Review: Razer Raiju Tournament Edition – An ideal Christmas present

As the rise of competitive games in the console space becomes increasingly common, and with some game developers pushing toward disallowing console players from using keyboards & mice – a product that I can see a growing market for will be professional controllers. These ‘ergonomic’ and ‘performance enhancing’ controllers pose yet another way for you to annihilate your friends online. Have a read of my impressions on the Razer Raiju Tournament Edition;

The good

• Really nice, easy to press and satisfying buttons.
• Adjustable triggers mean you can position yourself for best performance.
• Four programmable buttons allow you that much more freedom.

The bad

• Noticeably heavier than the standard DualShock.
• It takes a while to adjust to the odd grip you have to take on it.

The verdict

Retailing for over double what your standard DualShock controller goes for, the Raiju Tournament is such a difficult controller to recommend. While it would make an excellent gift and is brilliant at what it does – I’m not sure I could personally justify $259 on a controller. Having said that, if you have the money and nothing better to spend it on, this controller is really fun.

AESTHETIC

The Razer Raiju looks and feels significantly more like an Xbox controller than a PlayStation one, which isn’t necessarily a good thing or a bad one. Debatably, someone buying a controller other than the stock one is looking for a different design more so than added functionality.

The only real big changes from the base design of the DualShock controllers is the D-pad and left joystick have been switched the way they are on the Xbox controllers. Which is kind of cool to see and gives the player that ability to decide on which design is most operational.

You’ll feel the functional keys beneath the controller – those are the four programmable buttons that Razer have tacked onto the bottom of the Raiju. I say tacked like it’s careless, but they are unbelievably useful.

Strictly visually speaking, the Raiju is sleek and beautiful. But you don’t need me to outline that… look at the thing.

FUNCTIONALITY

From an operational point of view, the Raiju takes a while to adjust to – but once you’re there, I think you’ll find it incredibly useful. Most immediately on picking it up, it’s a significantly heavier controller than the DualShock is.

With the grips, triggers, left joystick and D-pad very different to that of the stock controller, it’s also worth noting that the adjustment to the Raiju is hefty and will take quite a bit of getting used to.

The buttons themselves are premium. Your face buttons (X, Circle, Triangle and Square) all feel drastically more responsive and dramatic than standard and the quick release makes rapid pressing much easier. Razer don’t push this as much of a selling point for the Raiju, primarily because anyone that owns one of these will be relocating their face buttons to their programmable keys – it’s simply easier to use.

CUSTOMIZABILITY

As far as game controllers are concerned, not many of us have ever used something as adaptable as the Raiju, beyond the people that have actually picked one up. You’ll find the most customizable aspect of this $259 controller are the four programmable buttons. Using the ‘Razer Raiju’ app, you’re able map your customizable keys and also build custom profiles using the controllers on-board memory.

The L2 and R2 triggers have depth customization which allows you to mold is around how you prefer to hold your controller – which in turn will definitely affect your gameplay and performance. When it comes to sale points though one of the main ones would have to be the programmable keys – the ability to move your reload key to a more accessible position (underneath the controller) or switching keys to set yourself up for some big Street Fighter combos is honestly an exceptional use for a custom controller.

The Razer Raiju Tournament Edition is compatible with your PS4 & PC and can be found at JB Hi-Fi for $259.