SCUF - VALOR Wired TMR Performance Controller for Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One and PC - Steel Gray

I started investigating Hall Effect sticks and controllers when I got my ROG Ally X and have been very impressed with the technology and those beautiful, virtually error-free circularity results they produce on the Gamepad Tester website. Like Hall Effect, TMR sticks are purportedly immune from developing stick drift, and supposedly even improve accuracy (in some ways) and longevity over Hall Effects while drawing less power overall. I tried a wired Thrustmaster TMR controller earlier this year. I really appreciated the performance, but the sticks felt way too loose and the controller was SO light it wasn’t very reassuring in the hand. Triggers and shoulder button design and placement were also less than optimal. The Valor Pro gets SCUF into the TMR game with a reasonably priced (versus their wireless counterparts) controller that gives you just about everything you could want from a workhorse controller without some of the more over-the-top extras like tiny OLED screens or bright RGB effects. If you are looking for something REALLY flashy and showy with a veritable keyboard of extra buttons and functions, the Valor Pro probably isn’t going to be for you. Stylistically, the Valor Pro is actually a bit understated, almost “professional-looking”; though if you REALLY want to dress it up, the magnetic faceplate pops off easily to accommodate any of the seemingly thousands of other faceplates SCUF and other vendors have available. Despite not having batteries, the controller feels reassuringly solid and isn’t SO light that it comes off feeling cheap or fragile. The grip has a hard rubberized, hex-textured coating that makes it sublimely grippy and comfortable in the hand. The extra-long USB A-to-C cable is braided, but isn’t so stiff that the cable fights you during gameplay. At the bottom is a 3.5mm combo jack and two separate barrel dial buttons–one for game volume and one for chat volume. Press the left volume dial and game volume mutes. A small LED on the left side of the USB-C port flashes indicating the MUTE function is active. Depress the right dial and the microphone mutes instead. Here, the LED glows steady. Oddly, the LED for game & mic muting is orange rather than a standard red; which is strange because red is one of the three colors the other LED display cycles through to indicate profile selection. Face buttons feel like they might have just a hair more throw than the Elite controllers, but the SCUF’s TMR sticks really are impressive. The tension isn’t aggressive or sloppy; sticks snap back crisply to the center when released. Two concave short sticks are preinstalled with mushroom-topped short and long sticks included in the box for further customization. Other face buttons include Share, Menu, Options, and the circular XBox button. The back features a profile-select button, two large rear wing triggers, and two smaller, angular rear buttons between the wing switches. The smaller buttons can be covered with included drop-in blanks to effectively remove those buttons from play, leaving only the wing triggers to worry about on the back side. Although there is a clunky means of manually remapping controller buttons using a combination of key presses and the back profile button, it is much quicker and easier to set any of the three onboard profiles with the SCUF Valor Pro Companion App. I saw lots of complaints on the Windows store about the app not working or freezing up; but I used three different computers and the app never had a problem starting up and finding the connected controller on any of them. The app updated my controller’s firmware the first time around; after that, button assignment/reassignment was very straightforward. Oh, and once you set a profile, you don’t need the companion app active to use the alternate configurations. You can even take the controller to another computer that doesn’t have the companion app at all and the custom configuration will still load from the controller’s memory. The app gives you control to remap virtually every key on the controller. Trigger stops can be switched to allow full throw, or virtually zero throw for instant trigger response. Thankfully, the computer immediately registered the difference when I flipped the trigger stops, so I didn’t have to go back and specify a new deadzone/range of motion for each trigger stop setting. Thumbsticks can be set with a deadzone from 0 all the way to 100%. Preset thumbstick response curves include exponential, linear, aggressive, dynamic, and a 6-point custom curve for those who are dead serious about dialing in granular thumbstick behavior. Similarly, you can also set trigger deadzones from 0 to 100%, with the same four preset response curves and custom trigger curve of your own design. Vibration intensity can also be customized from 0 to 100% on both triggers and grips; response curves can even be set for the vibration motors both independently and sync’d between both grips and both triggers. I was VERY impressed to see that even with grip and trigger vibration at 100%, there were no irritatingly harsh vibration or buzzing sounds where the motors were vibrating directly against the motherboard or plastic enclosure. Hats off to SCUF for figuring out how to give gamers full vibration intensity without having the controller screaming at them in the process. There are only a few niggles and sore spots I noted during my time auditioning the Valor Pro. First, the companion app doesn’t give you an option to record a macro or add in any other non-controller functions or keystrokes for button/D-pad remapping (unless that option is hidden somewhere in the app that wasn’t otherwise obvious). I understand some SCUF controllers can map keystrokes and macros through Corsair’s iCUE client, but I don’t know if that’s the case for the Valor Pro. Despite being fairly “handsome” in the looks department, the labels on the face buttons (ABXY) have virtually no contrast with the inky black backgrounds of the buttons themselves. By this point in my gaming career, I pretty well have the XBox button layout memorized, but once in a blue moon I catch myself spacing out and having to look down for the right key because I was sure I pressed it and didn’t get the action onscreen I was expecting. When that happens, the poor contrast between the color of the lettering and the face buttons, especially when there is ambient lighting reflecting in the shiny plastic, makes it really hard to tell what button I’m reaching for. The onboard volume and mute controls near the bottom of the controller face are slick and, honestly, are placed absolutely PERFECTLY for comfortable, on-the-fly adjustments with your thumbs during gameplay. What would have been a real coup was if SCUF figured out how to allow those controls to affect global volume and mic settings, and not just those at the onboard 3.5mm jack. How cool would it be to sit at your seat and be able to change overall volume, chat mixer settings, mute the game, or mute the mic all from the same controller using two incredibly intuitive roller dials? However, none of these issues are particularly troublesome and probably won’t be for most people anyway. But one thing I was not expecting is that the TMR sticks used on the Valor pro are set to RAW mode rather than circular. I had no idea there was a [deliberately designed] difference in the way magnetic thumbsticks are built and therefore function. Apparently, magnetic thumbstick modules can have either stellar circularity (my MSI Claw 8 has Hall Effect sticks with nearly perfect circularity at only a 0.3% average error) or operate in “RAW mode,” producing analog response that looks more squarish because the distance traveled along the diagonals is longer than the straight vertical/horizontal movements. The TMR sticks on the Valor demonstrated an average circularity error of about 13.3%. I was aghast at first thinking something must be wrong, but when I measured my Elite, Elite Series 2, and SCUF Instinct Pro controllers, they also ran circularity errors between 12.2% to almost 14%. Some Google-fu suggests this is actually normal behavior for RAW-mode analog thumbsticks. The consensus amongst those who appear to be especially sensitive to thumbstick analog mapping is that RAW-mode is “better” for FPS and other twitch-type games because RAW-response thumbsticks yield what feels like faster, more sensitive movements across a wider range of analog movements, especially diagonals. But, because the positional signals are not mapped to a perfect circle, they can also (purportedly) feel somewhat inconsistent for tiny, micro-adjustments where precision and accuracy at all times are paramount. Circular mode is supposedly better suited to 3rd person adventure or racing gamings where smooth, accurate, and consistent granular movements in any direction are more critical, even if the diagonals tend to feel slightly slower. I don’t know Of course, you may already be aware of such technical details, but I certainly was not. Fortunately, I play mostly FPS games anyway, so the analog behavior of the Valor controller feels very similar to the already responsive, snappy movements I’m used to from my Elites and Instinct Pro controllers. But if you were coming to the Valor expecting or hoping for laser-perfect circularity, this also is likely not the controller for you as I have yet to see anyone claim success at improving circularity using various in-app deadzone adjustments. Whether any of this really matters to you comes down to what type of gamer you are, but at the very least, you will still enjoy the improved longevity and [supposedly] zero chance of stick drift that the Valor’s TMR thumbsticks provide. All in all, the Valor feels like a solid controller worthy of the SCUF name. It may be lacking some of the more advanced bells and whistles of its flashier competition, but for what it does do, it does it very, VERY well.

4/5 Stars — Reliable upgrade from Best Buy. I recently received the new Scuf Valor Wired controller and it has performed very well. I have used standard Xbox controllers for years and frequently dealt with stick drift after several months of regular use. The Scuf Valor Wired (Steel Gray) from Best Buy for is $100, and it provides a noticeable improvement without the higher cost of more expensive custom models. The Hall Effect thumbsticks are a significant advantage. They have shown no signs of drift, feel smooth, and respond accurately from the first use. The textured grip on the handles is effective and comfortable, even during extended gaming sessions. The overall shape is more ergonomic than the standard Series X controller, which suits longer playtimes. The four rear paddles are straightforward to map and offer useful customization. The instant triggers provide a clear benefit in shooters by reducing response time. The bumpers have a larger surface area, making them easier to press quickly. I also appreciate the built-in audio controls for adjusting chat volume and muting without navigating system menus. Since it is a wired controller with a USB-C connection and a good-length cable included, it delivers consistent performance with no input lag. It connects directly to my Xbox Series X or PC and functions reliably every time. For my setup, the wired design is preferable as it eliminates concerns about battery life or wireless interference. The build quality feels solid and well-made for the price. It is lightweight yet durable, with the option to swap stick heights if needed. The faceplates have a clean appearance. Remapping is handled through onboard controls without requiring additional software. One small note: the thumbsticks felt slightly stiffer than my previous Elite controller initially, but I adapted to them within a day and now find the precision beneficial. Also the triggers don’t have the same click feel that others have but I think that more a personal preference If you are looking for a competitive Xbox or PC controller that addresses common issues like stick drift while adding professional features at a reasonable price, this is a strong option available at Best Buy. It has become my primary controller and delivers excellent value.

This SCUF Valor controller feels very solid. I'm usually sitting at my deck on my PC and have never really used controllers wirelessly since I'm so close and it's just more convenient to keep them plugged in. So wired controllers work well for me since I'm basically using all of my wireless controllers that way anyways when I'm playing on my PC. So this controller works really well for me and I'm a big fan of some of the features it has without bloating the simplicity of just being a controller. Setup is easy enough if you remember you need to turn it on. Plug it in and hold the Xbox button to turn it on and it's ready to go. I say "if you remember" because I was wondering why it wasn't working for my PC. I heard the windows connection charm and it being a wired controller just makes sense to always be on when it's plugged in. No biggie. I went looking for an app to update the firmware and see what kind of customization and it took me a minute to find the SCUF Valor app mentioned after doing a few searches. After installing it, firmware updated quickly and I found that there isn't a crazy amount of extra things you need the app for. Using the controller just feels like a nice controller. Buttons, the d-pad and bumpers all feel firm but easy to press. The sticks feel really nice to move and knowing it's TMR and I don't have to worry about drift is fantastic. The back paddles are easy to reach and press but not so loose as I had to worry about pressing them by accident. If you're not a fan of the inner paddles, you can replace the bulged out buttons with a flat replacement that basically eliminates the buttons for you. The volume spinners on the bottom of the controller also feel good to turn and click. Finally, there's switches by each trigger that lets you turn them into instant activated buttons instead of full analog triggers. Speaking of the back paddles. One of the things I really love is that you can reassign all of the paddles on the fly from the controller. No extra software required. It might take you a second to get used to the process but it's explained in the manual and it's pretty simple to do once you do it a few times. Then there's also 3 built in profiles signified by a different color led so you can customize for different games and then just switch profiles really quickly with a tap of the button on the back of the controller. There's not much I have to say negatively about this controller. It feels like a more premium controller compared to the stock controllers and it doesn't cost much more really. Being able to do everything from the controller instead of needing to use external software to configure everything is fantastic. If you're looking for a wired controller, this might be one you want to take a look at.