GameSir Super Nova Review – An easily customisable midrange choice

GameSir is kicking off 2025 with another entry in its Nova lineup. The GameSir Super Nova takes the best parts from the previous Nova and Nova Lite, adding in some extra customisation via swappable faceplates. While it might not reach the top end of their controller offerings, its aesthetics still make it stand out in an already crowded market.

Specs

• Compatibility: PC, Nintendo Switch, iOS, Android
• Connectivity: Bluetooth, wired, wireless dongle (included)
• Sticks: Hall Effect
• Triggers: Hall Effect with trigger stops
• Buttons: Membrane
• D-pad: Membrane
• Gyro: Yes
• Extra Buttons: 2 back paddles
• Battery: 1000mAh
• Extras: Charging stand, swappable faceplate and buttons

Design and Usability

Visually, the Super Nova is unsurprisingly quite similar to GameSir’s regular Nova controller. The slightly adjusted Xbox-style form factor is as comfy as ever, though you now have the addition of nice textured rubber grips. It’s a comfy controller to just hold, and the main real upgrade over the previous Nova controllers.

The other main obvious difference is the front faceplate, coming in “Nightfall Blue” and “Whipped Pink” as GameSir call them. It’s something a little different from the company, and I quite like the gradient look of the Nightfall Blue that I reviewed.

More than just a fashion statement, these faceplates are also easily removable. No screws or plastic tabs are in the way, just magnets (there’s a little gap near the RB button that makes it easy to pry them off.) Not only does this let you swap the faceplate out, but you can also flip the face buttons to match the Nintendo layout.

Both of these are things that GameSir has offered in the past with other controllers, though there are a few things that set the Super Nova apart. For starters, switching buttons is a much simpler process over something like the G8+. And while you’ve been able to take faceplates off in the past, the Super Nova is the first time different variants are actually going to be easy to buy.

Everything else is fairly standard for GameSir’s budget controllers

Funnily enough, once you get past these main changes, the rest of the Super Nova is generally quite standard for the budget side of GameSir controllers. There are no mechanical or tactile switches here, only membrane buttons and d-pad. The face buttons aren’t too bad, feeling slightly hollow (perhaps a side effect of them being easy to take out) but nice and quite to compensate.

Matching this is the shoulder buttons. They’re not quite as quiet as the face buttons, though they get the job done. The top button and trigger layout is actually quite close to Sony’s DualSense, but the triggers as slightly thinner and have less tension. You get some standard trigger stoppers thrown in as well — no mechanical switches, though still welcome for FPS games.

The d-pad is exactly like previous membrane offerings by GameSir. That is to say it’s not very good. There’s only a little bit of pivoting, and overall it feels very mushy with little feedback — it’s especially bad for diagonal inputs. I wouldn’t recommend this controller at all if you plan to use the d-pad for more than a few menus or shortcuts.

As always, the analog sticks are still excellent. No TMR sticks (those are saved for the less budget controllers), though Hall Effect destroys anything offered by current first party options. It’s one of those areas where I’m more than glad that nothing has really changed.

And while it might seem like an odd thing to single out in a controller review, the charging stand that comes with the Super Nova might be the best GameSir has made so far. It’s compact, but still heavy enough to avoid falling over. The slight RGB also matches up with the thin strips on the controller itself, making for a visually pleasing effect while charging.

If there’s one area that feels like a downgrade, it’s the use of back paddles. Most GameSir controllers offer extra back buttons, though the Super Nova (and the Nova before it) use paddles instead. They’re very stiff and positioned awkwardly to make them very useable in my option (though they do at least have a nice click when pressed, something missing from the actual buttons.)

GameSir Super Nova Review – Final thoughts

Outside of customisation, the GameSir Super Nova is a fairly standard controller. It’s cheap, but that also comes at the cost of a somewhat average experience — outside of the excellent analog sticks of course. I’d personally say to pay a little more for something like the Cyclone 2 or Tarantula Pro, though if you’re after something midrange with decent customisability, you can do much worse.

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The GameSir Super Nova was reviewed using a sample provided by the manufacturer. It’s available now via the GameSir website, or via Amazon.

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