The Thrustmaster eSwap XR is a PC and Xbox controller unlike any that we’ve seen before. After catching a glimpse of it, we were so curious that we couldn’t resist getting it in for testing.

It has a hot-swappable modular design, just like the brand’s previous eSwap controllers, but this time there’s a new module. It’s a tiny racing wheel for your thumb, and it’s designed to bridge the gap between racing on a controller and using a full-blown sim rig.

This controller is also made in partnership with Forza Horizon 5, which means we get a bold paint job that fans of the series are sure to love.

The question is, how does it perform? and is it worth your hard-earned cash? We’ve been trying it out.

Design

• Dimensions: 160 x 120 x 60mm
• Weight: 324 grams
• Forza Horizon 5 special edition colourway

The eSwap XR, in its signature Forza Horizon 5 livery, is going to be a love-it or hate-it kinda thing. It’s a bold colour combination of mostly white, pink and black, and it’s far from subtle. We’re quite into it, but we can equally imagine people craving a slightly more grown-up aesthetic – especially at such a premium price point.

On the plus side, though, the modular design means that you can opt for one of Thrustmasters’ more traditional designs, like the all-black eSwap X Pro, and simply add the racing wheel, which is available separately for around $45.

The controller is of a good size, with longer palm grips than the standard Microsoft controller, which makes it very comfortable for extended play sessions. We should note that we have fairly large hands, though, so with smaller hands, you might have a different experience.

It has a solid construction, with no audible creaking from the plastics when you grip it tightly and no rattle when you shake it about. This is especially impressive considering the amount of components that are held into place by magnets, Thrustmaster has done a great job making this thing feel solid in the hands.

The finish doesn’t feel especially premium, though, the plastics are smooth and untextured, putting it a step behind controllers like the Xbox Elite Series 2 – which can be found for less money.

However, there are some premium touches, the joysticks have metal posts, for example – which is not something that you see on cheaper controllers.

It’s a wired controller and the cable is removable. It has a braided cable with a 3-metre length, which makes it long enough for couch gaming in the majority of scenarios. It locks into place with a proprietary latching system, and it’s a standard micro USB connector under the latch. USB-C would have made things feel a touch more modern, but it’s not something that matters in use.

Modularity

• Modules included: 2x joysticks, 1x D-pad, 1x racing wheel
• The grips, triggers and power cable are also modular
• Screwdriver and module storage bag included

The headline feature of Thrustmasters’ eSwap controllers is the modular hot-swap system. It’s a very clever idea, allowing you to switch up your gamepad to suit the style of game that you’re playing.

We had our reservations going in, we assumed it would feel less sturdy than a regular controller, and imagined some annoying configuration would be required every time you swap, but that was not the case.

As we’ve already mentioned, the controller feels reassuringly sturdy, with no rattling or movement from the modules once they’re snapped into place. They’re easy to remove, too, with the exception of the D-pad, which has less to grab onto. Thrustmaster has thought about this, though, and includes a handy tool to help you remove it.

Once you’ve swapped the layout around, there’s nothing else that you need to do, it just works – it’s a really impressive system. The only way it could be improved would be to add modularity to the face buttons (A, B, X, Y) as currently, their position is fixed.

There’s more to this modularity than just the joysticks and D-pad, too. You can swap the grips on the side just as easily, they’re simply held in by magnets, and you can even swap the triggers out – although that will require a screwdriver.

Software

• ThrustmapperX Software for Windows and Xbox
• Button mapping and vibration adjustments
• Stick, wheel and trigger calibration

Thrustmaster provides configuration software that is accessible through the Microsoft Store on PC, Xbox Series X/S and Xbox One. It’s called ThrustmapperX, and as the name suggests, it allows you to remap almost all of the buttons on the controller, should you need to.

There’s also very in-depth customisation for the sensitivity of the triggers, joysticks, wheel and vibration motors. It even allows you to set sensitivity curves to really dial in the stick feel.

We’ve mainly been testing on PC, as that’s where we do most of our gaming, and we haven’t run into any issues with the software so far. Despite the depth of the customisation, the interface is fairly intuitive and everything seems to be working as it should.

It’s worth noting that you can bypass the software entirely if you prefer. On our Windows 10 gaming rig, it was plug-and-play, the controller was instantly recognised and worked just like a wired Xbox pad. For the full experience, though, you’ll want to get it installed.

Performance

• Wired connectivity for Xbox and PC
• Racing wheel control
• Mechanical button switches

We found the Thrustmaster eSwap XR is very easy to get to grips with, it’s extremely comfortable in the hand and the buttons are exactly where you’d expect them to be – unless you choose to move them, of course.

We’re very fond of the joysticks, they have just the right amount of tension and feel very smooth. Hall sensors would have been nice to see, but that’s still a rarity and who knows if such a design would fit into the modular housings.

The mechanical face buttons have a nice tactile click to them and a very short throw, this makes actuation extremely quick. We’re used to the clicky switches, thanks to controllers like the Razer Wolverine Tournament Edition, but that has a similar throw to Microsoft’s pads, whereas this is much more shallow – and it feels quite different.

The D-pad is decent, but it’s a little more mushy than the face buttons, and nothing to get too excited about. What’s more exciting, is the headline feature, the mini racing wheel.

We were a little afraid that this was going to prove to be a gimmick, but it actually does add something to the in-game driving experience. We’d be lying if we said it made us any quicker in Forza, but more precise? Perhaps.

It feels like there’s a smaller dead zone than when using the joystick, which means you can make micro-adjustments with smaller movements of your thumb. Plus, it just feels one notch closer to driving with a wheel, which is pretty neat.

The downside is that we found it more fatiguing to play with the wheel than with the joystick. This might just be down to half a lifetime of playing with joysticks, but in the week or so that we’ve been testing it definitely makes our thumb more tired than using the stick.

We found that the wheel was most comfortable in the lower left-hand slot, where the D-pad would normally be on an Xbox controller. It works well in the upper slot, too, but there it feels most natural to pinch the wheel with your forefinger and thumb, which was too much for us to get used to.

One of our favourite aspects of the modular design is that, if you can manage without a D-pad, you can have both the joystick and the wheel connected. This is great for hybrid games like GTA V where you have a mixture of on-foot combat and driving – as you can just switch to the control that suits the situation.

Verdict

We’ve really enjoyed playing with the Thrustmaster eSwap XR Pro Controller. It’s nice to see a controller that’s trying something innovative amidst a sea of options touting similar features.

The racing wheel module works better than we had expected, and while it’s not going to replace a proper wheel anytime soon, it does offer a nice middle ground that doesn’t take up anywhere near as much room.

The sticking point is the price. At an MSRP of $179.99 / €199.99 / £179.99, there’s no denying that it’s a hefty sum of money for a gamepad, especially a wired one. For that price, we’d expect near perfection, and not to see things like a micro USB connection and a slightly-mushy D-pad.

Still, if the price doesn’t hold you back, the eSwap XR offers a gamepad-based driving experience like no other. If you don’t have room for a full-on racing wheel, this is the next best thing.