‘Thanks to that superior sensing tech, its responsiveness really wowed me’ — Scuf’s new wired controller draws close to some of the best Xbox controllers on the market, even if it can’t fully eclipse them

TechRadar Verdict Overall, the Scuf Valor Wired is an appealing package. As well as being a bit of a looker, it’s solidly built and feels ergonomic in hand. TMR thumbsticks are sensitive and should remain drift-free, its dual-mode trigger switches between full-range analog and micro-switch settings, and its companion app makes tailoring response curves and setting dead zones a breeze. It doesn’t offer wireless control, TMR triggers or micro-switch face buttons, but once you consider its price, you soon realise you're getting a whole lot of controller for not much cash. Pros +Great value +Attractive, ergonomic design +TMR thumbsticks and dual-mode triggers +Custom profiles offer great granular control Cons -Wired only -Triggers less sensitive than TMR triggers -Discrete trigger vibrations not really a game-changer Why you can trust TechRadar We spend hours testing every product or service we review, so you can be sure you're buying the best. Find out more about how we test. Jump To: Two-minute review Price & availability Specs Design & features Performance Should you buy it? Also consider How we tested Scuf Valor Wired: two-minute reviewThe Scuf Valor Wired is a mid-range wired PC and Xbox controller. It’s actually the second controller to bear this moniker, with the previous version equipped with the less-sensitive Hall-effect thumbsticks rather than the TMR ones here. But is a wired controller worth the investment right now, when there are so many cheap wireless alternatives to pick from?Despite its mid-market price, the Valor Wired feels suitably premium in the hand. Thanks to its lightly textured grips and thumbsticks, I always felt like I had a firm grasp on it, even with sweaty palms during particularly stress-filled FPS tournaments. I also love the silky-smooth plastic of its faceplate, while the Smoke colorway I tested looked gorgeous, with its translucent gray body and orange highlights.The Valor Wired isn't a poser, though: many of its features equal those of the best Xbox controllers on the market, even if it can’t fully eclipse them.Latest Videos FromTechRadarRocking the TMR thumbsticks more usually seen in premium pads, the Valor Wired won’t succumb to stick drift and should prove more sensitive than Hall-effect alternatives. Meanwhile, its dual-mode shoulder triggers allow you to switch between full-range analog movement and clicky micro-switches — sadly, they’re not quite as sensitive as the more premium TMR triggers of some pads — and provide discrete vibrations from the grips for more immersive gameplay. Remappable back buttons deliver plenty of options for in-game shortcuts, although I’d rather its face buttons were of the faster micro-switch variety than the more spongy ones here.Many of these inputs are customizable in Scuf’s flexible and easy-to-use companion app, available for both Windows and Xbox. Whipping up personal profiles for shooting and racing games took barely any time at all — I was able to tweak dead zones and set custom curves based on my needs, as well as remap buttons to suit my requirements. Saving my preferred profiles to one of three slots on the controller was simple, and I could rapidly flip between them in-game with a single press of a button.But how does all of this translate to performance? Pretty efficiently, it turns out.Not only do those TMR thumbsticks offer better durability, but they felt sensitive and responsive, delivering great control over the steering wheel in Forza Horizon 6. I’m already fully converted to the benefits of dual-mode triggers, and they’re fantastic here, enabling me to fire off effective parries in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, even if it wasn’t quite as snappy as on my more premium Asus ROG Raikiri II Xbox Wireless. And the separate rumble function in the triggers is a fun addition, even if I wouldn’t say it's a revolution in immersion.Get daily insight, inspiration and deals in your inboxSign up for breaking news, reviews, opinion, top tech deals, and more.And those custom profiles I created definitely seemed to have a material impact on my performance. With its dynamic response curves and trimmed dead zones for the triggers, my racing profile felt like it offered more granular control over the gas and brake pedals, enabling me go from seventh in some races to first place. Meanwhile, aggressive trigger curves in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 made squeezing off headshots faster — although not quite as fast as when using the triggers’ micro-switch mode.All things being equal, the Scuf Valor Wired is a strong PC and Xbox controller. Its TMR thumbsticks, dual-mode triggers, and sheer customizability are impressive. Its lack of wireless connectivity, TMR triggers, and micro-switch buttons stop it from being truly top-tier, though. Having said that, it's the price that makes it truly compelling. Getting so many features in a pad for $89.99 / £69.99 / AU$179.99 is fantastic, even if that means sacrificing the flexibility of wireless connectivity and the most premium features. (Image credit: Future)Scuf Valor Wired review: price & availabilityLaunched on March 31, 2026Available from $89.99 / £69.99 / AU$179.99Released on March 31, 2026, the Scuf Valor Wired is available now. While its list price is $99.99 / £94.99 / AU$179.99, we're already seeing reductions in some markets, seeing it go down to $89.99 / £69.99 in the US and UK.Rather than a bunch of different versions for different platforms, the one-size-fits-all Scuf Valor Wired is just for Xbox and PC, so if you’re a PlayStation gamer this isn't for you.On the plus side, it's available in a huge range of colorways — from the ash-colored body and orange detailing of the Light Grey to the red-and-black, dragon-bedecked Prosperity. Plus, removable face plates mean you can purchase multiple colorways to switch things up when you fancy a new look.Scuf Valor Wired review: specs Swipe to scroll horizontally Price $89.99 / £69.99 Compatibility Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PC Connection type Wired (Detachable 10ft / 3.6m braided USB-C to USB-A cable) Battery life N/A Features Endurance TMR (Tunnel Magnetoresistance) thumbsticks, 4 customizable rear paddles, adjustable instant triggers, onboard audio control system, 3 onboard profile slots, wraparound bumpers, removable faceplate, textured performance grip, 3.5mm headset jack, 1,000Hz polling rate on PC Software Scuf Companion App (Image credit: Future)Scuf Valor Wired review: Design & featuresAs soon as I got my hands on the Scuf Valor Wired, I was struck by how comfortable it is to hold. It’s pleasingly ergonomic, perfectly tailored to the shape of my palms, and using it feels effortless even over longer gaming sessions. The satin-smooth finish of its faceplate is wonderfully tactile, too, giving a distinctly premium vibe despite its mid-market price.While I don’t always love coarser textures for controller grips, the hexagonal print on the rubber here meant the Valor Wired had decent traction in my hands. On top of this, the light texturing on its triggers and around its stock thumbsticks prevents either feeling slippery, even during the sweatiest shootouts I encountered while playing FPS games.But the Valor Wired tickled more of my senses than touch alone. Visually, I’d say it’s a knockout — I legit love the translucent charcoal casing and orange highlights of the Smoke colorway I tested here. If that isn't your cup of tea, there are plenty of alternative options, such as the sakura-bedecked Cherry Blossom or the cyberpunk-coded purple and magenta Respawn. And if you’re perennially indecisive like me, its faceplate is easily removable, meaning you can buy a bunch of options to switch out depending on your mood on a given day.Let’s talk inputs. Probably the most immediate attention grabber is its thumbsticks. Unlike Scuf’s previous Valor Wired controller, this incarnation comes with TMR sticks, rather than Hall-effect ones. So not only can you breathe easy knowing your controller won’t eventually succumb to the dreaded stick drift, but it should also offer far better sensitivity, more granular tracking, and better centering. (Image credit: Future)Like some of the more premium pads on the market, each of the Valor Wired’s triggers has a toggle that allows you to switch between full-range analog movement and micro-switches, giving you more rapid response for games such as shooters. While these aren’t the super-precise TMR triggers you’ll see on controllers such as the ROG Raikiri II, they do have their own discrete rumble function, which at least promises to add to the in-game immersion.Perhaps a little less premium-feeling are the Valor Wired’s buttons. I’ll admit it took me a while to warm up to snappier micro-switch face buttons on my controllers, but now I find that the spongier buttons featured on this pad feel a bit less precise.On the plus side, the mappable back buttons trigger with a satisfying click. However, their horizontal arrangement is a little unorthodox, forcing you to hold the pad in a certain way. When I rested just my index fingers on the pad’s triggers, the rest of my digits naturally found their way to these switches — but if you prefer to double up your index and middle fingers on the shoulder buttons and triggers, activating these switches feels more awkward. A vertical alignment would make the pad feel a little more grip-agnostic.An equally novel — but definitely less controversial — design decision Scuf has made here is to include two distinct volume controls on either side of the 3.5mm headphone jack, one for controlling the volume of your mic and the other for in-game sound.Admittedly, I don’t play a lot of online games — a skill issue more than a lack-of-friends issue — but I can absolutely still see the appeal here for those who do. Despite the fact that both dials are lightly notched, I’d say they still feel a little loose to offer super-precise control. Fortunately, though, their position at the base of the controller means you’re unlikely to knock them accidentally, so this is unlikely to cause you too much stress during day-to-day use. (Image credit: Future)So that’s it as far as hardware goes. But what about software?Honestly, the Scuf Valor companion app is very strong. Not only is it easy to download and use on both PC and Xbox, but it also delivers a lot of granular control over various settings on the Valor Wired, which you can then save to custom profiles. You can remap all of its inputs, customize trigger and thumbstick curves and dead zones, and tweak the intensity of trigger or grip vibration. Once you’ve saved the resulting profile, you can then save it to one of three slots on the pad as either red, green, or blue.Switching between these profiles on-the-fly is super easy. Any time I wanted to change to a different profile, I just had to tap the profile button on the back to cycle through them. Reaching this button can sometimes feel like a bit of a stretch — but, being charitable, this might be an intentional move on Scuf's part to reduce the risk of an accidental knock in the midst of a heated gun battle.All things considered, the Scuf Valor Wired is well-featured and designed for its price. It may not come with cutting-edge tech such as TMR triggers or micro-switch face buttons, and — spoiler alert — it’s not wireless. But in return for sacrificing a few of those premium features, you get a seriously solid spec for a much lower price. So where’s the downside? (Image credit: Future)Scuf Valor Wired review: performanceWell, a major downside would be that the features the Scuf Valor Wired offers don’t translate to great performance. Fortunately, this isn't the case — while it can’t quite compete with the best Xbox and PC controllers I’ve ever used, it still does a pretty decent job.First off, let’s start with those TMR thumbsticks. Not only did their action feel nice and smooth, but they rapidly spring back to their dead zone, making gentle steering corrections in Forza Horizon 6 a breeze. And thanks to that superior sensing tech, their responsiveness really wowed me, always feeling smooth and in control.In addition, the discrete trigger vibration delivered some decent additional feedback for racing titles, offering a bit of haptic response as my tires locked when drifting around corners. I wouldn’t expect too much here, though — we’re not talking about a PlayStation DualSense level of immersive haptic feedback; it’s not going to substantially up the realism.In my mind, there’s only one game that provides a worthy test of how responsive shoulder triggers can be: Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. Using the analog triggers, parrying attacks from new enemies could still be punishingly difficult, but after switching them to micro-switch mode, I found the Catapult Sakapatate's cannon attack in the Endless Night Sanctuary much easier to rebuff. That said, during some of the game's more complex combos, I still found myself flailing around like strips of flypaper glued to an electric drill, suggesting these triggers aren’t quite as responsive as some of the TMR options on the market.But I wasn’t satisfied simply testing the Valor Wired’s stock settings. I wanted to get to the nitty-gritty of how you can really customize the controller to suit your play style. So I whipped up a couple of custom profiles: a Racing profile and my Pew Pew! profile (FPSes, for anyone with an emotional age of more than eight). (Image credit: Future)Trying out the pad’s default profile in Forza Horizon 6, I found I was regularly finishing center of the pack. Basically the only way I could keep control of my 2022 Toyota GR86 was to feather the accelerator approaching the bends, then pump the brake trigger to prevent my wheels from locking. But once I’d activated my Racing profile with reduced trigger dead zones and dynamic response curves, it was far easier to reduce the throttle in a controlled way before easing on the brakes for far more controlled drifts. After this, I happily netted several first-place spots on the podium.By contrast, for my tailor-made profile for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, I remapped the faceplate buttons to the rear paddles and stuck the triggers to an aggressive response curve. While it took some getting used to, the remapped controls made it easy to control the in-game action without ever taking my thumb off the stick. By contrast, the sharper trigger curve made a small difference, but it was switching on the Valor Wired’s micro-switches that really helped me click some heads.And the nicest part about all of this is how easy it was to tweak these settings on the fly. My chief complaint about my beloved ROG Raikiri II is that I can’t access its Gear Link software on Xbox, meaning I have to fire up my PC whenever I want to tweak a setting. By contrast, updating my settings or swapping out the profile saved to the controller here was easy to do on either platform — I simply had to switch to the app mid-game, edit and save my profiles, and then I could leap back into the action.Ultimately, the Scuf Valor Wired offers great performance. On many fronts, it comes close to many premium controllers in its performance, feeling highly responsive and customizable. While a physical umbilical cord connecting your pad to your console is a definite compromise, it’s one of the few sacrifices you have to make here to get snappy, pro-feeling performance without having to pay through the nose. (Image credit: Future)Should I buy the Scuf Valor Wired?Buy it if…You want impressive performance for a mid-range priceWith its more sensitive, drift-free TMR thumbsticks, dual-function micro-switch triggers and mappable rear buttons, the Scuf Valor Wired offers pro-level performance without the premium price tag.You want good looks and a solid buildNot only does it come in a wide range of styles to suit pretty much every taste, the Valor Wired is beautifully built, whether it’s the textured grips or super-smooth satin-finish faceplate.Don’t buy it if…You want the best controller you can get your hands onThe Scuf Valor Wired is a strong controller but that doesn’t mean there aren’t even more powerful pads out there. If you want premium features such as TMR triggers or mechanical buttons, it’s worth spending more.You want a wireless controllerThis one has a wire. But if you want low-latency connectivity, make sure you get one with 2.4GHz connectivity.Scuf Valor Wired review: also consider Swipe to scroll horizontally SCUF Valor Wired with TMR Asus ROG Raikiri II Xbox Wireless Thrustmaster eSwap X2 Price $89.99 / £69.99 $149.99 / £139.99 $169.99 / £149.99 Compatibility Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PC Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PC Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PC Connection type Wired (detachable 10ft / 3.6m braided USB-C cable) Tri-mode wireless (2.4GHz RF, Bluetooth 5.0, USB-C wired) Wired (detachable USB-C cable) Battery life N/A Up to 50 hours (2.4GHz wireless with RGB/audio off) N/A Features Endurance TMR thumbsticks, 4 remappable rear paddles, adjustable instant triggers, onboard audio controls, 3 profile slots, wraparound bumpers, removable faceplate Anti-drift TMR joysticks, dual-mode triggers (TMR/micro-switch), 4 micro-switch rear buttons, micro-switch face buttons/D-pad, 1,000Hz polling rate (PC) Hot-Swap modular thumbstick/D-pad system, mechanical micro-switch face buttons, 4 remappable rear buttons, physical trigger locks Software Scuf Companion App Armoury Crate / ROG Gear Link ThrustmapperX software Asus ROG Raikiri II Xbox WirelessThere’s a reason the ROG Raikiri II has earned a place in my home setup. With both TMR thumbsticks and TMR dual-mode triggers, not to mention 1K polling and a minimum 3.5ms input latency, it offers blisteringly fast performance. It also offers wired, 2.4GHz wireless, and Bluetooth connectivity, and remappable back buttons. While it’s a touch frustrating that its software doesn’t run on Xbox and there are no saveable profiles on the pad itself, this pad still delivers serious punch. Read my full Asus ROG Raikiri II Xbox Wireless reviewThrustmaster eSwap X2 H.EAt $179.99 / £139.99, the Thrustmaster eSwap X2 H.E might feel decidedly pricey compared to the Scuf Valor Wired. It's wired, too, and also features slightly less fancy Hall-effect thumbsticks to boot. But it does have a pretty major trick up its sleeve: its modular design. You can hot-swap out its modules to replace them, upgrade them, or even switch up their layout, making it a flexible pad that’s in it for the long haul.Read our full Thrustmaster eSwap X2 H.E review. (Image credit: Future)How I tested the Scuf Valor WiredTested over four daysTried out on a range of platforms and gamesMany years experience writing about gadgetsI tested the Scuf Valor Wired over a long weekend. I tried it out on both my Xbox Series X and my gaming PC, as well as playing a range of games of different genres, including racing games, FPSes, and RPGs. I particularly focused on the sensitivity and responsiveness of the TMR thumbsticks, the triggers, and the buttons to see how they compared to other controllers.To really test the Valor Wired’s capabilities, I customized its settings in multiple ways. I experimented with different dead zones, utilizing different response curves for its thumbsticks and triggers, saving them to multiple profiles to see how they impacted different styles of game. I also created various custom button mappings to gauge their impact on play.Alongside working and writing about tech and gadgets for over seven years, I’ve been playing games all my life. I play across multiple platforms, on my desktop PC, Xbox Series X, Nintendo Switch 2, and Steam Deck.First reviewed: August 2026Read more about how we test Josh is Reviews Editor at TechRadar. With over ten years of experience covering tech both in print and online, he’s served as editor of T3 and net magazines and written about everything from groundbreaking gadgets to innovative Silicon Valley startups. He’s an expert in a wide range of products from Spatial Audio headphones to gaming handhelds. When he’s not putting trailblazing tech through its paces, he can be found making melodic techno or seeking out the perfect cold brew coffee. You must confirm your public display name before commenting Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.