EasySMX X05

When I first took the EasySMX X05 controller into my hands, it reminded me of the scene from the film Men in Black when Will Smith gets handed his alien-fighting service weapon, known as “The Noisy Cricket”. The gun’s diminutive stature and perceived lack of power caused Smith’s character to scoff in the moment that he was going to break his tiny new gun. Smith proceeds to fire The Noisy Cricket and it recoils with such power that it blows him back across a busy street – proof that you should never judge a book by its cover, or in my case, a gaming controller by its size and heft. All of which is to say that the EasySMX X05 has blown me away during my time with it.

And I’ll be completely honest with you; I had never heard of EasySMX until an email hit the Gaming Nexus inbox inquiring if we’d be interested in reviewing the X05. Not a huge deal, considering that I’m not a collector of peripherals or accessories, but they’re certainly not a household name, which meant my expectations were low. The company was founded in 2014 and has since grown beyond controllers into headsets, keyboards, and more, while flying under the radar (or at least my personal radar). So, how is this $30 controller from a peripheral company I had never heard of? In a word – excellent.

Out of the box and into my hands, my first impression was that the X05 feels great to hold. I have small to medium-sized hands for a man, and it fits me remarkably well. Where the PS5’s DualSense feels a tad too wide for me, the X05 feels just right, sort of like a cross between the Google Stadia controller and the Xbox Wireless Controller. The controller grips have a very pronounced texturing on them which I quite liked, especially as someone with very sweaty hands. For a $30 controller, the X05 feels premium, even despite how lightweight it is. At a mere 218 grams, it is noticeably lighter than the Xbox Wireless Controller’s 287 grams, or the DualSense’s 280. Don’t let its weight, or lack thereof, fool you – this controller is legit. The hall effect triggers feel nice and firm, and properly springy. Likewise, the hall effect joysticks, which are positionally offset, don’t feel cheap or loose, though the deadzone is a little high out of the box for my taste. However, it was easily adjusted by pressing the controller setting button (an O-shaped symbol) and clicking the right stick at the same time, which reduces the deadzone to zero. At the base of both joysticks are RBG lights that cycle between colors, which is a cool touch, and gives the X05 a little visual flair. We gamers do love our RGB lights, after all.

Moving around the controller, the face buttons feature the Xbox pattern of X-Y-B-A, and they too feel appropriately tuned. They’re not cheap-feeling or clicky, instead reminding me a bit of the Nintendo Switch Pro controller’s face buttons. Moving back to the left side of the controller, the directional pad is probably my favorite button on the entire controller. I don’t recall using a controller that had a d-pad with this much spongey-ness, if you will, and I love it. The solid design of the X05’s d-pad, as opposed to the separate buttons of the DualSense d-pad, for instance, combined with just the right amount of “click” on its button presses feels high-end. Elsewhere on the controller are three option/menu buttons, as well as a button to adjust the controller’s settings, such as RGB colors, vibration intensity, trigger and joystick sensitivity, and more. There is also a big power/home button at the top of its face, which looks hideous on the Oyster White colorway that I received. That button desperately needs to be black or grey on this controller rather than orange, but that is more a nitpick by me, rather than an actual critique of its design.

Look and feel are just one piece of the equation, so let’s talk about how it functions. The short answer is exceptionally well – again, much to my surprise. The X05 is compatible with PC, iOS, Android, Nintendo Switch, and Steam Deck. Connection methods include 2.4 Ghz wireless via included USB 2.0 dongle or Bluetooth. My first tests were using it wirelessly by connecting the USB dongle to my Steam Deck dock, pressing the power button to sync-up, and it worked with no issues at all. I did not experience any connection drops or noticeable latency, no matter what games I threw at it, including Overwatch 2, Splitgate, Factorio, Farewell North, and Titanfall 2. I kept waiting for something to go wrong with my experience using the X05 and figured that making the switch to using Bluetooth with a mobile device would be it; assuming there was no way it could handle that as well as wireless play. Nope, I connected to my iPhone 13 and was playing Grand Theft Auto San Andreas without issue. To test something a little more quick-twitch, I hopped into Dead Cells on iPhone and it handled that like a champ too. Switching between modes is just as seamless, done by using a sliding toggle switch on the back of the controller between three modes: USB, Bluetooth, and a dedicated Nintendo Switch mode, which I was unable to test since I do not own one. Swapping between playing Dead Cells on my iPhone back to Titanfall 2 on the Steam Deck took mere seconds to do.

In one final, desperate attempt for an “ah-ha!” moment with the X05, I did not plug it in for a charge session beyond my initial full charge once getting it out of the box. A $30 controller that is this good must only last a few hours, right? Wrong again. At around the 10-hour mark its 750mah battery finally needed a rest – another impressive feat for the little beast.

As a new owner of a Steam Deck, I was searching for a controller to use while playing docked on my television. I had been using an Xbox Wireless Controller, which was doing the job just fine, but it has been relegated to the bench in favor of the X05. Considering how competent of a controller the Xbox one is, that should speak volumes about what I think of the X05. I still can’t believe it is a $30 controller. To that end, if you are in the market for a cheap Steam Deck, mobile, or even a straight-up PC controller, the EasySMX X05 offers a tremendous bang for your buck.

The EasySMX X05 is now available at Amazon. Through 08-31-24, you can receive a 30% discount with the coupon code "30% off coupon".