I know what you're thinking, but no — this isn’t a review for PlayStation’s DualSense controller five years too late. This is Hyperkin’s new controller, boldly named The Competitor.
At first glance, it might look familiar, but it’s designed for Xbox, with a symmetrical layout in a world dominated by asymmetrical pads, and it comes at a surprisingly affordable price.
Whether that combination actually works is another story. Luckily, I’ve had the chance to put The Competitor through its paces to see if it’s more than just a budget-friendly lookalike, and to see if it’s genuinely worth your time.
Design, Ergonomics, and Build Quality
The Competitor controller takes clear inspiration from the PS5’s DualSense, so much so that at first glance, you could easily mistake one for the other. The shape, the curves, even the default colour scheme are immediately mistakeable for Sony's gamepad, but once you pick it up, the differences start to show.
Firstly, it's much lighter than a DualSense, which is great for longer gaming sessions, though that reduced weight does hint at its more budget-focused build. For example, there’s no battery to add weight, as it's wired-only, and it lacks some of the more advanced features you’d find in Sony’s official pad, which explains why it doesn’t have that dense, premium DualSense heft.
Despite that, the overall build quality is surprisingly solid. Yes, the lightness gives it a slightly hollow feel, but nothing about the materials or construction feels cheap in a worrying way. In fact, it feels less creaky than my own well-used DualSense, and the included USB cable is sturdier than expected, adding to the feeling that Hyperkin didn’t cut corners where it truly mattered.
Like most controllers, The Competitor is mostly plastic, with a lightly textured coating across the shell that adds a decent amount of grip. Meanwhile, the thumbsticks are rubberised with textured rims, though they don't feel quite as sticky or grippy as the DualSense or Xbox's own sticks.
As mentioned, it features a unique symmetrical thumbstick layout in the Xbox world, further cementing that PS5-esque vibe. It's not a bad thing, because it definitely helps The Competitor stand out from the crowd in a bloated gamepad market filled with asymmetrical Xbox controllers.
Buttons, Triggers, and Stick Performance
Starting with the buttons, Hyperkin leans into that DualSense aesthetic again by using a segmented traditional D-pad rather than Xbox’s joined alternative.
The layout feels familiar, and the travel distance is pretty much on par with other mainstream controllers. However, they do give more of a loud click when pressed compared to Sony's and Microsoft's controllers.
Also, I have seen some reviewers note the buttons are a little smaller than Sony’s, and while that’s technically true, it’s a very minor difference — nothing that affects usability or accuracy.
Moving up to the triggers, Hyperkin skipped hair-trigger locks, which is a shame given that even many budget controllers now include them. Still, the triggers themselves are pleasantly smooth and responsive across different genres. They might not have the adaptive feedback found on pricier pads, but they feel consistent and comfortable in day-to-day use.
One of the real highlights here, though, is the inclusion of Hall Effect thumbsticks. These are becoming increasingly popular because they’re far more resistant to stick drift, and Hyperkin’s implementation is genuinely impressive for this price bracket.
In my testing, circularity was almost perfect; the sticks snapped straight back to center every single time, and even when clicking them in, they didn’t wobble or hold offset. Sure, long-term durability is the real test, but so far, it’s a huge win, especially considering I’ve used more expensive controllers with Hall Effect sticks that somehow still suffered drift.
And finally, the benefit of this being a wired controller: zero latency concerns. Every button press, trigger pull, and stick movement is instant and snappy. For fast-paced games like shooters, that’s a massive plus.
Connectivity and Compatibility
Setting up The Competitor is incredibly straightforward for a number of reasons.
Firstly, it’s officially licensed by Xbox, so it works seamlessly across the Series X|S and Xbox One, as well as any Windows PC without any additional software.
I primarily used it on PC, and it seemed to work across all games I loaded via Steam and Epic Games Launcher without requiring any extra setup or tinkering, which is handy for saving time.
Because it’s a wired-only controller, you simply plug in the included 10-foot USB-A to USB-C cable, tap the big Xbox button in the center, and you’re off. The long cable is especially handy if you’re gaming from the couch or just don’t want to feel tethered to your desk. And the upside of being wired (aside from the lower price) is that you don’t deal with connection drops and batteries dying out mid-game. As long as the cable stays plugged in — which it did for me — the connection is rock solid.
You also get a 3.5mm headphone jack built right into the controller, just like the official Xbox pads. It works as expected: plug in your headset, and audio routes through immediately. This isn't anything special, considering most controllers have a built-in headphone jack these days, but it is nice to know Hyperkin hasn't excluded it to keep costs down or anything like that with this one.
Customization
Customization is somewhat limited as there is no dedicated Hyperkin software, no sensitivity sliders, no stick curves, no trigger tuning, and no multi-profile support. If you’re looking for deep, PC-style configurability, this isn’t the controller for that. But what Hyperkin does offer instead is a handful of physical customization options that, while limited, are useful.
The standout additions are the two programmable back buttons. You assign them by tapping the “M” button to enter mapping mode, and you can lock each one independently, which I actually think more controllers should allow. If you’ve ever accidentally crouched, reloaded, or thrown a grenade in the middle of a fight because your ring finger brushed a back paddle, you’ll understand why this is genuinely helpful.
The placement of these back buttons is also well thought out. I found that they fell naturally beneath my middle fingers, making them easy to reach without needing to adjust my grip. They stick out just enough to find by feel, but not so much that they become intrusive, and the plastic is slightly smoother than the textured shell of the controller, making them even easier to distinguish without looking.
Then there are the swappable stick caps, which include both domed and concave options. They’re all the same height, so there’s no “long” or “short” stick setup like some premium controllers offer, but it’s still nice to have the choice of shape.
I’ll talk more about which caps work best for different games in the Gaming Performance section, but in terms of fitting them, I found them a bit fiddly at first. That was entirely on me, though, as I was pressing them in at the wrong angle. Once you line up the small internal teeth and push straight down until you feel the click, they’re actually very easy to swap.
My only worry with removable caps like this is whether repeated swapping might wear down the mechanism and cause stick drift. Thankfully, the Hall Effect technology seems to be holding up perfectly with my review sample, even after multiple swaps.
Beyond that, there’s not much else. You do get a dedicated mute button (orange glow when active), but no D-pad swaps, no trigger stops, and no software-based tweaks of any kind. It’s a pretty minimal customization suite overall, but what you do get is pretty practical and works well.
Gaming Performance
Gaming performance on The Competitor is, honestly, pretty solid. It's nothing mind-blowing, just reliably good in all the ways that matter for a budget-friendly controller.
The biggest highlight is easily the zero stick drift, thanks to those Hall Effect sticks. Aiming feels clean and stable, movement is consistent, and the sticks always snap right back to center, which gives you a nice level of confidence when playing anything even slightly twitch-based.
Responsiveness is generally strong across the board, too. Button inputs register quickly and accurately, even when rapidly pressing, and there’s no noticeable latency since this is a wired-only controller. The triggers are smooth and perfectly usable, though they’re not quite as quick to activate as the adjustable hair triggers you’d find on more premium gamepads. Nothing wrong with them — they’re just normal triggers that feel normal. But if you’re used to ultra-short actuation for competitive shooters, you might notice a difference using The Competitor's longer trigger pull.
The controller does feature vibrations, which work as expected. It adds a bit of immersion during explosions or heavy impacts, though there’s nothing particularly unique or standout about it. Again, just a standard, consistent rumble that is exactly what you'd expect from a controller in this price bracket.
Comfort-wise, the whole experience is very reminiscent of holding a PS5 DualSense, as already mentioned, just a bit lighter. Personally, I found this weight difference not overly noticeable, but I'm sure it being lighter does help remain comfortable, especially if you don't have anywhere to rest your arms. I also tend to prefer symmetrical stick layouts, so The Competitor feels quite comfortable to me. However, if you’re someone who swears by the offset Xbox layout, you may not agree.
The only issue I really had was with the programmable back buttons. They’re useful, placed well, and great to have at this price, but I did find myself accidentally pressing the left one in the middle of fights now and then. In something like Fortnite, where your fingers are already doing a lot, they can feel a little too easy to hit. Thankfully, this is exactly why the button lock feature exists.
For everyday gaming, casual competitive play, and long sessions, I would say The Competitors performs about on par, if not a little better than you might expect at this budget.
Price and Value for Money
At $49.99 (£39.99), The Competitor is a tad cheaper than a standard Xbox controller or a PS5 DualSense, yet it still manages to pack in a couple of genuinely useful extras — Hall Effect sticks and programmable back buttons.
Now, there are cheaper and more feature-rich controllers out there, like the excellent PXN P5 I have also reviewed. The P5 gives you four back buttons, trigger locks, wireless support, and even customization software, but it doesn’t have the same level of Xbox compatibility, nor is it officially licensed like the Hyperkin. If you’re an Xbox player, that official licensing alone makes this a more suitable pick.
Overall, I’d say The Competitor offers very solid value for money, especially for casual players or anyone looking for an affordable, dependable secondary controller. You get a handful of nice extras without paying for the more advanced bells and whistles you’d see in premium or competitive-tier gamepads.
Even though it's named "The Competitor", I don't think it's trying to compete with the likes of the Xbox Elite Series 2 or DualSense Edge at its price point. It's actually a far more affordable choice than anything Microsoft or Sony delivers, so it earns a big tick in terms of value from me.
Pros and Cons
In short:
Pros
- Hall Effect thumbsticks with excellent drift resistance
- Programmable back buttons with independent locks
- Officially licensed for Xbox, ensuring seamless compatibility
- Very lightweight and comfortable for long sessions
- Wired connection = zero latency and no disconnect issues
Cons
- No hair-trigger locks or advanced features found on competing budget pads
- Limited customization (no software, no sensitivity tuning, no profiles)
- Back buttons can be accidentally pressed during intense gameplay
- Wired-only may be a downside for players who prefer wireless
Final Verdict
Hyperkin's The Competitor controller essentially looks and feels like a PS5 DualSense to use, yet it's built and officially licensed for Xbox. None of that's necessarily a bad thing, especially considering it costs $49.99 (£39.99) and, I would say, quietly overdelivers for its price.
The Hall Effect sticks are a huge win for me, genuinely delivering on drift prevention for me so far. Also, the programmable back buttons (with locks) are a great touch that isn't always a guarantee from third-party pads in this price bracket.
Some negatives include the minimal customization options and the lack of hair triggers, which might turn off more competitive players, but for everyday gaming on Xbox or PC, it’s reliable, responsive, and simply good value.
