Taking control with the Forza Horizon 5 Edition of Thrustmaster's eSwap XR Pro Xbox Wired Controller
Amy Flower
STACK Senior Editor
Controlling racing games with thumbsticks isn’t ideal, but it’s the only option if you've not got cash – or space – for a wheel setup. Well, until now! Say hello to your new racing friend, Thrustmaster’s eSwap XR Pro, with hot Forza Horizon 5 paint job!
How is this one different to any other Xbox controller out there? The answer lies in the ‘eSwap’ there in its name. This slick little unit has removable control parts. So, if you don’t like the asymmetrical layout of the Xbox controller thumbsticks, you can do something about it – just pull it out, swap it about, and have it just how you like it. As they’re hot swappable, you can even change things up mid-game.
Yeah, yeah, but what about the car racing wheel bit? Well, this little baby has a swappable unit that is quite the game changer - an actual wheel module! Pop it into your eSwap XR Pro up left, down left or over to the right and use your thumb to steer more as nature intended when it comes to cars. We found top left the best fit for us, and after around half an hour of adjustment time in Forza Horizon 5 it all just clicked. Our drifting improved, and our race times did too. It’s a much more natural way to steer a vehicle than with a stick, and the auto-centring works much alike a real car’s steering wheel.
That’s not the only trick up the eSwap XR Pro’s sleeve though. As well as including that extra steering wheel unit that can be swapped in, unlike some pro controllers that have rear paddle bars, there are four buttons on the back of the unit. These can be programmed to your whim, or handily step in to replace the D-pad automatically if you happen to have swapped that out of your controller configuration.
Along the bottom middle section of the eSwap XR Pro are some more extra functions, with buttons to adjust headset volume, mic mute on/off, and profile selection directly from the controller.
Reprogramming of buttons, and adjustment of all sorts of settings such as wheel sensitivity, vibration levels, thumbstick dead zones, and trigger travel are all taken care of via the ThrustmapperX app, which is handily available on both Windows AND on Xbox. It’s free, takes seconds to install, and lets you fiddle to your heart’s content, getting your controller set up exactly how you want it. You can even save easily recallable profiles for different games.
In-hand, the eSwap XR Pro is a fairly hefty beastie, testament to its build quality. Thrustmaster have employed what they describe as industrial grade components, with properly clicky buttons and switches rated for millions of activations. In play, you couldn’t ask for more responsiveness, and the solid clicks of each button press are reassuringly sponginess-free.
Being a wired controller there’s no latency and, despite having an old school Micro-USB connection, the bespoke braided cable that’s supplied is designed to insert into the unit in such a fashion that it can’t wobble about and cause the socket to degrade, and you’d be hard-pressed to accidentally remove it in the heat of play, too.
Other parts such as triggers and grips are also swappable with separately available parts packs, and the very nature of being able to hot swap componentry out means that there’s scope for even more additions to the arsenal in future – an old school Pong-like paddle control, maybe?
As well as one seriously cool controller, exploring the innards of the eSwap XR pro’s box reveals a tool for swapping out the D-pad, a bunch of documentation (including a voucher for one month of free Xbox Game Pass Ultimate for new subscribers), and a storage/transportation bag.
If you’re serious about your Xbox gaming, and especially your racing, then the Thrustmaster eSwap XR Pro may just be the upgrade that takes you to another level. Plus, if you’re a Forza fan there’s even more reason to hook up with this officially licensed, limited edition model, as it really looks the part.
^Discounts apply to previous ticketed/advertised price prior to the discount offer. As we negotiate, products will likely have been sold below ticketed/advertised price prior to the discount offer. Prices may differ at airport stores.