Budget Pro Controller that’s actually Pro

In a market flooded with Budget gaming controllers it can be really hard to stand out. I spent a couple weeks testing and retesting the Asura 2 Pro controller mostly to try and find things I didn’t like about it.

The Asura 2 Pro is made by Beitong. This is a well established company in the controller sphere building controllers for companies like Hauwei, Apple, Netease, TENCENT and JD.com. Beitong also has their own notable line of controllers that are making waves in things like build quality, accuracy, stick response and style.

Beitong reached out to me a few weeks ago and asked me to take a look at the Asura 2 Pro controller. This is a company I hadn’t ever even considered when purchasing controllers so I agreed, being someone who wants to learn about everything I can. I honestly wasn’t sure what to expect and I definitely didn’t expect liking this controller as much as I do.

Sure they call it a “Pro” controller… so does everyone else. Calling a controller Pro in the Budget controller space is like calling something “Platinum” in the bargain bin. Normally I would just skip past this controller for the naming convention alone. I’ve said it before, this is a very competitive space with controllers and it’s hard to stand out.

The ergonomics of the Asura 2 Pro are the closest I’ve found to an XBox 360 controller. I can only assume they took inspiration from it and that was a great decision. Most companies try to get close to the 360 controller but then add things to differentiate themselves that seldom work.

The Halleffect Linear Analog triggers are smooth. I would liked to have seen a step system for playing FPS’s but that would be a big ask in this price range. The shoulder buttons are pretty average but they work well and don’t have a noisy annoying click.

The face buttons have a good amount of travel and smoothly slid into the controller housing without resistance when pressed. You can really say that all the face buttons except for the Center button have that feel. The buttons though close to the XBox 360 seem to have a better rebound. Companies have always struggled to make a nice feeling/looking center button and that’s no different here. The center button looks cheap and is sloppy when pressing. I honestly mostly forget about it though because once you press the center button once it is mostly for adding RGB and powering the controller down.

I’m also not a huge fan of the DPad. It functions well enough for modern and retro gaming but has some odd texture ridges added to the face. I think it just makes it look cheap. This controller is primarily designed for PC gaming so this won’t be your directional pad, but it looks like something off a kids toy. If I were to guess a decision was made to not make it overly beautiful and get customers to incrementally upgrade to a more expensive controller if they don’t like it. Definitely not a deal breaker and as I said it works just fine here.

The joysticks are Halleffect. I tried many times to get that subtle grinding when adding pressure with the sticks at max but it wasn’t there. These are some absurdly great joysticks. In testing I found they were between 0.8% and 0.9% average error rate wired and wireless respectively. Input latency at 2.9 milliseconds and a polling rate of 344. These are the first sticks I’ve used in a long time that can run with a zero dead zone without any adjustment in my part. With them being Halleffect in theory these results should last the test of time. Also once I figured out that I had programmed the left joystick and DPad backwards I started setting personal bests using Aimlab. I have been testing a lot of Halleffect and TMR sticks lately and these are the most accurate by a wide margin in most cases. If I were to make a suggestion on these joysticks my only ask would be for them to have friction rings/posts to stay smooth after hundreds of hours of hard gameplay.

The software for the Asura 2Pro is just a download away. It is free, easy to use and allows you to control every aspect of your controller. It’s also available on nearly every platform: Windows, Mac, Android and iOS. You can program new button layouts not only for individual games, but also characters within those games. You can setup the Turbo and macros if you are into that type of thing. If you are old school and don’t appreciate RGB (this is me sometimes) you can decide to change how it displays, what color it is or if you want to turn it off. There are 5 intensity settings for Vibrate and motors in both your palms. It isn’t the strongest rumble I’ve ever felt but it will shake itself right off your nightstand.

I should have had this review up a couple of weeks ago but every time I started testing I found myself gaming. I oddly don’t get a lot of time to just sit down and play games, but enjoyed this controller enough to push some things back and play. It’s rare when a gaming device can get me immersed in a good game. Sure I had a few negative things to say or suggestions of things I would change. That’s really just me knit picking because I like this controller just the way it is. Also this chameleon colorway they sent matches the colors of a car I painted once.

Full Beitong Asura 2Pro Review on YouTube

If you are in the market for a controller or just trying to decide what to spend that Christmas cash on I think this is a win. It truly is a Pro controller at a budget price. You will probably have money leftover to get yourself a RedBull or three for your next gaming bender.

Now I’m curious how their other controllers perform?

Checkout the Beitong Asura 2 Pro Here

GameOn

CellPhish

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