A Budget BEAST! HyperX Clutch Gladiate xbox controller review

[@ThunderTHR]

I just got one of these recently, and I was VERY pleasantly surprised! Its nice and lightweight (in a good way), the controller is very comfortable to use and the build quality certainly impressed for being just a $45 (CAD) controller. I think HyperX really is onto a winner here if they tend to push this controller into better accessibility like the PDP and PowerA offerings. UPDATE: HyperX has released an updated variant of the controller (as of November 2023), the "Clutch Gladiate RGB". Its largely the same controller, but with a clear (see-through) shell with RGB lights attached to the board, very similar to previous PDP Afterglow controllers. It also adds Impulse Triggers, which are absent on the Clutch Gladiate. Price is around $45 USD/$60 CAD, which is within the same price range as PowerA and PDP's own RGB controllers. And for those curious, my Gladiate is still holding up well. Its still a controller I'd recommend for those wanting a very budget friendly controller, however for those willing to spend just a little bit more, my top budget recommendation would be the GameSir G7 (and by extension, the G7 SE). Either the standard G7 or G7 SE are both worth going for, though I suspect the SE may be more appealing to many as its one of the few rare controllers available that comes with *Hall Effect sensors.*

[@jelteghtc]

Can you give an update on the longevity, like do you have any stickdrift or wear on the thumbsticks?

[@ThunderTHR]

@@jelteghtcFor as long as I've been using it so far, no stickdrift, thumbsticks still holding up well.

[@vovazagach1781]

What can you say about dead zones, how big are they compare to Xbox controller?

[@shashankyadav2890]

Planning to buy this controller does it vibration?

[@randomgab995]

Hey i have a question! Should i go with rhis controller, or the gamesir nova multiplatform? both of them are almost the same price in my country. i would use it for shooter games and the back paddles are important.

[@KID_CHAMELEON]

I really hope we start seeing Hall Effect sensors become the standard in Xbox controllers moving forward, especially from Microsoft's own Elite Series. I recently had to return 5 Elite Series 2 controller that had stick drift out of the box. Stick drift is literally impossible with Hall Effect sensors so I hope they really do consider using that technology moving forward.

[@Eduardo728]

Xbox 8bitdo ultimate is not hall sensor, its de bluetooth one that have hall sensor, its not compatible with xbox, its use Nintendo button layout.

[@kazekaz69]

i dont think it will be a thing due to planned obsolescence - capitalism first before quality hahaha

[@paleopasha]

You might be able to use it with the 2.4 dongle on xbox, but yes, the button layout is for switch on the 8bitdo with the hall effect sensors. The Gulikit controller has a xbox layout and actually produces the same sensors the 8bitdo uses. I can't vouch for the quality of their other buttons though, as I've only used the 8bitdo hall effect one. Stick drift is non-existent on it though!

[@SnazzyPuke]

I haven't even had my Elite Series 2 for a year and it already has stick drift, had to remap my RB to one of the back paddles because it stopped working as well. Such a shame, I actually loved it before it started deteriorating

[@paleopasha]

@@SnazzyPuke it's truly a crime that they can get away with selling these controllers for $150 bucks when they often come out of the factory with a comically short life span. For the amount charged they should absolutely be using hall effect.

[@MrDunmaglass]

How’s its reliability? Power A crapped out only me after about 2 months

[@Pumpingiron24.7]

Same 😂

[@Mistxme]

@@Pumpingiron24.7 wow.. I’ve had my power A for 2 1/2 years

[@Firgus2B]

2 of my Power A controllers came with stick drift out of the box

[@itsprod.472]

@@Mistxme same here I guess some ppl got the unlucky batches lol 😂I’ve got the nano ones which for some reason don’t have stick drift at all and I have the regular sized Enhanced ones that have small drift but still work

[@DK19998]

Me too, everybody says the same I don’t understand how is that thing certified

[@vaggelisk9069]

Do you prefer this or the turtle beach recon?

[@Lucas.D.Hernandez]

I like that the handles look longer. The regular xbox handles aren't long enough they hurt my hands

[@spidergloo2708]

I just recently got back into console gaming from being a PC gamer, so I came back to this review to look at a new controller. I wanted to go with it but I can't seem to find it being sold anywhere online that isn't out of stock. 😔

[@goatbebryant4915]

Just got it on Amazon and been seeing it for months lol

[@BackToWar100]

I have owned multiples Xbox controllers and with the 2 year warranty I change 2 of them same problems, tried last year and fixed them but problems keeps appearing (D pad changed membrane and triggers on another one), this new HyperX controller feels way better in the hand and those trigger are a must especially in games like Lies of P .

[@loxzone1]

But when are they ever guna start doing seperate keys for the d-pad?

[@SonictheNinja]

Never been an xbox thing,only Sony-BUT, if it's important to you, check out the Razer Wolverine Ultimate, one of it's swappable d-pads is a 4 individual button setup I use

[@rvh1999]

And how's the fine control with the analog sticks? This is really important when playing games which require very precise handling from 0 to 100.

[@cheapbruh9778]

Bru if you really required pro tech going 0 to 100 you wouldn't be in here looking at cheap console controllers lol. It's s leisure product as best.

[@tempestzz5682]

Best controller i've tried,and i've tried alot of them, powerA, PDP Afterglow,gamesir g7,8bitdo"worst controllers ever made the 8bitdos😅",and this is the best one by far

[@ianestrada6290]

how is the responsiveness of the sticks compared to the other controllers?

[@LonestarROB]

What is the size compared to the normal Xbox X controller? I really liked the GameSir G7 xbox controller but was a bit smaller than the standard xbox controller.

[@kaykb05]

Per a USA today article it is " millimeters larger"

[@LonestarROB]

@@kaykb05 Good to hear. Thanks!

[@gazog1]

When is this out in the uk?

[@Pupixario]

at this price point this seems solid

[@anonymnobodycares2877]

Well but the product has no hall effect sticks am i right ??

[@MrFruttexiq]

I tried mutliple usb C cables but non of them work with this controller only original inbox can be plugged in

[@Quantum-Omega]

Light for longer gaming sessions? Lol I don't think people have ever complained about getting tired while gaming because the controller was too heavy 😅

[@CreeperJaYY]

You’d be surprised lol. I remember MLG licensed a pro controller from Mad Catz back in the 360 days that had 3 different size metal weights you could swap out inside the grips to adjust the overall weight. I’m sure “pro” gamers are much more particular about weight, but I would imagine most gamers are in agreement with you.

[@goatbebryant4915]

My elite controller feels nice cuz it's heavy but boy if you drop it rip bumpers or anything

[@Quantum-Omega]

@@goatbebryant4915 yeah I can't justify the price of an elite controller especially knowing people opt for a cronus or striker pack lately.

[@flmo322]

This looks very similar to powerA controllers at the same price point, which I really like

[@cbismad9535]

powerA and pdp Afterglow really stepped their controller game up, those 2 controllers are very very nice for the price point.

[@goatbebryant4915]

Power a pro fusion 3 is next on my collection

[@farrukh6941]

@@cbismad9535 Which one do you reccomend for PC using? This HyperX, PowerA or original Xbox Core Controller?

[@SergioSergio12345]

I wonder if it's better/more reliable than the GameSir G7.

[@tempestzz5682]

Funny You mention that cuz i traded that for the gladiate,and the galdiate it's so much better,feels cheaper but the thumbsticks are so much Better that It isn't even funny,If You are buying for casual play buy the gamesir g7 but for fps definetly buy the gladiate

[@KaderAzar-v1t]

Can we play without wired

[@Wollops]

Just got it, first impressions are great: fits the palms well unlike some other third party controllers which hurt your hands after a while, textured grips feel nice, mappable buttons are great I now no longer need to hold the controller in a weird way when sprinting on dark souls/elden ring😂

[@nodl9170]

i got mine recently, all i can say is that i'm actually surprised with the quality of this thing. it really does feel like a legit xbox controller

[@zincodrip]

This controller is i bought 2 of these and the aim button broke on both

[@deefavlt608]

Am i missing something??? Cus the back paddles don't work on series s or at least for me don't work...i can't find them on Xbox accessories app

[@9to5toys]

You map them directly on the controller, not an app 👍🏻

[@goatbebryant4915]

Lmfao this isn't an Microsoft elite buddy

[@farrukh6941]

@@9to5toys Which one do you reccomend for PC using? This HyperX, PowerA or original Xbox Core Controller?

[@kostistsiutras4373]

super interesting controller at the right price from my all time fav company, but will it overclock on PC like Ps5 controller?

[@flowsy5294]

No, because its still xbox.

[@puneet7768]

what is the polling rate?

[@ThunderTHR]

I got this controller and tested the polling rate myself. Polling rate is at 250 Hz on average with next to no outliers.

[@vincenzoesposito2073]

PC?

[@quelldieu7263]

gamesir g7 vs this controller?

[@ccaesar360]

Bought it down here in Norway cost about 449 kr. Super fast and easy to mapp.

[@greccoox]

35 dolars? it also say "stick drift in 1 month or 6 months for you buy another and another and another". not anymore, not today son. (even tho hyper x was my go to for FPS headphones)

[@kaykb05]

Elite series 2 gets stick drift the same rate for 6 times the price

[@Ryanlexz]

@@kaykb05 yeah pretty much every controller like elite series, hyper x, razer etc.. get stick drift but eswap s kinda look like a solution for it

[@kaykb05]

@@Ryanlexz I'll have to look into it

[@konishiwoi]

that price says nothing like that. If it uses ALPS brand joystick modules then it's gonna get stick drift just any offical XBOX or playstation controller, even the fancy $200 ones.

[@goatbebryant4915]

Everyone has gotten stick drift learn how to play with it goofy 😂😂 you can adjust deadzones and sens in most games

[@lennon401]

as a fortnite player that plays controller i play competitively and i dont need suf controllers to co competitive and i picked this up and i use back buttons often and for the price u are getting the best bang for ur buck in terms of what u get for esports i would highly recommend this to some of u

[@nikko7345]

do you play on pc? i was wondering if this has good compatability with epic games launcher. i use a switch controller on steam and its easy to remap buttons but im looking for something affordable that i can use for epic games store games

[@lennon401]

@@nikko7345 yeah i would get it the compatibility is fine on pc

[@Skyline-tj4dz]

the trigger lock doesn't work in black ops cod war (pc) haven't tested modern warfare yet

[@vovazagach1781]

Is this controller plug and play like Xbox, or some software is needed for PC?

[@Skyline-tj4dz]

@@vovazagach1781 it is plug and play no software needed

[@Skyline-tj4dz]

I'll also add to this the support for these controllers may end due to xbox licensing for 3rd parties pc shouldn't have an issue though

[@yeshuayahushua4338]

is it better than Thrustmaster eSwap?

[@Delc0]

Better price but lack of 4 buttons like the eswap pro. I enjoyed my eswap pro but they didn't have just the joysticks to buy. I got stick drift with the 3 different joysticks of which I had to buy the packs which had unnecessary accessories. All the buttons on the eswap pro were premium though. 4 buttons on the back of the controller is like the new standard for me. $35 would be a great casual gaming controller with games not needing so many fast button activation.

[@glenwilliams7204]

@@Delc0 wow, crazy world we live in, just got home from micro center after picking up my 5th thrustmaster controller. this time around i went with the forza one that just came out in this month, paid 185.

[@yeshuayahushua4338]

@@Delc0 no games need more buttons than the vanilla normal controller, if it plays console then it plays normal controller, why u want thousands of buttons ?

[@Delc0]

@@yeshuayahushua4338 so you don't have to play claw and you can access four buttons on the back. Not thousands. But I can tell you're probably below av.

[@davidjapri5947]

vibration?

[@VeeLazer]

I already have the Razer Wolverine V2 so I'm not buying this one, but excellent video nonetheless. I love how HyperX was able to kinda slyly stick to their common branding with the red joysticks on this, it is a good looking controller.

[@ralphfontcuberta130]

Was going to say; I switched to the Razer Wolverine not long ago -- was having some hand cramping/numbing when using the stock XBox One controller; haven't had a problem since switching to the Wolverine.

[@od813]

Does the wolverine V2 come with back buttons or paddles ?

[@ItsCheetahTV]

This design looks like they took a older power A controller shell and converted it to their own.

[@thomasre5479]

theres a wireless verison now.

[@tropixi5336]

hopefully it last longer then a week,

[@catalincatalin3945]

It s compatibile with windows 7 ?

[@Smart_boy2001]

What games u playing on W7? 😮

[@UKKN516]

would of been nice if it was wireless.

[@CaidenStephens-g3f]

Is it Xbox approved tho

[@ToshinRaizen7]

can it take the abuse for fighting game?

[@mr.kwamid-86_43]

😂

[@ifteykharulislam]

It say out of stock

[@wronczi]

can u check latency? Standard Xbox has like 7 ms.

[@ThunderTHR]

Are you referring to polling rate? I have this controller and gave it a test myself, it averages at 4 ms, or around 250 Hz.

[@vovazagach1781]

​@@ThunderTHRWhat can you say about dead zones in this controller, how big are they compare to Xbox controller?

[@ThunderTHR]

@@vovazagach1781 Dead zones are minimal from my experience.

[@vovazagach1781]

@@ThunderTHR Ok, is there some software too this controller or you just plug and play?

[@ThunderTHR]

@@vovazagach1781 Just plug and play.

[@REJR90]

Turtle beach recon and pdp are by far the two best of those types of controllers

[@Honest_Slowpoke]

like for budget? its ok, not even but not even top 3, recon doesnt even have trigger stops, thumbsticks feels cheap nor is the back buttons placed on the bottom, any of the spectra/enhanced/power a controllers are much better then recon

[@REJR90]

@@Honest_Slowpoke the audio is what makes the recon so good.trigger stops are for scrub crackheads

[@Honest_Slowpoke]

@@REJR90 ohhh, u must be on console or something, ig audio is important in tht aspect

[@goatbebryant4915]

I got the recon and now getting this because no trigger stop turtle Beach fumbled with that

[@brezzyboii12]

Its literally a power A controller 2 many similarities....

[@bonimcruela]

Does this have gyro?

[@SergioSergio12345]

It's an Xbox controller, so no.

[@Brendonbharath1709]

Bought it for 12$❤

[@garic4]

Yesss

[@RealziesCuts]

Sold out 🤦‍♂️

[@od813]

Has anyone bought one of these

[@ThunderTHR]

I got one of these recently as a gift from a friend. Very nice controller.

[@t.2240]

no wayyyyyy

[@chrisdude2675]

Controller is a scam. After a month of using it keeps crashing and buttons stop working mid game.

[@Gh0stly_n0t_Foun5]

😂😂😂😂

[@Flawdabowii]

buddy looks high or suffering from covid

[@leonydus9889]

i dont understand why they keep going with those horrendous bowl shaped thumbsticks, they give you no grip/accuracy or overall control, the sticks dont even make sense scientifically

[@goatbebryant4915]

Buy scuf grips

[@Imperatorelite999]

4.1 Amazon average review. AVOID. This guy is a shill.

[@KumaSelf]

I ahte those d-pads. They are bad!!!!

[@martinezx3621]

Wired controllers were cool 20 years ago…

[@silver7717]

I'll take wired any day dont need wireless when im 2 ft from my monitor

[@BR_Eureka]

Funny cause all I want is a solid wired controller. Since the ports on all first party controllers just stop working if it falls once.

[@RockstarMazy]

all I use is wired. honestly prefer it over wireless. powerA fusion pro 2 is the best xbox controller out rn imo

[@oblivieon1567]

That's actually not true, I don't even have batteries in my XB1 controller for my PC.

[@navalfluff]

Tell us you know nothing without saying it

[@HawkNocturnal]

A budget beast is the gamesir g7. This blows. Sorry!

[@tempestzz5682]

Nah If You are a good player,and not a casual who thinks that having some mechanical buttons is the end all be all you're wrong,the thumbs sticks springs on the g7 suck,making it impossible to lower the dead zones below 10,they even say so in the instructions ...the gladiate can be lowered as low as 1... that's 10 times better trust me,even from 3 to 5 you can feel it😅sure the g7 feels better but it's NOT better haha,i tried them both im not pulling anything out of my arse...

[@HawkNocturnal]

@@tempestzz5682 lmao that was alot of wtf.. But u do u.

[@tempestzz5682]

@@HawkNocturnal ok,but having tried both i think that the gladiate is way better..sure the g7 is superior in feeling but that had to come at a cost...

[@HawkNocturnal]

@@tempestzz5682 can’t u read.. I’ve tried both aswell. And it doesn’t come close like at all.. But have fun gaming. Like what’s your problem.. 🤦🏼‍♂️ dumb dumb..

[@goatbebryant4915]

Power a fusion 3 might be the best budget controller now with 4 back buttons under $100

[@littleicky2852]

It looks cheap tbh

[@garageink74]

“It’s a wired controller” A’ight, Imma head out.

[@od813]

They had to keep it cheap somehow

[@ThunderTHR]

@@od813 It has more to do with Microsoft themselves. Most third party controllers are wired due to the wireless protocol that Microsoft uses being proprietary, which means they'd need to not just pay for the protocol, but also have to apply and be accepted so that Microsoft can control the manufacturers making wireless stuff.

[@oldschoozgamer]

looks like them crappy powerA controllers

[@kylegibson5933]

I have a power A enhanced controller and it feels better than 70% of the market

[@t.2240]

@@kylegibson5933 how long have you had it i just got the spectra

[@kylegibson5933]

@@t.2240 I think like two weeks

[@rooster6115]

Wired tho 😬. I like hyperx, but wired is the past. Time to move forward folks.

[@fuxbox]

Microsoft doesn't let anyone make wireless controllers

[@corniel657]

Only 2 back buttons = hard pass

[@mehra6712]

Any recommendations for a good xbox controller with more back buttons that doesn't break the bank?

[@bytaal7592]

​@@mehra6712 Just think about when every new game releases that you like you will probably buy it with its full price or even lower, you're literally will keep spending easily like over 100$ in a month or a year doesn't matter, so why not spend that money on a decent controller like nacon or razer.

[@corniel657]

@@mehra6712 Flydigi Vader 2 Pro

[@goatbebryant4915]

​@@mehra6712power a pro fusion 3 just dropped a 4 back button controller no paddles

[@TheMockedy]

Hate wired controllers. I don't know how you all go back to that stuff once you go wireless. Maybe it's having young kids run around 😅

[@mr.kwamid-86_43]

I hate charging batteries, and wireless interference:^)

[@thanosthegod4406]

@@mr.kwamid-86_43 you nailed it 😂😂😂😂

[@goatbebryant4915]

It's not a big deal if you're not 10 feet away from monitor or tv

[@ImaSMACKHEAD982]

I dont need no keyboard and mouse I dont need no aim assist I dont need no "clutch" controller And im as good as i am .... dont need np enhancments, glitches or cheats I just play DMZ with a friends and im maxed out its too easy Then again its just an arcade game