Thrustmaster ESWAP X2 H.E Review!
Summary: Sometimes, a simple design with advanced hardware under the hood is just what you need to get that competitive edge. With this level of customisatio, it's no wonder Thrustmaster are the GOAT of gaming peripherals!
4.5
Goodbye Stickdrift!
Thrustmaster is one of the leading developers of gaming peripherals, always pushing the boundaries of performance and giving gamers the right tools for the right applications to be their best and most competitive selves. Boasting impressive customisation and comfort, mappable buttons, swappable components, and a simple yet elegant design, this controller promises that you’ll say goodbye to that ever-present threat of stick drift — a gamer’s worst nightmare.
So join us today as we take a look at one of their newest pieces of hardware, the ESWAP X2 H.E, and see just how it stacks up against its competitors.
Features
Hot Swap Components
Probably the most obvious feature of this controller is the swappable components. This is the first controller I’ve seen with the ability to swap components around to suit one’s play style. I myself am more privy to the asymmetrical layout that puts the D-pad and right joystick directly opposite one another — the one most will recognise as the Xbox controller layout. This just feels the most natural to me, but my partner tends to prefer both joysticks together, or rather, the PlayStation layout. So having a controller we can both share and just swap pieces around to suit us saves on having to swap controllers whenever I help her with her games and vice versa.
Not only is it a no-brainer for comfort, it also allows for interesting combinations and incredible customisation. Want to have three joysticks? You can! Want to have three D-pads? You betcha. Want to swap out to some different design pieces? You can do that too! The creative freedom of being able to hot-swap components to get the right look and feel? Priceless.
Hall Effect Accurate Technology, or H.E.A.R.T, has virtually eliminated joystick drift. How does it do this? Well, it tracks the position of your movement with surgical precision, accurate to within 0.01 degrees. Using magnet technology means there’s no friction — no friction, no drift! This ensures not only the aforementioned accuracy but also increases longevity and durability. More hours of game time, less maintenance. This controller is designed to replace all your existing controllers.
Mappable Buttons
Of course, no modern gaming controller is complete without mappable buttons. The ESWAP X2 H.E has four of them, located on the back of the controller. Directly controllable via the Thrustmaster software, you can customise each button and optimise your playstyle to your heart’s content. This feature is a must-have for those with limited ability in one or both hands. I haven’t quite gotten used to them myself, and sometimes they’ve actually been more of a hindrance. But I feel like that’s more of a me problem than a controller design flaw.
I definitely found them more useful in FPS games and less in other genres, but I like the ability to customise these buttons. I was even able to configure them in such a way that I could play some RPG games with just one hand.
When paired with ThrustmapperX, you start off with two pre-made profiles to learn and play around with. From there you can import presets or duplicate the profiles to create your own. As you get more comfortable with customising settings, you can move from mapping buttons to configuring the joystick and trigger actuation, tailoring your experience to different game genres and further enhancing your performance. I’m personally still experimenting with my own presets, trying to find that right “jack of all trades” balance I can confidently take into any game, but I’m thoroughly enjoying the process.
Build Quality and Comfort
This controller is hefty, I don’t think I was expecting just how hefty it was when I first unboxed it. At first, when directly comparing it to my current controller it was quite the difference. The initial heft had me a little concerned about long play comfort and how that might impact my wrists, but after a few weeks of thorough use. I can say that I didn’t really experience any issue, in fact, the heft actually speaks to the build quality more than anything else.
It’s a sturdy frame, but not an unbalanced one. The vibration modules in each grip counteract the weight of the core components and allow for a natural feel no matter how many hours I put into gaming that evening. Speaking of the vibration modules, these can be tuned as well, so if you’re someone that likes a strong vibration for gaming immersion, pump that setting to max and feel Earth shaking vibrations in the palms of your hands. Not a fan of being distracted by pesky vibrations? Turn those settings down, or even off entirely. Thrustmaster is all about comfort and customisation for the perfect gaming experience.
Being able to swap components on the fly, completely changes the game
The modules themselves are incredibly easy to swap out. With the provided tool, modules can be removed and replaced with ease, and triggers can be adjusted or even removed for cleaning and maintenance. I personally like the buttons being low-profile as well — mechanical buttons make for a satisfying yet quiet click. Triggers glide as smoothly as a hot knife through butter, and with the actuation locks, they can be adjusted to half-pull or full-pull for a more accurate trigger mechanism. While the initial curve for learning the ThrustmapperX software might be a little steep for someone with little or no experience with mappable controllers, once learned and adjusted to, you’ll never want to go back to the old way again.
Wrap Up
Thrustmaster is a leader among gaming peripherals for a reason. They’ve been pioneering high-quality controllers, flight sticks, and racing sim wheel kits for over 30 years. All of that experience has culminated in some of the finest controllers I have ever had the pleasure of using. The ESWAP X2 H.E is truly an amazing piece of gaming hardware. It might not look the prettiest in its base form, but with the amount of customisability — both in design and technology — it has been the best addition thus far to my growing array of gaming tools.
There’s a reason for its high price: you’re absolutely getting your money’s worth in premium gaming hardware. If you play competitively, participate in tournaments, or aspire to pursue a career in e-sports, you cannot overlook the Thrustmaster ESWAP X2 H.E. It’s the real deal, and I’m glad I got the opportunity to experience such quality firsthand.
I will undoubtedly be investing in more cosmetic customisation to complete the look, just as much as the feel completes my gaming needs.
About the Author
Daniel Hi I'm Dan! 33 and Non-Binary. When I'm not writing reviews. I like to get deeply immersed in the lore of an mmo or rpg, cruise the forest or coastal roads of Victoria, watch anime, read manga, build model kits and do a bit of sketching on the side.
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