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Having been gaming since the late 1980s, I’ve held a ton of gaming controllers. From the incredibly uncomfortable (the NES controllers), to the weird (the SEGA Saturn NiGHTS 3D control pad), to the super pricey (Xbox Elite controllers). Now, I’ve come upon the QRD Ferrox M5 2.4Ghz Wireless Controller.
I’d be the first to say that I’m always apprehensive of third party gear. I’ve used a ton of them over the years, from Hori to Mad Catz to Razer, and most of them fall apart after just a few months. I’ve not had the QRD Ferrox M5 2.4Ghz Wireless Controller for that long so I can’t attest to its longevity. Having played a ton of games over the last few weeks with it though, I can say that it does impress in some aspects. Not so much in others though.
Is it good enough to stand with official controllers?
What is the QRD Ferrox M5 2.4Ghz Wireless Controller?
The QRD Ferrox M5 2.4Ghz Wireless Controller is a third party controller for use with the Xbox Series S|X, Nintendo Switch, Android, iOS and PC. It is available right now for SG$78.39 (with free shipping) on QRD’s official website. Alternatively, the controller’s also available on Amazon.
While its billed as wireless, the controller actually has two modes. Wired or wireless with the included dongle. Wired is pretty plug and play. Wireless doesn’t require much fiddling on the PC or the Xbox. Plug the dongle, enter pairing mode and you’re connected.
Wireless does have a downside in that it’s not using Bluetooth. If the dongle goes kaput, you’re pretty screwed and have no choice but to go wired. It’s also problematic if your USB ports on console or PC are being used.
It’s not really a dealbreaker, but it is something to take note of.
Wired (with USB Type-C), the controller performs with no issue at all. No input lag, no unrecognized button presses. It’s all smooth sailing.
Wireless gameplay works well in my testing too. I’ve played hours on the PC and Xbox and didn’t get a single disconnect on my end. It’s worth noting that I’m only about two meters from the dongle during tests.
If you’re further away, it might affect connectivity, but I really doubt it unless your home is filled with wireless signals.
The QRD Ferrox M5 2.4Ghz Wireless Controller also features a built-in 800mAh battery, which gives it about 6 – 8 hours of playtime on a single charge. During my playing, the QRD Ferrox M5 2.4Ghz Wireless Controller lasted pretty much that long with high vibration and the lights all on full. If you reduce them, you’ll definitely get a longer life out of the controller.
From the get-go, it’s really apparent that the QRD Ferrox M5 2.4Ghz Wireless Controller is based off Microsoft’s Xbox Series X|S controller. Every single button and stick placement is the same in front and up top.
The QRD Ferrox M5 2.4Ghz Wireless Controller goes a step further than the official controller too.
It has RGB light rings around the analog sticks and the Home icon, though the face buttons are weirdly unlighted. The rings can be customized (9 colours + 3 modes), so you can dim them or even change their colors if you wish.
Flip it and you’ll see that there have been even more changes done.
For one, the triggers have two modes – 5mm clicky and 7mm adaptive triggers. These are toggleable individually (so you can have R2/RT be 5mm and L2/LT be 7mm or vice versa) so there’s customization there.
The 5mm mode is meant for FPS and racing games, where faster responses can mean the difference. It’s true in a sense. I played FPSes with the triggers on 5mm and can easily see the change because the triggers do not need to be fully depressed to register the button press.
However, I don’t really like it.
I personally like depressing the triggers regularly and 5mm just doesn’t have the same kick to it. It doesn’t feel like a ‘trigger’, more like just pushing a button. This is a personal preference though, it’s not a failing of the controller in any way.
Competitive gamers will likely love this feature, as it’ll allow faster responses in PVP games like Battlefield and other FPS.
The controller also comes with 4 buttons embedded into the back grips. Just like the Xbox Elite or PlayStation Edge premium controllers. Except the buttons are built into the back. These are programmable macro buttons that you can map custom commands to.
They work, but due to their placement and built-in nature (and not optional attachments like for the Xbox Elite controllers), I felt they’re more of a hindrance than anything. I’d constantly hit them as I play when I’m adjusting my grip. I have long fingers, so they naturally rest on where the buttons are located. That means it’s inevitable for me to accidentally press them.
And I did. Many, many times.
It got to the point that I just gave up and erased any bindings I had to the buttons and left them blank. That way, if I do hit them by mistake, nothing will happen.
I really think that the buttons should’ve been much thicker or at least more elevated, so you’d have more travel to depress them. A higher resistance (or even adjustable resistance, like the triggers) would’ve helped inadvertent pressings too. That would’ve cut down me mistakenly hitting them by a ton.
Finally, the controller also has Turbo functionality. I didn’t really get to try this out due to the games I play (none require button mashing), so I don’t really have an opinion on this. It’s nice to have, but its usefulness will depend on you.
These are just the minor additions the QRD Ferrox M5 2.4Ghz Wireless Controller has.
Can you guess the main one?
Here’s a hint – It’s packing tech inside that not even Microsoft’s Elite series has. Even Sony’s rival premium Edge controllers don’t have it. Hell, not even the Nintendo Switch (or Switch 2’s) Pro controllers have it.
Give up yet?
It’s the QRD Ferrox M5 2.4Ghz Wireless Controller’s #1 selling point – the Hall Effect joysticks. These are inherently superior to regular potentiometer joysticks because they last longer, have a much smoother feel, and (the most important bit) they will never have stick drift.
Now they aren’t perfect, because Hall Effect joysticks tend to have some input lag or sensitivity issues as tradeoffs. Their smooth feel also might turn off some gamers who prefer resistance when using analog sticks.
For everybody else, the analog sticks would be right up their alley.
The QRD Ferrox M5 2.4Ghz Wireless Controller is a great alternative to shelling out the cash for an official controller, especially if you’re a multiplatform gamer.
Personally, I had no issues adjusting. I play with the DualSense and Xbox Series X controllers in equal measure and made the leap to QRD Ferrox M5 2.4Ghz Wireless Controller without any hiccups.
Yes, I do miss the tension from the other potentiometer-based controllers, but that’s not a deal breaker. The smoother aiming is easily adaptable for me, even without fiddling with games’ sensitivity settings. I played a ton of games to test out the controller and it worked fine in all of them.
Resident Evil 2. Flesh Made Fear. Castlevania Dominus Collection. Control Anniversary Collection. Rune Factory 3. Fatal Frame: Mask of the Lunar Eclipse. Call of Duty: Black Ops 7. WWE 2K25. Gori Cuddly Carnage. Hardspace: Shipbreaker. Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain.
A ton of games, across a variety of genres.
It’s a damn comprehensive list if I do say so myself.
I really love the QRD Ferrox M5 2.4Ghz Wireless Controller vibration strength though. It’s really strong. Maxed out, I can literally feel my hands going numb from all the shaking in action games. It’s insanely fun to experience, but not really advisable. No other controller I’ve tried in all my years of gaming ever did that to my hands.
The vibration’s adjustable, so there’s really no need to fear. I just love it when it tries to squirm out of my hands for some reason.
Speaking of squirm, one of the biggest issues I have with the QRD Ferrox M5 2.4Ghz Wireless Controller is its build. There’s a plastic faceplate for the upper half of the controller, which is horrible for traction. It’s so smooth that the slightest moisture on your hands (bad news for those with sweaty palms) can induce slippage.
I like to snack while I game, so my hands will often get a bit oily and playing with the QRD Ferrox M5 2.4Ghz Wireless Controller in that condition is a harrowing experience. I’ve had it slip from my grasp thrice and it’ll undoubtedly happen again in the future.
Its front is just too slippery to get a proper grip! The back does have some textured grooves, but these are too shallow to reasonably provide a grip that’s comparable to the Microsoft Xbox Series X|S controllers, which are the standard I measure controllers to.
Make sure to hold on to your controllers in any case!
The QRD Ferrox M5 2.4Ghz Wireless Controller is also very light, coming in at just 239g. In contrast, a standard Xbox Series X|S controller is 345g. The 100g (give or take) makes a difference to me… and not in a good way.
I love the weighty feel of the Xbox controller. I love the Xbox Elite controller even more in that regard, because it’s so damn heavy.
The QRD Ferrox M5 2.4Ghz Wireless Controller though… its lightweight nature makes it feel like a cheap toy. I know that’s not really the case but I wish that it was heftier. A lighter weight isn’t really a plus point for me. I like my controllers big and heavy, which is why I love the OG Xbox controller (aka the Duke).
Being chunky makes something feel premium (at least in my eyes), so I wish that you could add weights to it, like some other third party gaming mice and controllers. Perhaps QRD will read my review and implement this feature in the future versions?
Here’s hoping!
The Bottom Line.
At the end of the day, the QRD Ferrox M5 2.4Ghz Wireless Controller deserves praise despite some of its shortcomings. It’s clear that the controller was made for gamers, with a ton of great features included.
While I do think it needs a rework in some aspects (the weight, grip and the macro buttons especially), its competitive selling price (especially when compared to first party controllers) and the features you get at that price (turbo, macros, RGB lighting, Hall Effect controls) make it a very attractive bargain for gamers who want more out of their controller than what the standard or premium first party controllers offer.
Would I honestly get the controller if I wasn’t provided one for review?
That’s a yes for sure. Hell, I’m still using it right now!
TLDR:
Great price and features but build quality could be better.
The Good:
- Hall Effect controls.
- Lots of features including turbo and macros.
- Comfy to use.
- Competitive pricing.
- Insanely strong vibration.
The Bad:
- Macro buttons too easy to accidentally press.
- Too lightweight.
- Slick plastic top cover interferes with grip.
- Uses dongle on consoles.
- No Bluetooth.
Salehuddin Husin, EIC
Sal's been in the industry since the early 2000s. He's written for a ton of gaming and tech publications including Playworks, Hardwarezone, HWM and GameAxis. Recently, Sal served as a juror for the Indie Game Awards at Taipei Game Show 2020. A geek and hardcore gamer, Sal will play everything, on any platform.
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