During CES 2025, the popular third-party gaming peripheral company, Hyperkin, announced that it is developing an upgraded, completely overhauled version of the 'Competitor' gamepad for Xbox consoles and PC (via IGN).
This wired-only gamepad aims to improve upon the original's 'Competitor' design with enhanced controls and a redesigned controller layout inspired by the PlayStation 5's DualSense controller.
As you can tell from its design, the Competitor Xbox Controller is a near-perfect replication of the PlayStation 5 DualSense controller from its overall shape, segmented d-pad, and button/analog stick placement where the sticks are placed below the face buttons.
This will allow players to finally play the best Xbox games on Xbox Series X|S with PlayStation 5-styled controllers if they prefer using that gamepad's control scheme compared to the standard Xbox controller.
The Competitor Xbox Controller will also come equipped with Hall Effect joysticks and Hall Effect Triggers. Hall Effect joysticks differ from traditional analog sticks in that by using magnetic fields and electric sensors. This grants players more accurate control of their in-game avatar during gameplay while reducing the risk of stick-drift and cutting down the need for big deadzones to read a player's input.
Hall Effect triggers work in a similar fashion as it uses magnetic fields and electric sensors to detect a player's input without physical contact. This reduces the time a player's input is registered by a game and the physical force required from them to pull the trigger. This feature increases input accuracy during gameplay while reducing potential wear and tear damage over time.
Additionally, the Competitor Xbox Controller will include a mic mute button for online chat calls and two programmable back buttons for extra actions.
Hyperkin's Competitor Xbox Controller currently has no definitive release date or price tag announced at this time.
Play your favorite Xbox games with a PlayStation-style control scheme
This new PlayStation 5-styled Xbox controller by Hyperkin looks an intriguing and exciting prospect for me personally. As much as I love playing with the Razer Wolverine V2 Chromia, there are times when I miss playing with a PlayStation controller. This is especially true when I'm trying to play 2D side-scrollers or 2D fighting games as a PlayStation controller's D-pad is better suited for them compared to an Xbox controller's D-pad in my opinion.
However, will the Competitor Xbox Controller be able to win over Xbox fans with its unorthodox control scheme and become one of the best Xbox controllers on the market when it eventually launches? Only time will tell.
