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The PlayStation 5 DualSense is arguably one of the best first-party controllers to ever exist. This base PS5 controller already features amazing haptic feedback, adaptive triggers, motion controls, a touch pad, and a tried-and-true design that fits comfortably in most everyone's hands. Sony essentially combined some of the best features of the previous-generation PlayStation controllers and then added in extras that cemented its place as the best around.
Now what if you took what is already a great controller and somehow made it even better? What would you possibly add to it? There are probably a good handful of added features that immediately spring to mind: Additional buttons on the back, an option for digital hair-triggers, and maybe easily swappable analog sticks. You may also opt for a few uncommon features such as the ability to quickly swap to several different custom profiles and more comfortable grips.
This is where HexGaming, and their near 15 years of experience designing modified controllers, come into the picture. Their upcoming Phantom controller includes all those highly desired bells, whistles, and more in a bid to make it the "ultimate gaming experience" for players. From the get-go, the Phantom is a extremely polished custom DualSense that is nothing short of fantastic.
HexGaming's Phantom controller is a highly customizable DualSense that adds in four remappable back buttons. These buttons can be bound to any of the face buttons with the exceptions of the system buttons (create button, options button, and the home button). The HexGaming Phantom also comes packed with a number thumbstick options, a handful of color options, six selectable custom profiles, a digital hair-trigger option, and textured grips for when your gaming sessions get a little sweaty. The Phantom also features something that I consider to be the single best addition to any custom or third-party controller on the market: The DRIFIX module.
When looking at the list of features you would like to see added to the DualSense, there was probably one feature you want but have not really thought about: The ability to deal with stick drift. See, Sony has a bit of a problem when it comes to stick drift on their DualSense controllers. A quick online search will reveal countless people who have encountered this exceptionally annoying issue since the PlayStation 5 launched in 2020. Despite the DualSense now going through four different revisions, the issue remains. It even happened on my third-generation DualSense that came bundled with my PlayStation 5. I started to have stick drift show up within just eight months of light to moderate use. To say it was annoying, to the point of frustration, would be a bit of an understatement.
HexGaming realized just how bad the stick drift issue can be with the DualSense. This is why they included a DRIFIX module on the Phantom. Simply put, this module allows the user to manually re-align the sticks should slight amounts of drift start to occur. This is done by turning four different screws, two for each stick, until the analog sticks are properly realigned. There is no need for disassembly of the controller. You do not have to know how to solder. You simply connect the Phantom to your PC, visit a site like Gamepad Test, lift a little rubber cap on the top of the controller to expose the module, and use the supplied tool to make small adjustments to the DRIFIX screws until the analog sticks are recentered. It is an exceptionally handy feature and one that you hopefully will not even have to make use of.
It is a rather ingenious way to deal with the stick drift issue without increasing the price by using something like Hall effect sticks. That said, the Phantom still starts at a price of $189. That is assuming you can get one of the 100 limited sets that are being offered during their Early Bird special. If you miss out on purchasing one at this lower price, the price goes up to $199 for the Essential Pack or $209 for the Premium Pack that includes a bonus carrying case and USB-C cable.
Even with the included features on the Phantom, paying near or above $200 for a custom DualSense can be a very tough value proposition. At that $200 mark, the closest competition is probably Sony's own DualSense Edge. With the Edge, you get many of the same features present in the Phantom. Like the Phantom, the DualSense Edge includes added rear buttons, options for hair-triggers pulls (though the Phantom uses a digital activation for theirs), swappable thumb sticks, and quickly accessible custom profiles. Sony's DualSense Edge also has a few features not seen in the HexGaming Phantom. The Edge allows for custom stick sensitivity curves, stick dead zone tuning, and trigger dead zone tuning. However, these are all handled only via a settings menu within the PlayStation 5 interface.
Compared to the Edge, the Phantom does have a leg up on Sony's own offering in a couple of different areas. The Phantom comes in a handful of color schemes while the Edge is only offered in the standard white and black "reverse Oreo" scheme. The button mapping feature for the rear buttons are easily customized through the Phantom directly instead of relying on a settings menu within the PlayStation 5 as is the case with the Edge. The Phantom also includes four rear buttons compared to the Edge's two, two additional custom profiles (6 vs 4), two additional thumbstick options (8 vs 6), and it weighs a bit less than the Edge (295g vs 325g). It also comes with some very comfortable grips.
One major difference between the Edge and Phantom is how each parent company deals with potential stick drift issues. Unlike the built-in DRIFIX solution from HexGaming, Sony addresses the problem of stick drift on the Edge by making the entire analog module easily replaceable, provided you spend another $20 for a new module. Honestly, when you start to reach the $200+ realm for a new controller, you really start to wonder why both Sony and HexGaming came up with clever solutions for stick drift instead of just including Hall effect modules.
I do have one theory about why, at the very least, HexGaming did not include Hall effect modules. The controllers offered by HexGaming are modified and customized DualSense controllers. I am going to guess that HexGaming does not get a discount (or if they do, it's minimal) on the purchase price of the DualSense controllers that they then manually modify. With each DualSense priced at $70 retail, there probably isn't too much leeway to add something like Hall effect modules while keeping the price somewhat decent and turning some measure of profit.
As for why Sony themselves does not include Hall effect in their Edge controller? Well, I can only assume they still feel like the failure rate for their analog sticks is still within an acceptable range. Plus, if someone with an Edge does encounter stick drift, that's just another $20 going into Sony's pocket for a replacement module which I'm sure adds a little smiley face on Sony's accounting books. Again, this is all merely a guessing game on my part. I am not trying to make excuses for any company here.
Looking purely at the HexGaming Phantom, it is easy to say that it is a fantastic controller. It takes what is already an amazing controller, the DualSense, and just adds several enhancements everywhere. The Phantom even retains the DualSense's haptic feedback and adaptive triggers, which many third-party controllers don't offer. The four rear buttons are easily accessible but never feel like they are at risk being accidentally hit. When pressed, they most closely mimic the tactile feel of when you click a mouse button. The profile swapping button, also on the back of the controller, features an LED ring of light to indicate which profile you currently have selected. The Phantom comes with eight thumbsticks of varying lengths, widths, and shape so you can mix and match for what feels best to you in each game. Plus, the controller also has the DRIFIX module in case of stick drift.
With the Phantom, there are a few color options available for purchase. The colors, as stated by HexGaming are: Dream Blue, Shadow Gray, Chaos Black, Vision White, and Explorer Edition. The Explorer Edition offers up a translucent shell that reminds me of some electronics and devices from the 90s when see-through plastics were all the rage. I personally opted for the Dream Blue model as it sports a deep blue on the front with black face buttons, and on the rear is an all-black shell with blue buttons. That color combo is one of my favorites and I just could not pass it up. No matter which controller you pick, each one features subtle HexGaming branding on the trackpad. The PlayStation logo for the home button is also replaced with the HexGaming logo. The entire design is quite minimalistic, which I can't help but heap praise on after seeing so very many gaudy devices with a so-called "gamer" aesthetic.
Final Thoughts
The tantalizing, near irresistible allure of the Phantom only begins to wane a bit when you begin comparing it to other controllers at or near its price range. At these prices, you really need to start looking at and comparing the small but key differences between the options available to you. Would four custom profiles be enough or do you want six? Is the ability to adjust dead zones a must-have? Would you rather have a built-in way to possibly fix stick drift or would you rather be able to replace a defective module entirely albeit at a price? So on and so forth.Though I do not have any hard complaints regarding the Phantom, there are a couple of "wishlist" items I would have liked to have seen. I mean, besides the Hall effect sticks. Given that the Phantom is a modified DualSense, it still retains a battery life of roughly 6-10 hours on a single charge, depending on how often haptics and adaptive triggers are engaged. A larger battery would have been a nice bonus. I also wish there was a PC app that would let me manage my custom profiles and button remapping. As it is already rather easy to manage these things directly on the controller an app isn't necessary but it still would have been nice.
Do I personally recommend the HexGaming Phantom over the DualSense Edge? Yes. For my use cases, the features and extras favor the Phantom more than the Edge. I do not personally care much for things like dead zone adjustments on sticks or adjusting acceleration curves. I also much prefer the color options and subtle design differences of the Phantom over the Edge. The digital hair-trigger feature is an absolute delight to use in FPS titles. When engaged, the digital triggers travel just 1.5mm and feel like I'm clicking a mouse. I also quite like the texturized grips on the Phantom. The real boon for HexGaming here comes with how they deal with potential stick drift. I will almost always prefer going with a solution that doesn't cost me an extra $20 any day of the week.
I personally believe it's great how these premium controllers are getting to a point where companies are finding new and innovative ways to try to outdo the competition. It means that players have a lot of options, and some tough choices to make, should they ever decide to make the leap to controllers that offer more than the basic experience. It also means that companies like HexGaming, or Sony, or Razer, or Scuf, or Nacon are always looking for new ways to innovate, which should ultimately lead to even better options in the future. With how great the Phantom already is, it will be very interesting to see where we go from here.
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Additional Information
- HexGaming Phantom
- Created by: HexGaming
- Price: Starting at $189 (USD) for the Early Bird Essential Pack, $199 for the Essential Pack, and $209 for the Premium Pack
- Platform(s) reviewed on: PlayStation 5 and PC (Also compatible with mobile)
- Release Date: Begins shipping in August 2024
- This device was provided to Total Gaming Network for review purposes.
