rear
of
the
controller
feel
awkwardly
placed,
and
the
ones
at
the
top
jut
out
just
a
little
too
broadly.
Elsewhere,
the
micro
switch
face
buttons
aren’t
particularly
tactile,
and
the
relatively
low
trigger
lock
sensitivity
prevents
the
highest
setting
from
working
across
most
games
I
tested.

It’s
definitely
not
all
bad
news,
though,
and
there’s
still
plenty
to
like
about
the
OPS
v3
Pro.
As
ever,
I’m
a
huge
fan
of
PowerA’s
customizable
Lumectra
lighting.
The
quick-twist
thumbsticks
are
intuitive
and
a
genuinely
great
addition,
allowing
you
to
play
with
taller
shafts
without
the
need
to
swap
them
out
entirely.
Furthermore,
the
clicky
d-pad
and
bumpers
are
a
delight,
and
that
30-plus
hour
battery
life
seriously
impresses.

A
bit
of
a
mixed
bag
overall,
then,
but
if
you’re
looking
for
a
sub-$100
/
£100
PC
controller,
the
PowerA
OPS
v3
Pro
still
offers
plenty
of
great
features
to
offset
those
negatives.

PowerA
OPS
v3
Pro:
Price
and
availability

• 
  $99.99
  /
  £99.99
  /
  AU$179
• 
  Cheaper
  than
  other
  controllers
  with
  comparable
  feature
  sets
• 
  Available
  at
  PowerA
  in
  the
  US
  and
  Amazon
  in
  the
  UK

The
PowerA
OPS
v3
Pro
launched
in
August
2024,
and
is
available
to
purchase
for
$99.99
/
£99.99.
In
the
US,
it
can
be
bought
directly
from
PowerA,
whereas
UK
shoppers
will
need
to
rely
on

Amazon
to
secure
the
gamepad.
In
Australia,
JB
Hi-Fi
is
your
best
bet.

In
terms
of
price,
the
OPS
v3
Pro
is
significantly
cheaper
than
other
controllers
with
comparable
feature
sets.
Those
include
the

Razer
Wolverine
V3
Pro
($199.99
/
£199.99)
and
the

Xbox
Elite
Wireless
Controller
Series
2
($179.99
/
£159.99). 

The
relatively
lower
price
point
of
PowerA’s
controller
naturally
comes
with
some
caveats,
such
as
lesser
build
quality
overall
and
a
lack
of
polish
on
features
like
the
trigger
locks
and
textured
grips.
However,
those
looking
for
a
competent
‘Pro’
level
controller
with
a
robust
feature
set
will
find
one
here.

PowerA
OPS
v3
Pro:
Specs

PowerA
OPS
v3
Pro:
Design
and
features

• 
  Innovative
  quick-twist
  thumbsticks
• 
  Textured
  grips
  feel
  quite
  rough
• 
  Lumectra
  RGB
  is
  still
  very
  impressive

There’s
plenty
to
like
about
the
PowerA
OPS
v3
Pro’s
design.
One
of
the
controller’s
headline
features
is
its
‘quick-twist’
thumbsticks.
This
lets
the
player
raise
or
lower
the
height
of
the
stick’s
shaft
without
needing
to
swap
it
out
entirely.
It’s
a
really
handy
solution
that
makes
the
controller
a
great
option
for
folks
who
value
no-fuss
customization.

As
was
the
case
with
the

PowerA
Enhanced
Wireless
Controller
for
Nintendo
Switch,
the
v3
Pro
also
features
the
brand’s
bespoke
Lumectra
RGB
lighting.
Lumectra
lets
players
do
a
few
fancy
things
with
their
RGB
preferences.
By
holding
the
dedicated
‘LED’
button
on
the
rear
of
the
gamepad,
you
can
cycle
through
six
different
RGB
zones
–
the
d-pad,
face
buttons,
left
and
right
sides
of
the
controller,
and
both
thumbsticks)
and
apply
different
colors
and
patterns
to
each.
You
can
be
quite
reserved
with
Lumectra,
or
go
buck
wild
with
various
RGB
flavors
should
you
choose,
and
I’ve
always
been
a
fan
of
it
because
of
this.
Above
all,
it’s
fun
to
mess
around
with.

In
terms
of
features,
you’re
getting
the
usual
‘Pro’
controller
setup.
Micro
switch
face
buttons
and
d-pad,
Hall
effect
thumbsticks,
six
remappable
buttons,
three-stage
trigger
locks
and
textured
grips.
The
rear
of
the
gamepad
has
buttons
dedicated
to
Lumectra
customization
and
remappable
button
input
assignment,
as
well
as
a
three-way
switch
that
lets
you
swap
between
2.4GHz,
Bluetooth,
and
USB-C
connectivity.
A
3.5mm
headphone
port
rounds
off
the
feature
set
in
terms
of
design.
It
is
worth
noting
here
that
the
OPS
v3
Pro
is
strictly
a
PC
controller
and
won’t
work
on
consoles.
For
platform-specific
pads,
consider
browsing
our
guides
to
the
best
PS5
controllers
or
the
best
Xbox
controllers
instead.

While
there
is
plenty
to
like
here,
the
PowerA
OPS
v3
Pro
is
hampered
by
a
few
key
design
weaknesses.
For
one,
the
textured
grips
–
while
usually
welcome
on
a
controller
like
this
–
feel
very
rough
to
the
touch.
This,
along
with
the
awkward
placement
of
those
rear
remappable
buttons
(they’re
slightly
misaligned
with
where
your
fingertips
naturally
rest)
lead
to
a
slightly
uncomfortable
play
experience.
While
it
doesn’t
render
the
v3
Pro
unusable,
you
may
want
to
consider
a
more
standard

Xbox
Wireless
Controller
or
even
a

GameSir
T4
Kaleid
for
longer
gaming
sessions
from
a
comfort
perspective.

While
hit
and
miss
on
design
aspects,
then,
one
thing
that
does
boost
the
v3
Pro’s
value
is
the
inclusion
of
a
charging
stand.
Much
like
the
8BitDo
Ultimate,
the
v3
Pro’s
stand
is
incredibly
convenient;
simply
hook
it
up
to
your
PC
via
USB-C,
magnetically
attach
the
gamepad
to
the
top
and
you’re
good
to
go.
Charge
time
is
a
little
slow
at
3-4
hours
from
empty
to
full,
so
we’d
recommend
an
overnight
charge
to
avoid
waiting.

PowerA
OPS
v3
Pro:
Performance

• 
  Sublime
  d-pad
  and
  bumpers
• 
  Top
  notch
  30-hour
  battery
  life
• 
  Micro
  switch
  face
  buttons
  miss
  the
  mark

Much
like
the
PowerA
OPS
v3
Pro’s
overall
design,
performance
has
a
number
of
hits
and
misses,
too.
The
controller
cannot
be
faulted
on
battery
life;
during
my
two
weeks
testing
the
controller
–
which
included
around
two
to
three
hours
of
gaming
across
most
days
–
I
never
once
needed
to
charge
it.
PowerA
touts
battery
life
of
around
30
hours,
and
this
appears
to
be
accurate
in
my
experience.

In
terms
of
individual
buttons
and
such,
the
d-pad
and
bumpers,
powered
by
micro
switches,
are
sublime.
They
have
the
perfect
amount
of
clicky
tactility
and
are
simply
a
joy
to
use,
especially
with
competitive
games
that
often
require
rapid
inputs.
Games
I
tested
that
fit
this
criterion
include

Guilty
Gear
Strive,

Final
Fantasy
14
Online,
and


Fortnite.
I
found
the
controller
to
be
a
good
fit
for
all
three.
Plus,
with
a
1,000Hz
polling
rate
when
wired
to
PC
(and
500Hz
via
2.4Ghz
wireless),
it’s
fantastically
responsive
on
its
target
platform. 

Other
areas
of
the
gamepad
are
a
bit
of
a
letdown
when
it
comes
to
overall
performance.
For
one,
while
there
are
three
stages
of
trigger
lock,
the
lowest
sensitivity
setting
(with
the
shortest
trigger
press)
failed
to
work
across
all
games
tested.
The
trigger
press
simply
didn’t
register
at
this
setting.
And
for
the
other
two,
there
really
isn’t
much
difference. 

As
a
result,
I
think
you’d
be
better
off
leaving
the
trigger
lock
settings
entirely
default.
This
is
a
shame,
as
the

Razer
Wolverine
V3
Pro’s
trigger
lock
settings
are
similar
–
with
three
distinct
settings
–
and
work
beautifully
on
PC
and
console.
It’s
things
like
this
that
firmly
cement
the
OPS
v3
Pro
as
the
more
budget
option
with
decidedly
less
polish.

Another
problem
area
lies
with
the
micro
switch
face
buttons.
While
perfectly
responsive,
there’s
a
slight
bump
on
the
way
down
as
you
press
the
button.
While
certainly
not
a
huge
issue,
it
does
take
away
much
of
the
tactility
and
thus
the
novelty
of
having
micro
switch-based
buttons.

Should
I
buy
the
PowerA
OPS
v3
Pro?

Buy
it
if…

Don’t
buy
it
if…

Also
consider…

If
the
PowerA
OPS
v3
Pro
isn’t
quite
doing
it
for
you,
we’ve
got
a
couple
of
other
options
that
we’ve
tested
and
reviewed
for
your
consideration
below.

How
I
tested
the
PowerA
OPS
v3
Pro

I
tested
the
PowerA
OPS
v3
Pro
across
a
wide
variety
of
games
on
PC,
including
some
of
the
best
fighting
games
like

Guilty
Gear
Strive,


Tekken
8
and
the
newly-released


Marvel
vs.
Capcom
Fighting
Collection:
Arcade
Classics.
Here,
I
found
the
superbly
responsive
d-pad
and
bumpers
to
be
a
perfect
fit
for
this
genre.
Elsewhere,
I
made
sure
to
test
a
wide
range
of
titles,
including

Fortnite,
Fall
Guys,
Final
Fantasy
14
Online
and


Elden
Ring.

One
aspect
that
surprised
me
most
about
the
OPS
v3
Pro
was
its
ultra-resilient
battery
life.
During
my
two
weeks
with
the
gamepad,
from
full
charge,
I
never
once
had
the
top
up,
which
leads
me
to
believe
that
PowerA’s
estimates
of
30
hours
is
absolutely
doable
here.

During
my
testing
of
the
PowerA
OPS
v3
Pro,
I
integrated
it
into
my
overall
gaming
PC
setup
which
includes
the

Razer
Fujin
Pro
gaming
chair,
an
AOC
Gaming
24G2SP
monitor
and
Razer
BlackShark
V2
X
wired
headset.

Read
more
about
how
we
test

First
reviewed
September
2024