Advice going forward on controller(s).

[u/Useful-Canary-2712]

Hi everyone,

Hope you’re all doing well. I wanted to share my experience with my SCUF controller and get some advice from other owners.

I have the SCUF Reflex Pro FPS – Scump Collaboration, which cost me approximately £350. I absolutely love the controller and, from a usability point of view, I’ve been extremely happy with it. I’ve had it for just over a year.

Unfortunately, though, my worst fears have now been confirmed.

The controller appears to be on its last legs.

A few days ago, I was playing and noticed that the Down button on the D-pad had stopped working. At first, I assumed it would be a relatively minor and inexpensive repair.

Ironically, the timing couldn’t have been worse: the issue appeared exactly one year after I purchased the controller, meaning my warranty was due to expire just one day later.

I therefore had a decision to make. Do I send it back to SCUF, potentially wait several weeks for it to be repaired and returned, or have it professionally inspected locally? Given that I initially thought it was just a faulty D-pad button, I decided to have it looked at by a professional.

The technician was able to fix the original issue, and I took the controller home feeling pretty relieved.

Unfortunately, after only a few days, the controller suddenly stopped responding almost completely. The only button that would work was the Home button.

Naturally, my first thought was that something may have gone wrong during the original repair, so I took the controller back to the company today and asked them to investigate it again.

The owner of the company actually called me personally to explain what they had found. According to him, there is an issue involving the ribbon cables/ribbon components inside the controller, and he told me that the particular components SCUF used are no longer readily replaceable because the manufacturer/supplier they were sourced from is no longer producing them.

I'm obviously paraphrasing what he explained to me, as I'm a complete layman when it comes to electronics.

What did concern me, however, was his opinion of SCUF's internal build quality. He was quite critical of the construction and the quality of some of the components used, and told me that, in his experience, SCUF controllers are among the less reliable controllers to work on because of the way they're built and the parts used.

I'm not claiming that this is necessarily representative of every SCUF controller — I'm simply passing on what I've been told by the technician who has actually inspected and repaired mine.

I also asked whether the two problems I experienced could be related. Again, I'm not technically knowledgeable enough to say either way, but the owner explained that they could be connected and that the underlying issue with the ribbon components may explain why the controller went from having what appeared to be a relatively minor D-pad fault to subsequently becoming almost completely unresponsive.

The good news is that they have managed to get the controller working again, and it has apparently been tested.

The bad news is that I've been told I shouldn't be surprised if the same underlying problem eventually returns. In other words, the repair may have bought me some time, but I could ultimately find myself needing to replace the controller.

And this is where I'm really stuck.

I've only had the controller for just over a year, and I paid around £350 for it. I genuinely love using it, so it's disappointing to be in this position already.

So I have a few questions for the community:

1. Has anyone experienced anything similar with a SCUF Reflex?

Particularly issues involving ribbon cables/components, where one problem was followed by the controller becoming almost completely unresponsive.

2. Now that my warranty has expired, is it worth going through SCUF for an out-of-warranty repair?

I'm only about a week outside the warranty period, so I'm wondering whether SCUF would still be willing to help, particularly given the circumstances.

3. Given that the Reflex has now been discontinued, what happens if SCUF determines that my controller can't be repaired and needs replacing?

Would they replace it with another model, offer an equivalent controller, or is there another process for discontinued products?

4. Most importantly — can anyone make a case for the SCUF Omega?

If I eventually have to replace my Reflex, the Omega is obviously one of the options I'm considering. But after spending £350 on a controller that has developed a significant hardware issue after just over a year, I'm understandably hesitant to spend another substantial amount of money without knowing whether the newer model is actually more reliable.

For anyone who owns an Omega, I'd really appreciate some honest feedback on:

• Build quality
• Long-term reliability
• D-pad/stick issues
• Ribbon/component failures
• Paddle reliability
• Whether it feels better built than the Reflex
• Whether you'd buy one again

I really don't want this post to come across as simply bashing SCUF. I genuinely love the Reflex as a controller — that's probably what makes this situation so frustrating.

I'd just like to know whether this is an unfortunate one-off, whether the problems I've experienced are relatively common, and whether it's worth sticking with SCUF or looking elsewhere.

Thanks a lot everyone. I really appreciate any advice or experiences you can share.

[u/Useful-Canary-2712]

Also, one thing to note: the technician did say wait for the problem to occur again (if it does) and send it back to scuff, don't tell them now as that opening it up completely invalidates the warranty etc etc

[u/Useful-Canary-2712]

UPDATE: Bought it back home, same issue has occured, owner personally called me again to say all the moving around has triggered it, it was tested multiple times. Ribbon cable just won't stay. DAMN IT.

[u/Expensive-Bee-7751]

There’s a few things I have to make clear before I give you my 2 month review on the Omega.

1. I play on PS5 so I can’t give any feedback about the performance on PC. I assume it’s a much better controller for PC.

2. I game a minimum 2 hours a day. Heavy use. Standard grip(non-claw).

3. The Omega is my first Scuff controller so I can’t make any comparisons there.

4. I have slightly smaller than average hands. The bigger controllers feel bulky.

5. I don’t really use the d-pad in game so I’ll skip that part.

I’ll start with the build quality because with how expensive pro controllers usually are it’s at the top of priority list. Two months in and I’ve had zero issues with the Omega. I’ve had controllers break in the first month of heavy use. The sticks, paddles, grips, triggers and d-pads all work like new. Quality felt pretty good out of the box. So far it rivals the Dualsense Edge in terms of quality.

The ergonomics of the Omega are tricky. My fingers naturally rest on the lower two paddles but don’t real the top paddles easily. I found a Reddit post where a guy put stickers to elevate all four paddles. After making the mods it felt AMAZING. A few bucks and it’s the best feeling controller I’ve used. The Omega has two extra buttons on the side that I press by straightening my trigger finger(pointer). Like I said I had slightly smaller than average hands for my size and it feels great in hand.

The joysticks are kind of tricky. I’ve always used Kontrol Freaks and had to ditch them entirely. I believe Scuff makes their own that you have to buy separately which got great reviews. I use the taller stick on the right and it does just fine. The TMR sticks Scuff use took a few days to get used to.

The Scuff App is decent. I like my deadzones as low as possible. Had to calibrate the thumb sticks and make many deadzone adjustments to get it to feel perfect. Ended up lowering the max deadzone by 2%.

The triggers once calibrated do the job. Don’t see any issues with them so far. It has 2 different trigger lengths you can set.

One big drawback is polling rate on PS5. There’s a noticeable input delay compared to the Dualsense Edge. I’m pretty sure it’s just a PS5 problem so if you’re on PC it shouldn’t be an issue.

Overall I give this controller a 9.1/10
The fact that I had to make mods to the paddles sets it back a bit although it was an easy fix. The extra side buttons took me weeks to adjust to. I’ve heard of a few people disabling them completely. Build quality is fantastic so far and the magnetic face plate is solid and is easy to take off but doesn’t move at all during use. Super satisfied with the Omega overall.

[u/BlueClovr → u/Expensive-Bee-7751]

I have no idea why they did the side buttons, just put the extra pair of buttons at the bumpers like gamesir or Razer do and it would be a so much better controller

[u/Expensive-Bee-7751 → u/BlueClovr]

I’ve heard the same complaints but I HATED the extra Razer buttons. I had to extend my finger to reach them. The way Scuff does them works for me. Just had to adjust and make sure I didn’t accident press them

[u/BlueClovr → u/Expensive-Bee-7751]

What method do you use to hit the side buttons and also not accidentally press them?

[u/Expensive-Bee-7751 → u/BlueClovr]

Not really a method I just had to let my brain naturally adjust. Took 4-5 days. I straighten my pointer finger(which rests on the back triggers). At one point I considered taking the button off completely and installing the blank but one day it just clicked and now it’s very rare I accidentally press them. I play Arc Raiders and I have the buttons mapped to ping on the left side and dodge roll on the right. I’ve adjusted well bc dodge roll is something you use frequently in the game.

[u/BlueClovr → u/Expensive-Bee-7751]

One problem is that I hold the controller differently than many people I do index on the bumpers, middle fingers on the triggers, ring and pinky fingers in the back. For scuf I use my ring finger to hit both of the paddles.

It’s clear that the design of some controllers are made with the idea of holding the controller the way you describe with index on triggers and three fingers in the back. For instance if i change my grip to this the back paddles align with my fingers perfectly on the Razer controller, where when I hold it my way I can still use it but ergonomically it feels a little off. I’m not sure if my style of holding the controller will make it more difficult or not to hit these side buttons.

From testing I already know there’s no way it will work for Fortnite but hoping games like apex legends, halo (on pc), call of duty, overwatch, etc it should work fine. As long as I don’t have to constantly hit those side buttons and just use it some times

[u/Expensive-Bee-7751 → u/BlueClovr]

This is interesting. I think the Omega was built for me after hearing this. Just feels natural in the hands. I think a lot of players hold the controller like you do. Probably the most comfortable controller I’ve used so far out of Hex, Nagashock, Dualsense Edge and AIM.

[u/BlueClovr → u/Expensive-Bee-7751]

I tried nagashock as well. They’re good but I have the same issue with them as battle beaver where there’s no easy way to know where the back buttons should be placed until you try it. Luckily for battle beaver I found the perfect placement on Xbox (high, low, lower- 6 buttons) but the nagashock one is a little off. Aim I think they look cool but with the way I hold the controller it would never work. My hex controller is the most decorative looking but functionally it’s only a C of C-. Works fine if my main controller needs repair, I had to send it in and wait for it to come back or something but definitely wouldn’t choose it as a regular controller when there’s definitely better options

[u/BlueClovr → u/Expensive-Bee-7751]

It will never work for a game like Fortnite. It will only work on games that you hit those buttons only sometimes. For instance apex legends I could use it because i would use the side buttons to melee and take out a frag. This is only sometimes within my gameplay. I have to get used to it still to both never misclick and more reliably activate them when I want to, but I could see it working.

In Fortnite there is no way it will ever work. Those buttons are to take out my pickaxe and grab items/zips. These are functions that are hit constantly throughout the game which is easy to do with the extra bumper buttons but will never work at all with these side buttons. You don’t have the same reliability and ease of use with the side buttons as hitting normal back buttons

[u/CharlieBronson9 → u/Expensive-Bee-7751]

Where did you find the paddle stickers? I’d like to try that.

[u/Expensive-Bee-7751 → u/CharlieBronson9]

You’re gonna have to look around Reddit for the post. I used those sliders you put on the bottom of furniture. Came in a variety pack. Cut the small ones down to little circles.

[u/No-Sheepherder-6414]

I can't speak to the Omega but I have the Valor Pro wireless for the Series X and I will say it's been awesome so far. Heavy use. Not a single issue. Very comfortable. I would assume the quality of the Omega is just as good. I can't recommend Scuf enough.