Hyperkin's Drakong Goes Super-Cheap With a New Pro-Style Xbox Controller

Hyperkin's young sub-brand Drakong is putting out a new Xbox and PC controller , called The Challenger , that's planted firmly in budget territory at just $35. And, somehow, it's packed with pro controller creature comforts that could make it a real contender in a crowded field of great controllers.

The Challenger looks and sounds like a pretty standard, pro-style controller. It's got textured grips and hall effects sticks, two programmable back buttons, and even haptic feedback, hall effects analog triggers. It even has a 3.5mm headphone jack on its bottom edge. It ships with a 10-foot USB-C cable, as well.

So what corners did Drakong cut? Well, the obvious one is in the fact that this is a wired-only controller. I'd be curious to see how it feels in-hand, too. Can you feel the seams on your palms? Are the buttons clicky in all the wrong ways? Is the traditional four-way d-pad absolute trash?

That's all impossible to know until a reviewer you trust gets their hands on it, or you take the plunge yourself. Thankfully, at $35, it won't set you back too far. The Challenger is available to order today, at Amazon and Drakong says shipments will start going out on July 9th.

Wes is a freelance writer (Freelance Wes, they call him) who has covered technology, gaming, and entertainment steadily since 2020 at Gizmodo, Tom's Hardware, Hardcore Gamer, and most recently, The Verge. Inside of him there are two wolves: one that thinks it wouldn't be so bad to start collecting game consoles again, and the other who also thinks this, but more strongly.