Thrustmaster eSwap X2 Pro Controller Review

Thrustmaster eSwap X2 Pro Controller

design

I’ve been an Xbox gamer from day one, my Xbox One controller even says it on the front, so my hands are pretty used to the controller shape Microsoft have refined over the years. I’ve also never got on well with the DualSense, something about it just doesn’t sit right in my hands and so I was curious to see how I’d adapt to a new shape. 

The Thrustmaster eSwap X2 Pro is definitely its own take on the Xbox style, familiar enough to not feel completely alien but there’s clear differences in the overall frame that took some adjusting too. I have pretty standard hands that perhaps run on the larger side and despite the thinner palm grips the eSwap X2 felt noticeably bigger in all directions. I personally prefer the slightly bulkier grips of the base Series X controller as I don’t feel I have to grip it as much, but the eSwap X2 Pro wasn’t an uncomfortable alternative. Build quality is good across the main body though I did miss the rougher rear grip texture of the Series X controller which I find improves the comfort in longer sessions.

A lot of this is likely a familiarity thing and others may disagree, but the eSwap X2 Pro didn’t make improvements in any particular area of comfort or form factor that I felt were a major step up from the base Xbox offering. It’s good, but nothing stood out as impressive.

What does start to set the Thrustmaster eSwap X2 Pro Controller apart from stock options however is the quality of the inputs across the face, most of which are modular and swappable. Popping out the D-Pad and two S5 NXG mini-sticks is super simple and allows for some personalisation of the layout. The magnetic connection feels seriously high end and the amount of force required to pop them out is just right. I so find it strange that the buttons don’t get the modular treatment too though, they’re locked in a fixed position rather than existing on a swappable block. While no, I don’t think I (or indeed a lot of gamers) would move them to another place – if we’re going to go modular, let’s go fully modular surely? 

The mechanical buttons themselves do feel wonderful though with a short travel and a click that is much quieter than the Series X controllers traditional buttons. The D-Pad also gets a mechanical upgrade that makes it far quieter than the frankly outrageously loud Series X D-Pad. There’s a huge amount of wobble in the pad itself however and I found it really off putting both from a quality and use perspective. Not only will it rattle about if you slide your finger over it but there’s a surprising amount of wobble before you actually fire off an input. This may be to try and avoid misclicks given the actual travel of the input itself is minimal, but it just feels wrong to use.

The eSwap X2 Pro’s two S5 NXG mini-sticks are pleasant and you’re offered the choice of domed or concave toppers in the box. The sticks themselves sit higher than I’d like, they’re noticeably taller than the stock Series X controller sticks and there’s no customisation in this area which is a shame; being able to adjust the length of each stalk would be a nice quality of life touch. The eSwap X2 Pro bumpers are fine but surprisingly loud and bizarrely have quite a different sound from left to right, they feel secure with no wobble though and require enough force to not be accidentally fired off. The triggers are pleasantly textured with a pattern matching the shape of the modules on the front, a clever branding touch, and a switch on the back to halve their otherwise still relatively short travel distance.

Rounding out the selection of buttons is a collection of four customisable mechanical buttons on the back of the eSwap X2 Pro and a row of media control and mapping controls along the bottom. The customisable back buttons require a clear movement to reach and activate but they’re cleverly aligned and neatly curved so shouldn’t take too much adjusting too. I couldn’t find a natural hand position that had my fingers resting on these, so I wouldn’t expect them to be great for a heavily used action – but for the odd press they work well. 

The strip of media and mapping controls along the bottom of the controller’s body are the weakest point of the eSwap X2 Pro for me, something about their construction just feels cheap and it’s not helped by the shiny gloss plastic finish. There’s also no backlighting behind them and their dark grey labels are hard enough to read in the daytime; with the lights off you’re just going to have to remember what’s what.

performance

I’ll be the first to admit I’m hardly a pro gamer, a ms saved in response time isn’t the difference between victory and defeat in my gameplay so I approached the Thrustmaster eSwap X2 Pro with a simple query; does this gamepad provide a better overall experience than the standard Xbox Series X controller? 

For me, the answer was no – but it didn’t provide a worse one either. Through my time testing the eSwap X2 I found things I liked more but also things I missed or preferred on the standard (and considerably cheaper) controller I’ve used for the last few years.

The first consideration is the 9ft elephant in the room. The Thrustmaster eSwap X2 Pro is a wired controller with no wireless functionality whatsoever. No dongles, no Bluetooth for PC gaming, nada. I know Microsoft don’t allow native wireless functionality and that probably puts brands off – but to not offer this in some way at least for PC or with a USB system for console is a misstep that will likely be a turn off for some. The 2.75m cable Thrustmaster includes is a suitably long, suitably high quality braided cable – but that’s a consolation prize because as nice as it is I’d rather not have it trailing across my living room.

When it comes to actually using the controller day to day, the thumbsticks and buttons are both a noticeable improvement over a standard Xbox controller. I felt like I had more fine control over movements rather than just slamming the stick from 0 to 100% in a single direction. This was particularly noticeable around long sweeping turns in EA F123 where I found it far easier to keep the stick at 50-60% of the way rather than needing to make quick corrections from full lock. The mechanical buttons too feel far more premium thanks to the short travel distance and fast actuation; I’ve got no complaints here whatsoever.

The triggers I found less of a joy to use but this speaks more to my style of game than the Thrustmaster eSwap X2 Pro itself, so consider this less of a criticism and more of a note for like-minded gamers. Even without engaging the physical switch that halves the travel distance of each trigger the eSwap X2 triggers don’t have far to go at all. For FPS players this is beneficial as you’ll fire off actions far sooner and a quicker trigger finger could be the difference between life and death, but for someone like me lapping around Silverstone in F1 23 this meant far less throttle control. The triggers also offer less resistance than a standard Xbox controller which again is a win if you want fast, responsive actions but you do lose an element of control and finer detail in the process.

summed up

There’s no doubting that for the most part the Thrustmaster eSwap X2 Pro Controller is a high quality affair. A robust build with great individual components come together to form what should be an excellent gamepad – for certain kinds of gamers.

The lightning fast mechanical buttons and short travel triggers are a great match for shooters and fighting games where every millisecond counts, the compromise however is a lack of finer control in some movements. What is a pro for some may be a con for others so the question is less whether the eSwap X2 Pro is a great controller, it is, it’s whether it’s a great controller for you.

For some games I’ll definitely go back to the eSwap X2 Pro, for others I’ll stick with my standard gamepad.