And here we thought that Sony’s first-party Pro controller, the DualSense Edge, was an expensive piece of kit when it launched in 2023 for R4,400. That price has only gone up since, but even then, it still pales in comparison to Razer’s new Raiju V3 Pro, which just launched with a $220 price tag — $20 more than the DualSense Edge.
A direct Dollar conversion puts the controller at roughly R3,800, but after seeing the DualSense Edge breeze past the R4,500 mark with a $200 price… Don’t be surprised to see Razer’s entry soar to R5,000+ by the time it lands locally, if it all. It’s got all the makings of a proper Pro controller (minus a few glaring gimmes), leaving nobody in doubt that the Raiju V3 Pro will sell, and well, even if it’s not wholly deserving of all the praise.
On the cusp of perfection
We’re not saying the Raiju V3 Pro is a slouch. It’s quite the opposite, in fact, and is possibly the best third-party PS5 controller out there. It’s got the girth of an Xbox controller, but retains a symmetrical joystick layout to prove that it’s still loyal to Sony. The big headliner here, however, is the inclusion of TMR sticks.
Where plenty of other controllers have yet to make the jump to Hall Effect sticks, the Raiju V3 Pro takes it a step further with TMR. These draw less power, resulting in a longer battery life, and are more resistant to stick drift than your typical entry. That eight-way D-Pad looks mighty good, too.
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We’re not mad about the lack of any colour here, but the PBT face buttons will do their best to make up for it. You’re also getting ‘HyperTriggers’ — made to switch between “rapid-fire mouse clicks and full analog control,” at the press of a button. It wouldn’t be a proper pro controller without rear buttons, and the Raiju V3 Pro doesn’t disappoint, offering four removable mouse click buttons and two ‘claw grip bumpers’ to tinker with.
That all seems fine, and just maybe worth the high price, until you find out the Raiju V3 Pro lacks rumble and adaptive triggers — some of the biggest reasons you’d want a PS5 in the first place. Razer does what it can to salvage the situation with a hard-shell carry case and a 2m-long USB-C cable. Even so, you’re still not connecting to the PS5 directly, instead requiring a 2.4GHz dongle that’ll take up room on your PS5 to play.
