Hyperkin has tons of controllers for popular consoles, including Xbox, Nintendo, and PlayStation, and a lot of those target the budget/mid-range segment. One such new controller arrived this October, offering a layout that is a hybrid of Xbox and PlayStation controllers, but is meant for Xbox consoles and PC. I have always liked the location of analog sticks on the PlayStation controllers, and The Competitor brings exactly that, but you get the Xbox face button layout as you would expect.
Having tested a couple of budget controllers for PC and consoles, I am really interested to see if the Competitor can challenge budget controllers like GameSir T7 or the recently reviewed EasySMX X05 Pro, which blows its competitors out of the water with ease. From connectivity to performance, we’ll evaluate every aspect to determine whether the name “The Competitor” truly lives up to the hype.
Packaging and Contents
The Competitor's packing was solid, and you get a Game Pass Ultimate subscription for one month with this one. It's something that some controller manufacturers do these days, including Gamesir, and it's a good perk if you want to play your favorite games for free. Here is everything you will find in the box:
- The Competitor Xbox controller
- A 10-foot USB-C to A cable
- Two additional joysticks
- User manual
- Hyperking sticker
Quick Specs
- Connection method: Wired
- Compatible Models: Xox Series S/X, Xbox One, Windows 10/11
- Polling Rate: 1000Hz
- Interface: Type-C
- Joysticks and Triggers Technology: Hall Effect
Taking a Close Look
The Competitor boasts a PS5 controller design, which is clearly visible by the black and white color scheme and the choice of the D-Pad. The joysticks are in the same locations, and except for different markings on face buttons and a big Xbox home button in the middle, the controller looks fully inspired by the PS5 DualSense.
The controller features mushy ABXY face buttons with grey legends, with the buttons themselves being medium in size. The feel is quite good, and these aren't wobbly, thankfully. Then we have the traditional D-Pad, which, even though it resembles the PS5 DualSense controller, isn't as good as the latter. It's satisfactory in press, though, but nothing top-notch.
The analog sticks utilize the Hall effect technology, which eliminates any stick drift. The Hall Effect is now a lot common in budget controllers, and these are on par with what I have tested in the past. We will talk about the performance of these sticks later, but overall, I can feel the smoothness of these is great.
Then we have the top section with decent-sized bumpers and triggers. Similar to the joysticks, the triggers also utilize the Hall Effect technology. I felt somewhat stronger resistance than other controllers, but these are smooth and pleasant. However, these don't feature hair trigger mode, which is actually what makes a controller "The Competitor". As far as bumpers go, these are excellent and come with a good bouncy feel. In fact, these are perhaps the best bumpers I have had on budget controllers. No wobble at all, and offers great presses.
At the back, we have two additional buttons, which are programmable. Hyperkin says that these allow on-the-fly customization, and these can be disabled with the switches beside them. Their placement feels spot-on, allowing my fingers to find and press them effortlessly without any discomfort or adjustment.
There is a Mute button at the bottom and a dedicated 3.5mm jack as well for connecting a headset. A really handy feature for those who like to sit far from the screen. Of course, the 10-foot-long cable will allow you to game from the couch. Lastly, the controller’s ergonomics stand out, with textured grips and an ideal reach to every button, making it comfortable to use over extended sessions.
Connectivity and Compatibility
The Competitor comes with just a single type of connection, and that is wired. We neither have 2.4 GHz nor Bluetooth connectivity on this one, which is really unfortunate. A lot of $50 controllers and even those that are cheaper have transitioned to both wireless and wired connectivity. Maybe Hyperkin wants it to be really competitive when it comes to the response, which we will check out in the next section.
The Competitor is an officially licensed Xbox controller, and therefore, it is compatible with several Xbox consoles, such as Series S, X, and Xbox One. For PC users, it will work on both Windows 10 and Windows 11, but as it lacks wireless connectivity, you can't use it on a lot of devices that depend on wireless connections.
Performance
Coming to the most important stuff, I think The Competitor isn't really something you should expect that easily beat its rivals that are selling at a similar price point. Maybe the bar has been set high by manufacturers like EasySMX and Gamesir. That said, if we are talking about the performance of the triggers or the joysticks, these are pretty similar to other options.
Thankfully, the joysticks show no noticeable inner deadzone and respond accurately even to the slightest inputs. They do have noticeable snapbacks, but nothing concerning. The resolution is decently high, and according to GamePadla, it's 9 bits. The drift is zero, and the circle error is almost non-existent. As per the Hardware Tester, the circle error came out to 0.1% but GamePadla reported 0.2%. So, almost flawless in this regard.
Now let's talk about some crucial stuff, the polling rate and the latency, something that Hyperkin advertises as "No lag, No latency". So, in GamePadla Joystick Tester, I found the PPS (Polls Per Second) or polling rate around 260 Hz, which is really disappointing. That said, in the GamePadla latency tester, the polling rate was just 250 Hz, which is substandard to be honest, since most good wired controllers offer 1000 Hz of polling rate.
With that being said, the average latency of the controller comes out to ~4 ms. It's surprising how EasySMX X05 Pro not only manages to beat The Competitor in wired mode, but easily delivers 1000 Hz polling rate with 1 ms latency in wireless mode as well. I’m not sure why the polling rate and latency figures are so unusually poor, but this clearly leaves it outclassed by its rivals.
The Verdict
The Competitor just missed the mark of being a really great budget controller. It certainly has the potential, but right now, it can't compete with its rivals, given its price point. I really liked its build quality, the ergonomics, and the hybrid layout. Its resemblance to the PS5 DualSense and the additional buttons at the back, as well as a dedicated audio jack, really make it convenient for most.
Apart from the wonderful bumpers, pleasant face buttons, and D-Pad, the controller has great joysticks too, but its high latency is off-putting. Due to 4 ms input latency, the polling rate also gets reduced to just 250 Hz, and that doesn't make it a "Competitor". It would have been understandable if this were the case in the wireless mode, but not only does the controller stick to just wired connectivity, it doesn't deliver the required performance in the wired connection.
I think the Competitor is good for you if you don't care much about competing in games, and especially if you love the DualSense-inspired design. It's definitely a satisfactory choice, considering it performed really well in other areas, but the $49 price tag is a bit high.
About the author: Sarfraz Khan is a hardware reporter with a focus on PC components and the builder community. With years of experience writing about PC hardware and laptops, his work has been featured on several reputable technology publications. Sarfraz's hands-on experience is demonstrated through his first-person accounts of using and comparing different hardware configurations, providing practical and relatable insights for everyday users. His technical analysis is respected by peers in the enthusiast community and has been cited by specialized hardware sites such as Germany's Igor's Lab.
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