The SteelSeries Aeon Pro is one of the most advanced controllers I’ve ever tested. It’s also the most expensive – but it brings some features never before seen in a controller.
Notably, the Aeon Pro borrows the outstanding “infinite battery” system from the SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro line of gaming headsets. Instead of relying on a cable or dock to charge the controller, the Aeon Pro has two rechargeable batteries – one in the controller and another that charges in the base station. Like the Nova Pro, when one battery runs out of juice, you simply pop it out and swap it with the fully-charged one from the base station. In less than 10 seconds, your controller is fully juiced up and the previously depleted battery is tucked back in the dock to charge.
I’m a big believer in this “infinite” battery system. It’s one of the most revolutionary features to come to gaming headsets and is the reason I continue to recommend the Arctis Nova Pro, so I’m thrilled to see SteelSeries implement it in a controller. Even better, the base station also serves as a dock for the controller, giving it a home to live on your desk or entertainment center when not in use.
The dock also solves another headache for players like me who game across multiple systems. The dock has separate USB-C connections for both Xbox and PC, and when both are plugged in, you can swap between them (and a third Bluetooth connection) on the controller itself. Unfortunately there’s no PS5 or Switch 2 functionality here.
The one drawback to this system is it doesn’t work great if your PC and Xbox aren’t near each other. If they’re in different rooms, or far enough that a wired connection from the base station to each device would be cumbersome, a simple dongle that you can unplug and take with you would be more convenient. It would be a lot more useful if it had PlayStation support, since your consoles likely all live with your TV, while PC is the wildcard that might be in another room.
The Aeon Pro packs in just about every high-end “pro-controller” feature on offer. Hall-effect thumbsticks join an Xbox-layout of ABXY buttons backed up by tactile switch connections. The triggers have two-stage Hall-effect sensors as well, while around back there’s four paddles for additional inputs. All the buttons, bumpers, paddles, and even the D-pad, as well as the triggers when set to the short-throw position, offer a pleasing audible click.
Finally, there’s a small OLED display above the Xbox button to show battery life and aid in configuration, whether that’s just swapping between systems or full-on custom button remapping. It’s a useful feature that takes the guesswork out of wondering which profile or custom button map you have active, though it’s not quite advanced as the “has its own OS” capabilities of the totally over-engineered Genki Manta.
I spent most of my testing time slashing through corrupted fiends in the excellent new Onimusha: Way of the Sword, and the Aeon Pro served as an outstanding conduit for my mind-body-sword connection. Whether I was slashing and dodging or chaining together Issen counterattacks, the Aeon Pro felt excellent in hand and never failed to deliver my strikes.
All of this adds up to an excellent controller that is quickly becoming my go-to for anything that I don’t need the Steam Controller‘s trackpads. The biggest caveat of course is the price. At $260 it sits well above even other high-end “pro” controllers like the Turtle Beach Stealth Ultra and Asus ROG Raikiri II, but it does offer unique features never before seen in a controller.
I haven’t spent enough time with the Aeon Pro yet to render final judgement, especially considering how expensive this thing is, so I’ll be testing it more over the next week and will update this article with my final thoughts once I’ve fully put it through its paces.
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