The Competitor is a no-nonsense symmetrical Xbox controller that barely puts a foot wrong

The Competitor: one-minute review

The Competitor is an Xbox and PC-compatible controller from manufacturer Hyperkin that adopts a DualSense-like appearance and symmetrical thumbstick layout. While it does feature niceties like drift-resistant Hall effect sticks and triggers, I’ve found it to be a blissfully simple controller.

The Competitor has no fancy RGB lighting, no gyro sensors, no trigger locks, no wireless connectivity options, and no supporting apps or software. It’s also impressively cheap, has a nice design, and a great idea or two of its own. Its straightforward nature serves it well, and it’s one reason why it’s one of the best Xbox controllers I’ve tested in quite a while.

Some of my favorite controllers in recent years have been the likes of the Razer Wolverine V3 Pro and GameSir Tarantula Pro - both gamepads that are stuffed with desirable features that definitely make their price tags trend upward. The Competitor’s stripped-back, simplistic nature is actually quite refreshing in comparison, and is a staunch reminder that controllers don’t need to be a smorgasbord to remain appealing in the contemporary market.

There are some slight missteps. I’ve never been a fan of the PlayStation-style D-pad adopted here, the Menu and Share buttons are rather awkwardly-placed, and - while this is certainly personal preference and not indicative of The Competitor’s quality - it lacks wireless connectivity. Though at its relatively low price point, it’s easy to forgive these shortcomings.

The Competitor review: price and availability

• List price: $49.99 / £39.99 (around AU$74.95)
• Available from most major retailers in the US and UK
• Compares in price to similarly cheap controllers like the GameSir Kaleid

You can get The Competitor today for $49.99 / £39.99 (around AU$74.95), making it one of the cheaper Xbox and PC controllers that’s actually worth recommending. Readily available at Amazon in the US and the UK, you’ll also likely find it at your local retailers of choice, including Best Buy in the US and Argos in the UK.

The cheaper Xbox controller spectrum has gotten broader in recent years, with pads like the GameSir Kaleid ($49.99 / £59.99) and 8BitDo Pro 2 ($44.99 / £39.99) also coming in at similar price points. The Competitor, rather fittingly, has some tough competition in the space, then, but I’d definitely say it’s comparable in quality to those aforementioned pads.

The Competitor review: Specs

The Competitor review: design and features

The Competitor differs from most Xbox controllers in its symmetrical thumbstick layout and design that’s practically identical to that of the DualSense Wireless Controller. You’ll find the same boomerang-esque shape here, with similarly designed D-pad and face buttons.

I wouldn’t say build quality is luxurious, certainly not up to the DualSense standard, but it does the job at its price point. That is to be expected, though, given the lower price. Otherwise, nothing about the controller screams cut corners or lazy design; it’s an extremely tight ship. Usually, you’d expect one or two blemishes to stand out on budget-friendly controllers.

But my only issues, really, are the slightly awkward placement of the central Menu and Share buttons, as well as the spongy-feeling PlayStation-style d-pad. However, the latter comes down to personal preference more than anything else.

The color scheme of The Competitor is quite pleasing, too. It sports a black and white aesthetic in a sort of ‘X’ pattern across the front of the pad. The face buttons and d-pad have a translucent, glossy finish that feels quite nice against your thumbs, too.

The Competitor review: Performance

The Competitor is a strictly wired controller. However, that’s not strange at its relatively low price point, so easy to forgive. That said, if you’d prefer a wireless model, you may be better off checking out similarly priced gamepads like the Xbox Wireless Controller or 8BitDo Pro 2.

What isn’t a guarantee for cheap controllers is the inclusion of drift-resisting Hall effect thumbsticks, but they are here on The Competitor. The sticks themselves feel great, too, with solid responsiveness and a rugged textured finish around the edges.

The Competitor features two remappable buttons on the rear of the controller. And these are easy enough to customize by holding the mapping button on the back, in conjunction with one of these rear buttons and one of the main ones on the front.

These remappable buttons are assigned by default, which I typically find a touch annoying. However, this is alleviated by a handy feature you don’t see on all that many controllers. There are lock switches for both remappable buttons, which can prevent them from being pressed in entirely. It’s arguably a bit of a workaround to keep them unassigned, but I welcome the ability to manually enable or disable them in such a way.

Should I buy The Competitor?

Buy it if...

Don't buy it if...

The Competitor review: Also consider

If The Competitor isn’t quite competitive enough for you, here are a couple other options very much worthy of consideration.

How I tested The Competitor

• Tested for one week
• Primarily tested on PC
• Played a wide range of games

I tested The Competitor over the course of about a week, putting the wired wonder through its paces primarily on a gaming PC with my Steam library. All my go-to games were present here, including Final Fantasy 14 Online, Tekken 8, Elden Ring Nightreign, and Tokyo Xtreme Racer.

Given the shape and feel of the controller, I tried to compare the experience of playing with The Competitor to that of the DualSense Wireless Controller. Obviously, the PlayStation controller is more feature-rich, with bespoke haptic feedback and adaptive triggers, as well as its touchpad. Build quality isn’t quite as strong with The Competitor, in comparison, but it’s certainly not miles off, given the price.

First reviewed December 2025

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