Originally published at: Review | MOGA XP-ULTRA Hybrid Controller - XboxEra
Power-A has surprise dropped a brand new, premium Xbox controller today. I’ve spent a few weeks using the MOGA XP-ULTRA and have come away impressed with its hybrid Xbox & Mobile design focus. At $130 US MSRP though, it’s a big ask for customers. It’s the same base price as an Elite Series 2 Core controller. Let’s break down all the specs and go over my experience using it with various Xbox and Mobile titles.
The Specs
The XP-ULTRA is a unique hybrid design. It is essentially a 2 in 1 concept, with a central controller unit that can be attached to an outer grip shell. Both the main unit and grip have rumble motors built into them, and there is a 30-hour battery in the main unit that powers both.
Feature-wise you’re looking at:
• Connects wirelessly to Xbox Consoles, PCs, and Bluetooth other devices.
• 4-in-1 modular design
• Full-sized gamepad
• Dual articulating mobile gaming clip
• Compact mini-pad for compact mobile gaming
• Detachable full-sized ergonomic grip
• 2000mAh built-in battery for 30 hours of gameplay
• Built-in rumble motors in both the mini-pad and detachable grip
• Dual analog sticks
• Modern concave D-pad
• Impulse Triggers
• Two mappable advanced gaming buttons (in the detachable grip)
• USB-C charging port/wired connectivity port
• 3.5 mm Audio Port
• Includes a 3m braided USB-C to USB-A controller/charge cable
The first thing that stood out to me was that this is a 3rd party controller that connects directly to an Xbox console without use of a dongle. It functions similarly in every major way to a first-party Xbox Series controller. Double tapping the pairing button swaps between Xbox and Bluetooth modes, and it can be used wired as well. The included braided cable is extremely long, measuring nearly 13 feet when I laid it out.
How does it feel?
My primary use case was with the full controller put together, as I found the mini pad to lead to hand cramping after an hour or two. I do have large hands, and I could see average-size or smaller users finding it usable at least. The pad feels good in the hands, with a shape similar to an elite. When using the grip, it’s slightly larger and I did find the location of the back buttons to be an issue. They’re easy to hit, sometimes too easy. In normal use on an Xbox or PC it worked well, but the added weight of a mobile phone when using the clip attachment meant I had to support that extra weight. Doing that led to me holding both the two usable buttons and the pair button in the middle by mistake often.
The face buttons are slightly taller than an average Xbox controller and felt good to press. Triggers are shorter than an Xbox Series or Elite. It made feathering my throttle in racing games feel less precise but for quick presses in shooters, it felt great. The bumpers are a similar click as Xbox Series controller though with more play. They felt great in games like Elden Ring which make heavy use of them. Overall, the controller feels pretty darned good to use, but not great. It’s serviceable in every major way, but the plastics used don’t match up with the Elite Series 2 and its rubber grips and swappable thumbsticks.
An area the controller shines is its battery life. I used it as often as I could during this review period and only had to charge it once. I received it with roughly half a charge, which took nearly 15 hours to use up. After a full charge, which was surprisingly fast using the included wire plugged into my Xbox, I’m at over 20 hours and it’s only now gone under half. I’ve used it a lot in Bluetooth mode as well while playing Diablo Immortal on my phone.
Pricing
I like to love every single part of this device. It feels good to use in almost every scenario, with my large hands holding it back in its grip-less mini mode. The major issue I have is pricing. While this feels like a premium device it is hard to recommend it over an Elite Series 2, especially when the core edition is the same MSRP. You lose the ability to change out the thumbstick and d-pad as well as the hair triggers and overall better feel of the Series 2.
I also ran into an issue where the device did not want to work on my PC while wired in directly. It refused to pick it up the first dozen or so times I tried plugging it in with various cables, before finally working out of nowhere. Access to the user guide was also unavailable, which you should be able to access using an included QR code. I was able to eventually get the back buttons set how I wanted with some trial and error, but that method requires holding the middle pairing button down. While using the device with a phone I had to support the extra weight with my fingers on the back and repeatedly had the phone go into its back button settings mode by mistake.
Conclusion and Recommendation
This is the best mobile game controller I have used outside of those major issues. It feels great and is comfortable over long play sessions. The fact that it doubles as a fully functional, almost elite, Xbox Controller nearly justifies its price. If you travel often there are few options as enticing as this one for on-the-go gaming. $130 is a lot to ask at launch. This one is worth checking out if you can find it at a good price.
Recommendation
Buy at launch if the use case makes sense, otherwise, wait on a sale.
Review united provided by Power-A. MSRP is $129.99 in the United States
