Razer Raiju Tournament Edition Review – In Control

It took me a long time to adjust to using the Razer Raiju Tournament Edition. I’ve been using it for about six months with my PS4 and honestly, it took me nearly three months to get used to it. It’s larger than a standard DualShock 4, it’s heavier, the buttons and triggers are different shapes and sizes and the left stick is in the Xbox configuration.

It’s a wholly different controller to hold and use than a standard DualShock 4 and so, using it was very strange.

Eventually, I became quite fond of the Razer Raiju Tournament Edition, though, in the end, I think I prefer vanilla controllers.

Razer Raiju Tournament Edition Review

That’s not to say that the Razer Raiju Tournament Edition isn’t a great controller. It is.

I’m just not exactly the right audience for it. This is a controller designed for high-end esports play or high-end competitive play. I spend most of my time reviewing or playing single-player story based games and this piece of tech is not exactly suited for that.

After extended hours of play, it becomes a bit cumbersome in my hands and I find myself longing for the smaller DualShock 4. However, when used for playing Overwatch, Destiny 2 or any other PvP game, the Raiju comes into its own. 

On its face, the Raiju features the standard inputs; two analogue sticks, a D-Pad, TouchPad, Share Button, Options Button, Square, X, Circle and Triangle and PS Button. Ths Raiju also has L1, L2, R1 and R2 at the top and M1, M2, M3 and M4 buttons. These M buttons are reprogrammable and can be made to be any of the other buttons on the controller.

For instance, when playing Overwatch, I don’t like to use X to jump as you’re unable to jump and aim at the same time. Instead, I usually use L1 or L2. However, with the Raiju TE, I can make the M3 button, which rests under my left fingers. That way, I can jump without having to move any of my fingers or thumbs from their usual positions. 

Competitive Edge

It gives me a bit of an edge when playing, though my terrible skills still mean I’m mediocre. I can imagine that in the hands of a skilled player, the Raiju TE could easily turn the tide of any game their playing. I imagine how easily someone could build in Fortnite using the extra buttons, or use them for any number of abilities in competitive games. 

And that’s the real added bonus of the Raiju TE. It has the hardware to give you an almost infinite number of control combinations. Better yet, by using the Raiju app, you can store preset control schemes and change to them whenever you need to, as you play the associated game. 

As for how the Raiju TE feels, for me, it’s ok. The weightiness feels good on your hands and the sticks have a tight snap that is much more responsive than the standard DualShock 4. The sticks also have fairly deep recesses for your thumbs that are comfy and easy to use. Instead of soft rubber, the sticks are made of a hard plastic which doesn’t feel as good, but also doesn’t seem to get as sticky or sweaty. 

Big Old Thicc Boi

The sticks are also a bit taller than those on a normal DualShock 4. I prefer extra length on the sticks and I actually use add-ons myself, so this is welcome as part of the Raiju. The face buttons though, are smaller than on a regular controller and made of a harder plastic. It never made much difference for me when playing, but you may find the placement just off of what you’re expecting. 

In addition to being used with PS4, you can also use the Raiju with your PC, both with Bluetooth or USB. In fact, I’ve been able to use the Raiju with my NVIDIA Shield with Bluetooth so I can play Steam games on my TV. The Raiju is an incredibly versatile controller and one that in the right hands can make a world of difference to your games. For me, that versatility is wasted, but I can imagine that there are a lot of players who’d absolutely love the Raiju Tournament Edition.

With a hefty price tag of $249.95 AUD, the Razer Raiju is an impressive piece of hardware, but only for dedicated competitive players and only if you prefer your controllers chunky. 

The Razer Raiju Tournament Edition was reviewed using a unit provided to PowerUp! by Razer.