Razer raiju tournament edition review in Spanish (full analysis)

Today we review the Razer RAIJU Tournament Edition, the third licensed controller the company releases for the Playstation 4 console. The first, designed for Esports, was only wired; the second included Bluetooth connection and a good number of features but it had a high price. This new and third model, also designed to play both at home and in tournaments, as its name suggests, combines the quality of components, versatility of use and, above all, a more moderate price. Along the way Chroma lighting and button swapping are lost. Let's take a closer look.

Technical characteristics

Unboxing

As usually happens with most products licensed for Playstation 4, the colors that predominate in the packaging are blue, white and black. On the front, you can see a front image of the controller, and on the back, images of the controller are shown again, but from different angles, while pointing out the different characteristics of this model.

The box is opened by lifting the front part upwards, which leads us to a foam padding where the remote is well inserted and protected. Legend has it, that only the worthy can get it out of there. Joking aside, immediately at the bottom of this foam, a cardboard insert houses the charging cable and a quick guide. Together we find:

Razer RAIJU Tournament Edition. USB to microUSB type B charging cable. Quick guide.

Design

In the Razer RAIJU Tournament Edition we find a design that oozes quality. It is mainly made of hard black and matt plastic except for the grip on the back where the hands are placed, which is made of a somewhat softer plastic and has a very useful rough design to maximize grip. This grip zone has a half-length travel when compared to the original Playstation 4 controls.

Another important change with respect to the original controller is seen in the position of the left joystick, which is interchanged with the crosshead of movement, something already well seen in the Xbox controls. The rest of the buttons on the front correspond to the original version, including the touch touchpad, which has a small led light immediately below.

Although the position is similar, the type of buttons are not, since the typical action buttons such as square, circle, triangle and X are mechanical, like the keys on a mechanical keyboard. The joysticks, of course, also have a better finish and grip than the originals.

A feature that disappears in this model is the speaker that has the dualshock 4 just above the Playstation button.

The led light from the front edge has also been removed, something that was never so necessary either. Now, instead, two center triggers are added to the four typical triggers we are used to. These are named as M1 and M2. Just below them is the Type B microUSB connection port.

On the other hand, at the bottom edge there is still the 3.5mm Jack input to receive audio and make use of the microphone, yes, only if you are using the remote control connected to the cable. In this same border, slightly oriented upwards, a key has been incorporated to activate the connection to the button mapping app, which we will talk about below.

The rear does not have much chicha in the Dualshock 4, but in this Razer RAIJU Tournament Edition the thing changes. Switches have been added at the top to lock or unlock a longer stroke on the L2 and R2 triggers, and gain in pulse rate. Other switch in the central part allows us to choose the connection via Bluetooth to the Playstation 4, USB cable or Bluetooth for the PC. Finally, two other flat style triggers are added which are named as M3 and M4.

If we jump to the topic of measurements, we find first with a control of somewhat larger dimensions than the originals, more specifically 104 x 159.4 x 65.6 mm. However, where the difference is most noticeable is in the weight, which reaches 322 grams.

Ergonomics and use

Of course, the initial weight is quite noticeable, as is its size, especially for those who are only used to the Dualshock 4 and not to other controls. Once this initial impression is past, the controller feels comfortable in the hand and the soft rubber grip reinforces that feeling. Equally, the fingers sit well in the rear, however while gaming it is sometimes easy to accidentally press the rear buttons M3 and M4. It is true that they are located in an accessible way to the rear fingers, but that position is too low and in times of tension pressing them by mistake is frequent.

The front buttons and joystick work perfectly. The joysticks hold excellent and the material is resistant, on the other hand, the mechanical buttons undoubtedly help to gain precision and speed despite its long travel. It is true that they make some noise when you press it, but nothing that bothers unless you are picky in that regard.

If we talk about the front triggers, I feel a disparity of sensations. The L2 and R2 triggers have a good pulse stroke, even more if it is unlocked with the switch discussed above. The M1 and M2 buttons also perform well, but where lower sensitivity is felt is on the upper triggers R1 and L1. A little more travel would have been good for them.

The great general finish and the extra buttons are appreciated although, it must be taken into account that they are designed, especially for professional players who need to map those buttons to increase the effectiveness of the games. More casual gamers will appreciate the quality of the components and the excellent response of some of its mechanical buttons.

For some more professional players, the possibility of changing the weight of the controller with different weights may be missing, as is the case with other competition controls.

Connectivity

To connect the Razer RAIJU Tournament Edition by cable there is not much to explain but, to do it via Bluetooth to both the console and the PC, you must take into account the lack of information to pair it in the instructions in Spanish. In the manual it appears that it is enough to press the PS button, but really to start the pairing on Playstation 4 you need to press the PS button together with the SHARE button; in case you want to pair it with the PC, you need to press the PS button together with the OPTION button. Without this information, command could not be recognized.

In the case of playing on PC we must also take into account that the drivers that are installed by default are designed to be used with Steam games, for games external to this platform it will be necessary to download other drivers from the Razer website.

We have been able to verify that the operation with both cable and Bluetooth is the same, there is no lag or delay and the experience has been satisfactory in this regard. The only drawback in this regard is the previously mentioned impossibility of using headphones or helmets connected to the remote if it is in wireless mode. Something strange considering that Dualshock 4 does. On the flip side of the coin, we've noticed that in an area of the office where the Dualshock 4's Bluetooth signal was patchy, the Razer RAIJU Tournament Edition is completely stable.

The Razer RAIJU Tournament Edition has among its strengths the possibility of mapping the buttons M1, M2, M3 and M4, being able to assign the function of any other button. To do this we must download the free app from Google Play or the App Store, log in with our Razer account and pair the remote using Bluetooth, pressing the button under the PS button designated for that purpose. It has a default profile but up to 500 different can be stored in the cloud. If it would be nice to be able to assign combinations of buttons or in the case of playing on PC, to be able to assign keys to it.

Battery

One of the reasons for the Razer RAIJU Tournament Edition's heavier weight is its battery. With the original controls, after several sessions of a couple of hours, the battery came to an end. With the Razer RAIJU Tournament Edition we have been able to have practically twice as many sessions, which suggests an autonomy of almost twice that of the originals. It is one of the most positive aspects of this command.

When the battery is low, the low led light is responsible for alerting us when it turns red. The full charge of the remote requires around 4 hours or so.

Conclusion and final words of the Razer RAIJU Tournament Edition

It is always good to have quality alternatives to the Dualshock 4, and this is the case of the Razer RAIJU Tournament Edition. It is one of the aspects in which Razer almost never fails. This quality of components comes from the hand of a quite good design, but which still needs to polish some details such as the travel of the L1 or R1 buttons, or even the M3 or M4, which are located in a position where they can be pressed mistakenly easily. Leaving that aspect aside, the buttons respond precisely and quickly, and the switch is a hit to lock or unlock the lower triggers.

The new extra buttons and their mapping to assign another button give a lot of play but, it is something focused on all professionals and the average user will not take much advantage.

As I commented in the analysis, a command focused on the professional world should include the famous weights so that everyone balances the command at will.

When it comes to connectivity, the Bluetooth connection so requested by users works really well, as well as wired without delays. The big but is not having the audio input and output function by headphones if you are in wireless mode, a hard blow for those who use this feature on a regular basis.

In contrast to the above, the battery is, of course, one of the best aspects of the Razer RAIJU Tournament Edition, it lasts for many hours, and if that is the reason for the overweight of the set, you can forgive it.

With its pros and cons, we are in general with a good command, there is no doubt but you could not expect less considering its price of € 149.99. A slightly high price for some users and that could be justified without the notable drawbacks.

ADVANTAGE	DISADVANTAGES
+ Good quality of materials and mechanical buttons.	- Headphones do not work in wireless mode
+ Great autonomy.	- Little travel of the L1 and R1 buttons, and ease of inadvertently pressing the M3 and M4 buttons.
+ Ability to map the extra buttons.	- Somewhat high price.