Razer's new PS5 controller costs half as much as the console itself

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Definitely beats your buddy's greasy MadCatz pad.

Razer Wolverine PS5 controller in synthwave environs
(Image credit: Razer)

Razer has announced a new high-end PS5 gamepad to compete with luxury offerings like Sony's upcoming DualSense Edge or Microsoft's Xbox Elite controllers on PC. Razer's Wolverine V2 Pro has an eye-watering $250 price tag, and includes the requisite rear paddle buttons and swappable thumb pads while also boasting "mecha-tactile" button switches and "hyperspeed wireless" through a special dongle⁠—presumably to cut back on input latency?

I have no doubt this thing will impress when it comes to build quality and general feel⁠⁠—at this price, it better be the most premium-feeling controller I've ever laid hands on. However, I'm not seeing a killer feature here to justify that price tag. The Xbox-style layout could be an advantage to PS5 players who prefer it, I suppose, but the customizability, high-end button action and potentially improved wireless aren't the sort of slam dunks to justify a $50 premium over the DualSense Edge or $100-$150 over the Xbox Elite V2.

For this price, I'd really want to see Hall effect analog sticks⁠—that's the newfangled, high-end, purportedly drift-proof solution already making its way to some controllers and aftermarket analog stick modules. On the PC side, I can't believe Microsoft's Xbox Elite controller, the trendsetter for high-end gamepads, now looks like a reserved, fiscally responsible choice. 

The Xbox Elite can also now be bought with custom colors, and that's the first thing that's genuinely tempted me to blow that much scratch on a pad. That Wolverine's locked in a PS5-standard colorway of 2009 Apple Store milk white, electric blue, and I can't think of a third modifier black.

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Razer Wolverine V2 Pro lying face down, back paddles exposed
(Image credit: Razer)
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Ted Litchfield
Associate Editor

Ted has been thinking about PC games and bothering anyone who would listen with his thoughts on them ever since he booted up his sister's copy of Neverwinter Nights on the family computer. He is obsessed with all things CRPG and CRPG-adjacent, but has also covered esports, modding, and rare game collecting. When he's not playing or writing about games, you can find Ted lifting weights on his back porch. You can follow Ted on Bluesky.