Scuf Vantage Review: The Best Controller in Gaming Somehow Gets Gets Even Better

As a Hunter main in Destiny 2, mobility is everything. Being able to defend myself while maneuvering out of dangerous situations is essential, especially if I can somehow manage to jump, aim, and shoot all at the same time. That’s where a Scuf Gaming controller comes in handy, making it possible to pull off complicated maneuvers without ever taking my thumb off the right joystick.

It all comes down to those reconfigurable triggers. They’re the same kind of used by the Xbox Elite controllers. In fact, Microsoft licenses the patent from Scuf to make those controllers. Now, Scuf has innovated with the Scuf Vantage, a new model released on September 25. So what makes the Vantage better? And is it worth the upgrade? Here’s what you need to know.

Comparing the Scuf Vantage to the company’s previous Infinity 4PS Pro model is like comparing Tony Stark’s armor in Iron Man to his nanotech suit in Avengers: Infinity War. Everything is sleeker and more polished. The Vantage has features I didn’t think were possible. No, it doesn’t have nanites or anything like that, but everything does feel more intuitive.

The first thing you notice about the Vantage is that there are a lot more button options. You get four programmable rear paddles (compared to the previous two), plus two side-mounted “Sax” buttons.

Remapping those four rear triggers is easier too. Before, mapping the paddles required pressing a separate dongle to the back of the controller. Now, there’s a switch near the audio jack. With that enabled, holding down one of the rear triggers and a regular button at the same time maps them together. Then all that needs to be done is to flip the remapping switch back. The whole process takes less than five seconds, so it’s easy to do in between matches or even while you’re waiting to revive in the middle of a competitive game.

For me, that meant mapping the right rear paddle to the jump button for Destiny 2 so I could aim with my right thumb on the joystick while jumping with my middle finger. I also mapped the left rear paddle to the circle button (dodge in Destiny 2). For kicks, I made the inner paddles square (reload) and triangle (weapon swap). So now I barely have to move my fingers from their positions. It took some getting used to, but I found it to be a boon, especially in competitive Crucible.

There’s also a sliding audio touch bar on the bottom of the faceplate near the headphone jack that lets you change the volume or mute it entirely with a simple swipe, and the entire faceplate comes off easily thanks to a magnetic seal.

The Vantage comes in two base versions: a low-latency USB wired controller and a Bluetooth wireless version that also works over wired connection if the battery runs out in the middle of a gaming session.

If I have but one minor complaint about the Scuf Vantage, it’s the overall body shape. The legs are thicker than with the standard PS4 controller. For someone like me with large palms and short fingers, thinner legs are important — especially if my fingers are to reach those rear bumpers. But the nice thing about SCUF is that they come in all shapes and sizes, and finding the best model requires a bit of patience.

For me, the shape over time put a slight cramp in my wrist (that’s mostly my fault from an old sports injury), but I still haven’t experienced anything better, especially when it comes to competitive matches in games like Destiny 2 and Overwatch,

If I could get the shape of the Infinity 4PS Pro with the features of the Vantage, then it would totally be a match made in heaven. For now, this will do just fine.

The Scuf Vantage for PS4 is available now.