You could never accuse Thrustmaster of making lightweight controllers. Their trademark H.E.A.R.T controller was a beefy lad, heavy, sturdy, and arguably built for adult hands. The ability to swap sticks and pads around using their modular, magnetised technology meant you could find your own level of comfort, to an extent, but it was never built for dainty mitts. Fast-forward to the Thrustmaster eSwap X2 H.E. controller, and little has changed but the price – and yet it’s still a powerfully built contender.
The mouthful of a name notwithstanding, this is a pretty solid controller, but it’s not a huge evolution from what has come before. I’m a big advocate for not fixing what ain’t broke, of course, but for around £140 I’m generally looking for some innovations on a theme. The leap here is the inclusion of Hall Effect sticks, which enable better tracking, eliminate stickdrift, and won’t wear out half as fast as normal analogue sticks. But this technology isn’t new anymore, and I’ve seen and used sub-£50 controllers that boast the same.
So are you paying for a name here? Well, yes and no, maybe. Thrustmaster are popular because they make gear to last. The Thrustmaster eSwap X2 H.E. is a beautifully made, durable, weighty little mister with a streamlined, understated aesthetic and responsive, clicky switches that make it feel tactile and robust in your hands. The modular aspect is still a super-cool edition, although I’ll admit that I didn’t customise it much out of the box – but only because I didn’t need to. Having the option is still pretty unique to this manufacturer, and it still makes you feel like a boss to slot those blocks into place like you’re loading a shotgun to go blast aliens or zombies into mulch.
While the overall design and addition of HE sticks are the only major improvements, the D-pad feels like a bit of a backwards step. It lacks the sharp contours that my thumb naturally seeks out, making it feel a little indistinct and unintuitive. You can swap out the d-pad from your H.E.A.R.T controller if you like, but you shouldn’t have to. The other issue I have is that it’s still wired, and I really don’t like using wired controllers.
Obviously it’s a choice, and a dedicated wired connection is still arguably the best option for competetive gamers who can’t afford more than a nanosecond of lag in their inputs, but something about wired controllers feels almost old school at this point. And, not for nothing, but we’ve seen plenty of solid wireless controllers in the wild that you can pick up for less. Again, though, it’s the modular switches that really push the Thrustmaster eSwap X2 H.E. front and centre.
While you can pick up its predecessor for less and combine it with a pair of Hall Effect sticks that you can buy from Thrustmaster separately, the Thrustmaster eSwap X2 H.E. is still a really solid controller and the better option overall. If you already own the H.E.A.R.T ( or even the non-modular wired Heart controller) I wouldn’t suggest you need this. That said, it may not be a big step forward for the brand but it’s still a comfortable, hefty option for the larger-handed gamers among you.
