GameSir G7 Pro 8K PC Review – A Premium Experience

For as much as I like most of GameSir’s output, their naming schemes leave a little to be desired. This trend continues with the GameSir G7 Pro 8K PC, a mouthful of a title that only gets worse when you add on the different variants as well. Thankfully, the confusion stops there, with the controller itself being full of easy to understand features for an experience that is hard to match.

Specs

Compatibility: PC, Switch, Switch 2, mobile
Connectivity: 2.4G wireless (via dongle), wired, Bluetooth
Sticks: TMR
Triggers: Hall Effect analogue, micro switch trigger stop toggle
ABXY: Optical micro switch
D-pad: Mechanical micro switch
Extra Buttons: 4 (2 on back, 2 on top)
Motion Control: 6-axis gyro
Battery: 1200mAh
Weight: 392g
Variants: Aimlabs, Champion, Nioh 3 editions
Extras: Headphone jack, charging dock, removable faceplate, extra sticks and d-pads

So, What Does G7 Pro 8K PC Actually Mean

The GameSir G7 Pro 8K PC is the latest of GameSir’s extensive G7 controller line-up. Unlike previous releases however, this one is not compatible with Xbox (hence the PC part of the name.)

Pro refers to the fact that this includes a number of improved components over the G7 SE and HE variants, with the addition of TMR sticks and extra buttons on top.

Finally, the 8K part refers to the controller’s polling rate of 8000Hz. Available over 2.4G wireless and wired connections, this is intended to allow for more responsive inputs. Essentially, a higher polling rate means that the controller will report inputs more times each second.

Appearance and Usability

I tested the Aimlabs variant of the G7 Pro 8K PC for this review, which features a pleasant black and blue colour scheme. The blue parts remind me a lot of the GameSir X3 Pro, which made use of similar translucent blue parts.

Said translucent parts are also what makes it stand out from the other variants currently available. The Champion and Nioh 3 editions lean more towards gold and black, including the home and face buttons. Functionally they’re all the same, so which you’ll like more comes down to personal preference.

The G7 line has always aiming for a general shape similar to that of official Xbox controllers, and the G7 Pro 8K PC is no different. Naturally, this means that it’s comfortable to hold and will feel very familiar if you’re used to Microsoft’s offerings.

There’s not that much to say about the general design outside of that. It’s what you’d expect from an Xbox-style controller, just with some extra bells and whistles. And speaking of those…

Better Components, With One Main Exception

It’s clear from minute one that the G7 Pro 8K PC is aiming for a premium experience. You’ve got some satisfyingly clicky face buttons, smooth TMR sticks, and extra buttons on top that I’m glad are becoming slightly more commonplace.

The micro switches used for the face buttons only require a short press to activate, and the aforementioned clicks mean that you’ll always know when an input has gone through. You don’t have to worry about half presses or missed inputs, though they’re unsurprisingly noisier than traditional membrane buttons.

I’m also a huge fan of the sticks, even outside of them having next-to-no chance of drifting due to being TMR. The tops use a nice grippy texture plastic, with a metal section underneath. The metal section combined with the smooth ring around the outside reduce friction a lot. If you’ve used a regular Xbox controller, this removes the “gritty” sort of feeling you get when moving the sticks against the outer edge.

On top, you have the standard shoulder buttons and triggers, along with an extra pair of buttons situated alongside them (the triggers and extra buttons make use of the same pleasant translucent blue as the front.)

In their default setting, the triggers are very smooth. They feel slightly easier to press down than an official Xbox controller, but for the most part its a comparable experience. Both triggers can be changed independently to micro switch buttons using the switches on the back. I like this as an option in theory. Since most games don’t actually make use of analogue triggers at all, it makes more sense to change them into something closer to regular buttons.

However, they run into the same issue I’ve had with a few other controllers with similar options, that being the shape of the triggers. It could just be my large hands, but with how I hold the controller my index fingers end up resting on the top part the triggers. This means that if I press them in trigger mode, the point jabs into my finger a little. Because of this, I generally left them as regular triggers.

The extra buttons on top are a great addition, and I find them much more useful than back buttons. They’re placed in just the right spot, being easy to press without leading to accidental inputs. Both can be mapped to singular button presses or multi-step macros.

So far, so good. But it’s from here where things get less consistent. Starting with the first oddity, the shoulder buttons are just membrane rather than micro switches. Unlike what I’m about to mention after this, they’re still actually pretty decent. It just comes across as an oversight when nearly everything else (including less important parts like the menu and view buttons) uses better components.

I’m also not a huge fan of the back buttons. They’re membrane like the shoulder buttons, but feel extra mushy. Each button also barely sticks out from the back, making them harder to press. I rarely ended up using them because of this, instead opting to lock them using the switches on the back.

My biggest gripe with the G7 Pro 8K PC though is the d-pad. While I’ve come around to it slightly (mostly due to switching the plastic top with one of the other included options) it still feels odd. While you do get the click of the micro switches, the d-pad is loose and rattly. It’s not an issue for use in menus or quick selections, but I could never use it for platformers or fighting games.

A High Price

I think even with a few issues (mostly minor) this is still a great controller. However, it’s impossible to talk about the G7 Pro 8K PC without mentioning the price. With an RRP of £99.99 (£89.99 on Amazon UK as of this review), this is far from the cheapest option out there.

Whether it’s worth it will naturally depend on the person. The increased price over something like the GameSir Cyclone 2 brings with it extra buttons, some improvements to face buttons (there’s less wobble than in their previous offerings) and the 8K polling rate.

However, if you’re not going to make use of all of these, then it’s hard to say if this would be worth it. Unless you’re competing at the highest level in FPS games, the G7 Pro 8K PC is likely overkill for what you’ll need.

GameSir G7 Pro 8K PC – Final Thoughts

And that’s what it comes down to. If you see worth in what’s being offered, then the GameSir G7 Pro 8K PC has few downsides. But if you just want a solid PC controller with less bells and whistles there are far more options, GameSir or otherwise, at a much lower price.

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A sample of the GameSir G7 Pro 8K PC was provided for this review by GameSir.