SCUF is a well-established brand in the controller industry. It specializes in performance controllers for a specific audience. While its products may be priced slightly out of reach for the average consumer, they are highly regarded for their quality and functionality.

Enter the SCUF Valor Pro.

Despite the “Pro” tag, this is one of the cheaper controllers in their roster, but not for a lack of quality or performance. In fact, with its $99 price tag, the SCUF Valor Pro lives up to its name, offering comfort, precision, and function in one well-built and easy-to-use controller.

SCUF Valor Pro Review

Even from its packaging, the SCUF Valor Pro exudes quality. Opening the box reveals a sleek and stylish design, draped in steel gray with orange accents. It includes a thick braided 10ft USB-C cable for easy connection to your Xbox or PC, an extra set of thumbsticks, back paddle plates, and a 3.5mm jack—everything you need to get started quickly.

Though I’m more accustomed to the offset analog sticks of a PlayStation controller, the SCUF Valor Pro fits perfectly into my relatively large hands. The bumper and trigger buttons are easy to reach without adjusting my grip, the D-pad provides crisp feedback, and the rubber grips offer superior hold compared to other controllers with similar grips. It’s also extremely light without feeling cheap, ideal for long gaming sessions.

One standout feature of the SCUF Valor Pro is its use of Hall Effect joysticks, which we rarely see from brands like Sony or Microsoft. These joysticks, which feel sublime and have just the right amount of tension, are less prone to stick drift—a common issue with stock controllers. Once you experience Hall Effect joysticks, it’s hard to go back, and the money that it saves you in the long run is quite welcome.

The back buttons on the SCUF Valor Pro are well-designed, requiring just the right amount of pressure to avoid accidental presses. One set of buttons sits perfectly at the side of the grips, while the other set at the back is slightly harder to tap. They are a bit harder to tap than the set of buttons on the side, and the replacement “paddles” do not protrude enough to make tapping them a bit easier. I would have appreciated an attachment that is a bit bigger, but given that I hardly use them, it’s something that I can overlook.

The SCUF Valor Pro offers three user profiles to switch between control types for different games. It comes with three default profiles, but you can save new ones directly on the controller without needing an app. The selected profile is indicated by a red/blue/green light above the Xbox logo, keeping the design sleek without excessive lighting, something I appreciated.

As mentioned earlier, the SCUF Valor Pro features a headphone jack at the bottom, with two volume control knobs on each side of the jack. These knobs are within easy reach of your thumbs, allowing you to adjust in-game or chat volume effortlessly.

While the experience seems perfect, and trust me, it almost is, I do have a few gripes with the SCUF Valor Pro. The contoured L and R buttons are actually great, as they have actuation points on the side as well since they extend downwards more than your usual controller. They feel great to press, but they can also be pressed accidentally, and this has happened many times during playthroughs. It’s a bit of a dilemma that I don’t quite know how to solve, and while I appreciate the design, it did mess up a combo or two while testing it out. I have no complaints about L and R triggers though, and you can even flip a switch to give it a mouse-like click feel, which is a nice touch.

Wired is a nice way to go without having to worry about charging the controller, but it is still wired. After enjoying the wireless life, it’s a challenge to go back to wired, and while I’m glad the cable is detachable, I do wish that it was possible to use this wirelessly. I can’t complain about the quality of the 10ft braided cable that it comes with, and I understand that wired controllers are used for more precise and no-delay situations, but the option to go wireless would have been a godsend.

Overall, the SCUF Valor Pro is almost perfect. Priced reasonably, it offers quality, comfort, and precision rarely found in this price range. While it is stuffed with features, it doesn’t do anything out of the ordinary, but it is outstanding at what it does. Despite some minor gripes about the shoulder buttons and the back paddles, the SCUF Valor Pro should be high on your list of controllers to consider for your Xbox or PC.