Beyond the Buzzwords: Thrustmaster’s HEART Controller for Xbox and PC
You can’t ever say that Thrustmaster just toe the line, delivering standard products to the gaming market over and over again. For in fact, they have fingers in many pies, rarely running generic products, consistently pushing boundaries.
With the likes of the T248 Wheel in their product lineup, as well as the T.Flight Full Kit X and cracking eSwap XR Pro Controller Forza Horizon 5 Edition with its teeny tiny steering wheel front and centre, we’re constantly amazed by what Thrustmaster offer.
That’s the case too for the Thrustmaster HEART Controller. This is an Xbox and PC controller that, whilst coming to market at entry level, is a cracking option for those interested in performance above anything else. It has that HEART technology front and centre, with the HallEffect AccuRate Technology (H.E.A.R.T.) ripped straight from Thrustmaster’s flight sim presence, adding it into a standard Xbox controller.

You may not think you need a controller that utilises magnetic sensors instead of mechanical friction, and you may never have worried about the precision and position of thumbsticks before, but use this and you’ll be delighted at how it enhances any gaming session.
Anyone who has read our pieces before will know that we care little for the latest and greatest buzzwords. We have to admit to loving 4K, but rarely do we scream about 30fps this or 60fps that, and Ray Tracing could well be someone last met in a pub. For that reason alone, we can’t get too enthused by Thrustmaster’s HEART claims with this new controller, but that’s not to say we don’t like it. We do. A lot.
Lightweight Design, Familiar Features
Let us start by focusing on how the HEART controller feels in hand, and how it comes across aesthetically, as for some gamers, that will be as much, maybe more important than, how the fancy mechanics play out. And honestly, grabbing the HEART controller out of the box may well dim any enthusiasm. It looks fine, with a black and white halved controller split pretty much down the middle by a glowing LED strip, providing some character to an otherwise humble controller.
But it does feel very plasticky in hand, extremely lightweight and lacking any real heft. Some may come to it from an Xbox Elite or one of the many alternatives and be shocked by how light it feels, but that is mostly down to this controller being wired, running a USB-C to USB-A cable. Don’t think that Thrustmaster have chucked a super lengthy cable in either – this one is only 2 metres in length, and that feels a tad stingy. If you can only game wirelessly, the HEART controller from Thrustmaster may not be for you.
Those plastic vibes emit down to the bumpers and triggers too, as well as the d-pad, which, whilst all fine, fail to really ignite. There’s little in terms of texturing or grip to any of those controller staples, although they are nicely contoured to ensure any lack of tactility is forgotten. In fact, the bumpers feel great to press, whilst the triggers deliver the travel required of them.

The HEART Controller’s Features and Functionality
Alongside those are other usual controller standards. A couple of thumbsticks feel great in use (a little more on those in a bit), whilst ultra responsive mechanical face buttons hardly need a hit for registering, Thrustmaster hyping a 64% speed boost over traditional buttons, with an activation distance of just 0.3mm. If you’re one who games on the edge, requiring laser-focus and sharp buttons, those face buttons will be a godsend.
You’ve then got the Xbox Nexus button front and centre, flanked by the usual trifecta of Menu, View and Share. But then those themselves are accompanied by a couple of delicate little profile and mapping buttons.
Around the back? That’s where you’ll find a couple of programmable M buttons, well situated to ensure that your middle fingers rest on them whilst holding the controller. We can’t say we’re the biggest fans of rear-mounted buttons, preferring to stick with what we’ve learnt from years of Xbox gaming, but these M buttons do feel good, well curved to ensure that they are among some of the better back buttons we’ve ever used. It’s easy to set them up as you see fit too, utilising a combination of profile, mapping, and rear buttons, all confirmed by the controller’s LED strip.
We guess we should speak more about that LED bar too, mostly as it is a main focus on how the Thrustmaster HEART controller looks. It’s quite a nice little addition, and whilst far from an essential, does break up the panda vibes that the otherwise black and white controller brings. Fully customisable, a simple hit of the profile button, accompanied by some D-Pad usage (left and right for colour changing, up and down for intensity) helps brighten up even the most dour of gaming sessions.
We’re also appreciative of the on-controller mic button. Situated on the front edge of the HEART controller, right next to the 3.5mm audio port, it’s here where you can easily mute/unmute the mic, or mess around with headset volumes, party and game chat.

HallEffect AccuRate Technology: The HEART of the Controller
And even though we thought it may not be of real interest to us, there’s no debating that the HEART offering found on this controller is superb. HallEffect may not mean much to you, even less so when you chuck in the AccuRate Technology, and we’re struggling to see it as anything but a new Thrustmaster buzzword, but in reality, the mini-sticks included on this controller are flipping great. They feel brilliant to the touch, slightly concave on top to ensure no thumb slippage, with the precision and movement they allow equally off the chart.
Thrustmaster are selling this tech on delivering peak precision and infinite beats, with unrivalled precision over time, all made possible by magnetic sensors that measure the stick movements. it should (will) mean no drift, unable to wear out over time, all working within 0.01 degree of precision. We may personally be far away from the pro-levels that some gamers try to reach, but are pretty sure that with the HEART controller in hand, an increase in gaming quality is near guaranteed.
eSwap Compatibility and the THRUSTMAPPERX App
Even better is that if you have a Thrustmaster eSwap controller to hand, then you can get access to the HEART technology and mini-sticks with a new module. It does pretty much as you would expect, injecting the tech found in this controller into that of the clever eSwap gear. Perhaps it would be better for Thrustmaster to offer the Hall Stick Module in a double pack, as no doubt anyone looking to insert this into their current eSwap controller would look to replace both sticks, but only one mini-stick comes in each box. £24.99 feels like a big old price for just one piece of kit.
Of course, much like any and every controller that lands on Xbox from a third party, there’s an Xbox App to accompany things. If you need to dive deeper into what the HEART controller offers, then fire up the free THRUSTMAPPERX App and the world could very well be your oyster.

A Wired Winner with HEART
In summary, if you can handle the – quite short – wired nature of Thrustmaster’s HEART Controller for Xbox and PC, and need some HallEffect love, then we’re not sure why you shouldn’t get involved. We love the face buttons, we love the mini-sticks and we very much appreciate how good this controller looks in hand. Yes, it feels a little plasticky initially, but that is easy to overcome after just a few days’ use.
This HEART is properly beating!
Huge thanks go out to Thrustmaster for providing us with their HEART Controller for Xbox and PC for review. Hit them up direct if you wish to grab one for yourself. It’ll cost you around £89.99.
If you just need the eSwap SH5 Hall Stick Module for your eSwap controller, then that will set you back £24.99 for one mini-stick module.