Razer Wolverine V2 Chroma Hands-on Comparison – Improvement Doesn’t Come Cheap

Late last year, upon the release of Microsoft's next-gen consoles, the Xbox Series X|S, Razer launched its new wired Xbox controller - the Wolverine V2. I reviewed the controller upon release, and although I generally did like Razer's outing, there was plenty of room for improvement.

Enter the new, customizable Razer Wolverine V2 Chroma with, as expected from the name, Razer's iconic Chroma RGB lighting.

Last year's Wolverine V2 controller for Xbox started pretty well, but in the end, I wasn't convinced by Razer's offering and switched back to using Microsoft's original new Xbox controller. This is mainly due to the trivial button placement and reforged shape of the Wolverine and the lack of a detachable cable. Does the all-new Wolverine V2 Chroma fix these issues, and does it warrant its rather steep price of $149.99? Let's find out.

Wolverine V2 vs Wolverine V2 Chroma

During the presentation I attended, Razer clarified that the Wolverine V2 Chroma is aimed towards the competitive pro gamer, hence the wire to avoid input lag. Luckily, Razer has opted for a detachable cable instead of a 'breakaway' USB cable this time around. A minor change, but one that many will surely like.

The new Razer Wolverine V2 Chroma comes with four additional mappable triggers on the rear

The Wolverine V2 already came with two additional multi-function remappable buttons, but the new Chroma model adds four additional back triggers to the race for extra control and customization. All of these buttons can be remapped by using Razer's controller app for Xbox. I was quite happy with these additional triggers to map essential actions as these back triggers allow you to keep your thumbs on the thumbsticks the whole time. For competitive games, this is quite essential and could very well give you that needed edge.

Another welcome new addition to the new V2 Chroma is the interchangeable thumbstick caps, as seen on Microsoft's Xbox Elite controller, but also on PowerA's FUSION Pro controller. By default, Razer's new offering has been outfitted with the concaved thumbstick caps as seen on the standard Xbox Wireless controller but depending on playstyle and game, players can pick from two additional thumbstick caps - the tall and concaved cap for more range of motion and accuracy, and the shorter domed thumbstick for more speed. I did play around with the various caps and did notice a difference when it comes to turning speed and aiming accuracy, but I'm nowhere competitive enough to really benefit from the advantages that these additional thumbsticks offer. Pro players, however, will surely benefit from them, especially in shooters.

The supplied set of extra thumbstick caps

Last but not least is the Chroma RGB lighting, which comes via two large light strips following the shape of the rubberized grips of the Wolverine V2. The lighting can be fully customized by picking from millions of colors in the Razer Controller Setup for the Xbox app. As with the Kaira Pro headset and other Razer Chroma products, different presets are available, including Static, Spectrum Cycling, and Breathing.

The features mentioned above and buttons are adjusted via the Razer controller app, which is reasonably straightforward to use. Aside from allowing users to adjust the controller's lighting and assign actions to the multi-function buttons, the app also offers options to adjust the vibration rumble and adjust the sensitivity of the thumbsticks for faster/slower control in-game.

Verdict

So, has Razer improved its Wolverine controller compared to last year's offering? I'm still no fan of the button placement, which has remained unaltered. While most of the buttons are easily accessible, this doesn't apply to the Xbox' view' button on the top left, and you're forced to overextend your left thumb when moving away from the left thumbstick. Another thing that hasn't changed is the shape of the Wolverine, and I still find the controller getting somewhat uncomfortable after a couple of hours.

This doesn't mean that no improvements haven't been made - the Chroma version now comes with a detachable cable, additional mappable triggers, and interchangeable thumbstick caps, as well as RGB lighting. I'm sure that competitive players will appreciate these new additions, but I'm not entirely sure whether this warrants the rather steep price increase from $99.99 to
$149.99.

Still, the V2 Chroma comes in cheaper than Microsoft's Xbox Elite Series 2 controller (although Microsoft's offering is wireless) and is a viable option for the competitive player looking for a highly customizable controller without having to worry about input lag.

Review sample provided by the manufacturer.

 

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