PowerA Advantage Wired Controller for Xbox – Sonic Style Review

I once had an unofficial Spider-Man 2 controller for the PlayStation 2. I loved it, but it really was poorly made. Between that and my unlicensed (ie. cheap) memory cards, it’s a wonder I got anything completed on that console.

Third party controllers have come on leaps and bounds since, and the PowerA Advantage Wired Controller is certainly no exception. It comes with a couple of additions to rival an Xbox Elite Controller, but the one I have been reviewing has Sonic the Hedgehog on the design, which obviously makes it better.

The PowerA Advantage Wired Controller for Xbox – Sonic Style comes in many shades of blue, with the buttons and thumbsticks a lighter shade against the darker hues of the fascia. A picture of modern Sonic adorns the left-hand side of the controller. The three buttons in the middle have their logos etched in; still not sure after all this time what their new terms are now. And there is a proper d-pad! Pressing this feels great, the haptics really feedback with each press.

I have been using this controller for the past couple of weeks in order to review some games, and within those it has been getting a real test. Take for example Quantum: Recharged, where the left thumbstick is relentlessly circled round as you create deadzones for enemy ships to be sucked into. It holds up rather well. The rubberised grip around the edge feels a little harsher than a standard Xbox controller grip but this could also be down to it not being smoothed off as much; what with it being a new controller.

Those thumbsticks also came in handy for Marble It Up! Ultra, another intensive workout for them. Between these two, they handled the gruelling swivelling and pressure on them well. Pushing the thumbstick in produces a satisfying crunch too, one that feels more haptic than an official controller. On a PowerA controller, you really know you’ve pushed the stick down.

Then there is also Remnant II, which I used to take full advantage of the adaptive triggers. Remnant II also uses the modern shooter configuration, having the look down sights on the left trigger, and firing on the right trigger. In a game where every second counts, being able to move the sensitivity of the left trigger to the highest setting meant I had enemy weak spots in my sights that little bit quicker than I normally would have. This level of customisation is normally only found on an Elite controller, but it made a big difference here.

There are also two extra buttons on the underside of the controller. They worked, but for me, I couldn’t find a situation where I would use them effectively. That and muscle memory of 30+ years of having all buttons on the topside of my controller.

They also felt positioned to be slightly in the way when holding a controller, meaning I regularly accidentally pressed them. However, they can be changed on the fly using the programme button in between the trigger depth sliders, so experiment with them to your heart’s content.

There is also the PowerA Gamer HQ app where you can check individual button presses, vibration feedback and the deadzone on your thumbsticks. You can’t re-map the controller here, but there is already a native app available for that on the console.

And of course, the elephant in the room is that this is still a wired controller. Regardless of the fact the length of the cable is generous, it still feels a bit archaic in this day and age. And this then means that the controller feels a lot lighter as a result of there being no battery pack. Not to then say that a lighter controller feels a bit cheap, but the heft of the regular Xbox controllers is much preferable.

That said, if you have kids or younger gamers, this PowerA Sonic the Hedgehog themed controller is perfect for them. Having Sonic on the actual controller makes it way more appealing to them than a traditional controller. Trust me; my nieces and cousins prefer this controller infinitely more than my new Starfield controller or the translucent Xbox 20^th anniversary controller. And I am happy for them to keep their grubby little mitts off those controllers. 

The lower price point makes the Advantage Wired Controller for Xbox – Sonic Style an ideal controller for smaller gamers, what with it being themed and lighter. It just needs to be wireless and it would be perfect.

Huge thanks go out to PowerA for providing the Advantage Wired Controller for Xbox – Sonic Style controller for review. Hit up PowerA direct for a purchase.