Flydigi Vader 5S Brings Twist-Adjustable Thumbsticks To Xbox Players
Flydigi’s Vader 5S is trying something genuinely useful for Xbox players: thumbsticks you can tighten or loosen with a simple twist.
That might sound like small peripheral nerd stuff, but for anyone who plays shooters, platformers, racing games, or fighting games seriously, stick feel matters. A lot. Some players want loose sticks for tiny aim corrections. Others prefer heavier tension for snappier flicks and more control. Usually, changing that means tools, swapping parts, or buying a completely different controller. Here, the Vader 5S lets you adjust it directly from the thumbstick gate.
According to GamesRadar’s review, this is the standout feature of the controller — and apparently the first time an officially licensed Xbox controller has offered this kind of easy thumbstick tension adjustment.
The Vader 5S is a wired Xbox-focused version of Flydigi’s Vader line. It is officially licensed for Xbox Series X, and that licensing seems to have helped with the overall polish. GamesRadar noted that Flydigi’s older Vader 4 Pro had serious software and reliability issues during testing, but the Vader 5S feels like a much stronger step forward for the brand.
Price-wise, it sits at US$85.99 / £50. No Malaysia price was listed in the source, but converted directly that is roughly around RM405 before local taxes, shipping, or retailer markup. That puts it in a slightly awkward but interesting spot for Malaysian buyers: not cheap-cheap like some budget wired controllers, but still potentially attractive if the thumbstick tuning is something you will actually use.
The controller itself keeps the black-and-gold Vader design, with an RGB strip along the lower front. GamesRadar described it as solidly built, with textured materials, good grip, and very little creaking or flex. There are also extra inputs: two back buttons, extra shoulder buttons, and two additional face buttons placed below the standard buttons.
Those extra face buttons may appeal to fighting game players, especially those who want a more arcade-like layout. But for normal gameplay, the review found them a bit too low and awkward to reach naturally. The main face buttons use microswitches, while the lower extra buttons apparently do not feel as satisfying.
The real gameplay difference still comes back to the adjustable sticks. In FPS titles like Hunt: Showdown, GamesRadar found the feature useful for changing feel based on weapon loadout. Looser tension helped with smaller aiming corrections, while tighter tension made close-range flicks feel faster. That is the kind of detail competitive players in Malaysia and SEA will understand instantly — whether you are grinding ranked shooters, playing console Apex, or just trying not to whiff every clutch moment in your Discord squad.
For SEA players, the other important part is software access. Flydigi has previously had issues where its software was difficult to access in some regions. For the Vader 5S, there is a Microsoft Store version of the controller software because of Xbox licensing requirements. That app covers button mapping, trigger and stick deadzones, and RGB settings. However, Flydigi told GamesRadar this version currently supports Xbox-licensed Vader controllers only, though the company is exploring wider software availability through more mainstream platforms.
So, should Malaysian Xbox and PC players care? If you just need a basic wired controller, there are cheaper options. But if you are picky about stick feel — especially for shooters, platformers, and fighting games — the Vader 5S has a feature that actually changes how the controller plays, not just how it looks.
It is not perfect, and the wired-only setup may feel limiting in 2026. But adjustable thumbstick tension without tools? That is the kind of practical upgrade more controller makers should be copying.
Source: GamesRadar
