The GameSir G7 Pro controller is almost great

I recently wrote about GameSir’s excellent Super Nova controller, but it’s not the only one I’ve been testing. Alongside the Super Nova, GameSir also sent me the G7 Pro controller for Xbox, PC, and mobile.

While there’s some overlap between the two controllers, the G7 Pro offers additional features and customizability, along with Xbox compatibility instead of Switch compatibility like the Super Nova has. Unfortunately, the G7 Pro also comes with a higher price tag and, having used both, I’m not sure I’d recommend the G7 Pro over the Super Nova for most people.

For starters, the G7 Pro offers a slightly different design, closely mimicking an Xbox controller in shape and style, whereas the Super Nova is closer to a Switch Pro controller. While the G7 Pro comes very close to the feel of the Xbox controller, it’s just slightly off. I generally liked how the G7 Pro felt in hand, but it wasn’t quite as comfortable as a regular Xbox controller or even the Super Nova.

Removable faceplates, with no reason to take them off

Like the Super Nova, the G7 Pro has a removable magnetic face plate, but you can also remove the tops of the rubberized grips. While cool, it’s also fairly pointless, as unlike the Super Nova, the G7 Pro doesn’t have any alternate faceplates.

At the time of writing, GameSir didn’t have any magnetic faceplates for the G7 Pro available. It does sell two versions of the controller, a white/grey version (which is what I reviewed) and a black/red one that was sold out at the time of writing. Hopefully GameSir plans to start selling some faceplate options in the near future, but as it stands, the removable faceplates serve almost no purpose.

The only thing they currently enable is the swapping of the D-pad, which you’ll likely want to do because the D-pad isn’t great. The default D-pad is a circular puck with tiny bumps marking the four directions. It looks cool but functionally isn’t great.

I found it tough to gauge where to press while gaming, especially in the midst of chaotic encounters. The small bumps and the D-pad’s clicks don’t offer enough tactile feedback. Plus, I found the circular D-pad made it too easy to accidentally click multiple directions at once — for example, in Path of Exile 2, I had my health potion bound to down on the D-pad, but often when I pressed down on the G7 Pro, it would register down and left, or down and right, and wouldn’t trigger the health potion in game.

It’s a small gripe, but one that’s worth noting for any heavy D-pad users out there. I will say that my G7 Pro came with alternate D-pad options, but they weren’t much better. One of the alternates I could swap to was a typical cross-shaped D-pad, but since the faceplate was designed with the circular D-pad in mind, the cross one left small gaps in the controller. There was a circle D-pad with more defined bumps, which ended up being the one I used the most, but I still wasn’t a fan of the D-pad’s feel.

Works with Xbox, but only when plugged in

The final gripe I’ll highlight before I get into what I actually liked about the controller is that the G7 Pro only works with Xbox controllers over a wired connection. Again, it’s a small issue, but in 2025, it’s wild that this controller shipped as wired-only for Xbox.

That small thing immediately relegated the G7 Pro from daily use status to a controller I’ll only break out on the rare occasion I need a fourth Xbox controller to play with friends. I really wanted to use the G7 Pro all the time as it has a rechargeable battery, while all my other Xbox controllers still use replaceable batteries, but using it wired isn’t a viable option for me if I want to recline in comfort on my couch (which, if I’m gaming on my Xbox, is exactly what I want to do).

Anyway, my various complaints aside, the G7 Pro is a pretty solid controller. Like the Super Nova, it can connect via Bluetooth for mobile, or use a 2.4GHz dongle for wireless connection to a PC. The dongle can be tucked inside the wireless charging stand, which in turn can be plugged into the PC for a subtle setup.

Also like the Super Nova, the G7 Pro sports rear paddle buttons and shoulder triggers with a switch that can reduce the travel. However, the G7 Pro goes beyond the Super Nova controller here with lock switches for the rear paddles and other features, like additional shoulder buttons, a 3.5mm audio jack, microphone mute button, and a pairing button.

Extra buttons for the pros

While I don’t make much use of these extra buttons — to date, I’ve only had one or two instances where I found them useful in a game — their presence is great for people who do value those buttons. Unfortunately, to make the most use of them, you need to use GameSir’s software to remap functionality to those buttons. Without some effort to set the features up, these extra buttons won’t even show up as options in most games.

The G7 Pro doesn’t have RGB like the Super Nova, but that’s not a huge loss in my eyes. Beyond that, the only other major difference is the battery, with the G7 Pro sporting a larger 1,200mAh cell. Coupled with the lack of RGB, the G7 Pro definitely has more longevity, though with the convenient charge stand, I always had the G7 Pro on charge when it wasn’t in use.

Overall, the G7 Pro is a great controller, but I’m not sure I’d recommend it over the Super Nova. A big part of that is the price. GameSir sells the G7 Pro for $99, making it pricier than the $63.99 Super Nova. Oddly, the G7 Pro wasn’t available on Amazon like the Super Nova, leaving GameSir’s website as the only purchase option.

With the higher price and limited wired-only Xbox experience, the G7 Pro isn’t a great option in my eyes. That said, if you’re looking just for a PC or mobile controller with the extra buttons and features, the G7 Pro makes a little more sense compared to the Super Nova.