ASUS ROG Raikiri II Pro Review

I did a review on the ASUS ROG Raikiri II, and it instantly became my favorite controller.

That was seven months ago, and over the last seven months, it’s been my go-to in every single situation where I wanted to use a general controller. I’ve absolutely loved it.

And then I received the ASUS ROG Raikiri II Pro, which improves on everything the Raikiri II was already doing well.

Plus, there’s a white version, which is on my list to buy as soon as I can because that white looks gorgeous. What I have here is the black version.

In case you haven’t picked up on it, I love this controller.

Price

The ASUS ROG Raikiri II Pro has an MSRP of $209 USD, which is a $20 increase over the previous Raikiri II that it’s succeeding.

I’d say there’s way more than $20 worth of upgrades here if you liked the previous model.

Hot-Swappable TMR Sticks

The biggest hardware upgrade is the addition of hot-swappable TMR sticks, including both the stick modules and the caps.

You can use the longer stick cap for more control, which isn’t my kind of stick, but some of you like these. There’s also a dome-style cap that reminds me of the old PS1/PS2-style rubber dome, as well as the typical normal-style stick cap.

You don’t get a complete set of the high-profile or dome caps, though. You get a single one of each, so you’ll be a bit asymmetrical if you use them.

You do, however, get two sets of stick modules: the standard 120gf module that’s already installed in the controller, and a set of 50gf modules.

GF is the amount of gram force you need to move the stick, so 50gf requires a lot less effort to move than 120gf.

It’s a personal preference thing. I’m a default kind of guy, so I stuck with the 120gf modules personally.

Changing the Stick Modules

The entire front of the controller is magnetic and can be easily popped off from the sides, giving you access to everything underneath.

From there, you can pop the caps off, or use the included removal tool to remove the stick module itself.

Honestly, it’s pretty simple.

More Buttons

ASUS has also added M5 and M6 buttons at the top, so you now have an absolutely ridiculous number of buttons on this controller when you include all of the rear buttons, the two new top buttons and the five buttons on the front.

And that’s really the theme of this controller: choices everywhere.

Dual-Mode Triggers

The dual-mode triggers from the Raikiri II are still here.

A switch lets you choose between:

• Micro-switch short-travel triggers
• TMR full-travel triggers

They work essentially the same way as they did on the Raikiri II.

The Front of the Controller

The front is where you’ll find one of the biggest changes.

Since this is no longer an Xbox-partnered controller, there’s no longer an Xbox button or the Armoury Crate/library buttons.

Instead, there’s the large color display along with five additional buttons at the bottom.

Four of those buttons are customizable, while the middle power button is used to turn the controller on and off.

Connectivity remains tri-mode, with:

• 2.4GHz
• Bluetooth
• Wired

That covers pretty much every situation, and the controller works with Windows, Linux, Android and more.

Face Buttons

One change I didn’t understand at first, but now actually prefer, is the face buttons.

The Raikiri II’s buttons stuck out more. They were still micro-switch buttons, but they were taller.

The new buttons are almost flush with the controller, but stick out just enough to push comfortably.

After using the controller for a while, I actually like this quite a bit.

Sound-wise, they’re still as loud and clicky as ever. The entire controller is loud and clicky, which makes sense given the use of micro-switches.

D-Pad

The D-pad has also changed slightly.

The previous models had a taller D-pad, while this one is sunk in more.

It’s a bit less loose than it was before, but otherwise feels almost exactly the same to me.

I’ve been a big fan of this D-pad and continue to be. I find it accurate, it’s clicky like everything else, and I have no complaints after using it for tons of retro games.

Rear Buttons & Accessories

ASUS has upgraded what comes with the controller as well.

Besides everything we’ve already talked about with the sticks, there are four rear button plates.

They’re magnetic, so you can mix and match them depending on what you want.

Again, that’s really the theme of this controller: choices everywhere.

You also still get the protective case, which I appreciate, along with the charging stand.

The charging stand also acts as a wireless extender, which was a really useful feature from the Raikiri II.

Comfort & Ergonomics

The Raikiri II Pro is everything I loved about the Raikiri II, but better.

It feels like a refinement of an already good, comfortable controller.

For anyone who loves an Xbox-style controller, I don’t think it gets much better than this.

The sticks, buttons, D-pad and overall comfort all combine to make this my favorite controller so far.

8,000Hz Polling Rate

One of the major upgrades is the polling rate.

The Raikiri II Pro supports 8,000Hz on PC, both wired and wireless.

The Raikiri II was limited to 1,000Hz.

That’s a significant upgrade that cuts input latency considerably.

To actually feel the difference, you’ll need a high-refresh-rate monitor and probably need to be the type of person who is paying very close attention to input latency. Nevertheless, it’s a major technical upgrade.

Battery Life

Battery life has also improved considerably.

ASUS rates the Raikiri II Pro for up to 79 hours of battery life, although that’s the best-case scenario with 1,000Hz polling, the display, vibration and RGB turned off.

At 8,000Hz with those same features disabled, you’re looking at around 63 hours, which is still incredible.

With all of the bells and whistles enabled, battery life drops considerably, landing in the 22–24 hour range.

Even then, that’s plenty of battery life for most people.

No Gyro, But Good Rumble

One thing worth mentioning is that there’s no gyro with this controller.

I know that’s a big negative for some people. I don’t personally use gyro at all, but it’s worth mentioning, especially since the Raikiri II didn’t have gyro either.

Haptic rumble is included, though, and it feels good. I have no real complaints there; it’s just a nice vibration when it’s enabled.

The Built-In Display

The biggest upgrade is the addition of a full-color display on the front of the controller.

There are quite a few things you can control directly from it, including:

• Profile changing
• Button remapping
• RGB effects
• Lighting brightness
• Display animations
• Display brightness
• Vibration strength
• Calibration

These are things that would typically require software, but they’re available directly on the controller.

It’s pretty easy to use. Press the panel control button, use the D-pad to move between screens, then press A to confirm or B to cancel.

It’s not a touchscreen, so everything is navigated using the controller itself.

Customizing the Display

One thing I particularly like is the ability to change what’s displayed.

You can upload your own custom image or animation, which gives you a nice way to make the controller feel like your own.

Overall, the screen is a nice addition.

It’s genuinely useful if you need it, but it can also be dismissed or hidden if you don’t.

It’s one of those features where, when you want to change something, you remember it’s there and can quickly change a setting without having to connect to an app, website or PC.

That makes it a really nice feature rather than a gimmick.

Gear Link Software

Like the Raikiri II, you can adjust a huge number of features through ASUS’s web-based software.

You don’t need to install anything. Connect the controller to your PC, head to the Gear Link website and you have access to all of the controls you need.

I’ll be honest: all of this overwhelms me.

I typically don’t need to change anything on controllers, and that’s the case here as well.

But if you’re the type of person who wants to adjust things like:

• Deadzones
• Joystick sensitivity
• Button mapping
• Profiles
• Other controller settings

Gear Link has all of it.

You’ll need to familiarize yourself with it at least for updating the controller, which you should remember to do regularly.

Gear Link on Mobile

If you don’t have a PC, the Raikiri II Pro is the first ASUS controller in this line to support the Gear Link app instead.

That means you can do the same things through the app, which is definitely helpful.

This is particularly useful for people who don’t have access to a PC and would otherwise have trouble updating or configuring the controller.

A Few Things I’d Like to See Changed

I do have a few gripes.

For example, you can configure the four front customizable buttons, as well as the other customizable buttons, to perform things like joystick sensitivity changes, multimedia functions, mouse functions and keyboard functions.

All of that is cool.

The problem is that the keyboard functions don’t allow combo hotkeys.

So if you wanted to assign something like ALT+F4, you can’t.

There’s also a greyed-out Windows Shortcut option that becomes available when you install their Companion app on your PC. The options there are useful, but simply allowing combo keyboard shortcuts would be even better.

Final Thoughts

I know expensive controllers aren’t for everyone.

I was in that group as well, typically buying cheaper GameSir controllers and similar options. But since moving up to higher-end controllers, it’s hard for me to go back.

The ASUS ROG Raikiri II Pro has easily taken my favorite controller spot away from its predecessor.

It’s more customizable, has better sticks, more buttons, dramatically higher polling rates, excellent battery life, a built-in display, tri-mode connectivity and the same excellent ergonomics that made me love the original.

There are things I’d still like to see improved, particularly around the software and customizable keyboard shortcuts, and the lack of gyro will rule it out for some people.

But for me, this is easily my favorite controller I’ve used.

And that’s probably the best praise I can give it.