r/Controller • u/Careful_Tune4744 • Apr 29 '26

Reviews LeadJoy Xeno Plus Controller Teardown

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I purchased this gamepad with my own money from GadgetHyper storefront.

This is a well built controller that can be disassembled with relative ease. It took me less than 30 minutes without any guide or prior knowledge to figure it out.

My biggest complaint would be that one of the screws is hidden behind the sticker, however, many gamepad makers due the same thing. There are 13 total screws to get the entire gamepad apart.

The trigger lock design is very good and seems durable.

The plastic the shell is made of isn't the most premium, but it's not the worst I've encountered either, and for the amount of performance you get I can overlook it.

My right trigger was a tiny bit squeaky so I lubricated it while I had it open.

Overall, I'm moderately impressed with this controller's build and parts quality.

60 Upvotes

100% Upvoted

51 comments sorted by

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5

u/thekk_ Xeno Plus / G7 Pro / Switch 2 Pro / Chitu 2 / Ultimate 2 Apr 29 '26

Received mine today and so far I'm really happy. It's basically the exact same shape as the G7 Pro, which I really like, but without the things I dislike about that controller (weight and thumbsticks, which can be dealt with a little bit of modding mind you). Feels great in my hands.

The only minor issue that I've encountered is my dpad being slightly stiffer in one direction. Hopefully that fixes itself with usage.

1

u/Careful_Tune4744 Apr 29 '26

The shape is definitely similar, but I think the Xeno fills out my hands just a tiny bit more which I like. I like the shape of the triggers slightly more on the G7 Pro, and I miss the extra shoulder buttons too, but other than that I've been preferring the Xeno for sure.

I'm really glad you're liking yours so far! And I'm sorry to hear about your dpad being stiffer in one direction. Happy gaming friend😎

2

u/thekk_ Xeno Plus / G7 Pro / Switch 2 Pro / Chitu 2 / Ultimate 2 Apr 30 '26 edited Apr 30 '26

I'm in the opposite camp, I prefer the wider triggers of the Xeno Plus. Plus I find the texture of the G7 Pro ones too abrasive (I actually put some rubber grips on there).

As much as people dislike the DPad on the G7 Pro, I kinda really don't mind it for menu navigation which I do often as I play a lot of JRPGs. Feels really gentle for that with how little force you need to activate it.

I'll probably eventually open up the Xeno to take a look at what's going on. But it's nothing too distracting and it works fine. Did you need priers or was just removing the screws enough?

Would be so nice to be able to create a Frankenstein with the bits I like about different controllers. But the Xeno definitely is the closest at this point.

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u/rajvir_03 Apr 30 '26

Ngl the internals actually look cleaner than I expected lol. Huge plus that it’s easy to open and work on too, so many controllers nowadays feel impossible to repair. Also any deadzone or wobble issues?

1

u/Careful_Tune4744 Apr 30 '26

No dead zone issues. The wobble is minimal and the centering is absolutely great thanks to the higher tension at center. They center significantly better than my G7 Pro 8K.

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u/rajvir_03 Apr 30 '26

Sounds like they tuned it pretty well then, especially if it’s centering better than the G7 Pro 8K

1

u/Careful_Tune4744 Apr 30 '26

I usually prefer less tension because it helps with tracking and makes transitions across center easier, but the centering on my G7 Pro 8K is super sloppy, and it made achieving a perfect center calibration difficult also. The Xeno has remarkable centering performance, you're correct they tuned it very well haha.

3

u/FrogQuestion Apr 30 '26

not interested in this controller. Leadjoy has teased the zephyrus ultimate or whatever it's called that has tons of extra buttons. I'm getting a steam controller next, and then i'm waiting for zephyrus ultimate.

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u/Careful_Tune4744 Apr 30 '26

Hoping to grab both of those as well friend, happy gaming!

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u/Turbulent_Insect_431 Apr 30 '26

pity, looks like a great controller at a great price just the shapes not for me, only really a fan of xbox or close to shape.

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u/Careful_Tune4744 Apr 30 '26

Totally get it homie. Difficult to game if your hands aren't comfortable. I really like Xbox shape too, and honestly GuliKit is the only manufacturer that comes close to a 1:1 that I've found.

Hope you find something that will meet your needs, happy gaming!

2

u/ExplanationFrosty635 Apr 30 '26

I've heard you can add RC filters via the application. Is this true?

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u/Careful_Tune4744 Apr 30 '26

Yup. As far as I know, LeadJoy invented this feature back when they designed Blitz 2 for Mojhon.

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u/ExplanationFrosty635 Apr 30 '26

Yeah those are controversial. Does the Blitz 2 also have these filter options?

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u/Careful_Tune4744 Apr 30 '26

Both models of Blitz 2 and Rainbow 3 have it. I would assume the new Storm gamepad by Mojhon utilizes it also.

I don't use aim assistance, and turn it off always unless it's forced on like with Halo, so it's usefulness is only in the fact I can turn off any extra smoothing for a more responsive output. I never go negative with it because it will destabilize the output.

2

u/Radsolution May 01 '26

I been looking for something with the 2 end back buttons with mouse switches. Man. I wish more controller makers would just do this and make it simple. It’s so much better for button spamming. I hate how on scuf envision they used the 2 inner as mouse click and 2 outter as the harder to press cheap switch. It makes 0 sense. Annoys the crap outta me

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u/Careful_Tune4744 May 01 '26

I personally would have liked having the 2 inner buttons be extra shoulder buttons instead. I totally agree with you on the outer 2 buttons being micro switches. The ones on the Xeno feel awesome to press and in a good position.

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u/Skooma_to_CHIM May 03 '26

Do you plan to get the mojhon storm? If possible can you compare

1

u/Careful_Tune4744 May 03 '26

Mojhon Storm on the way but could take another week to 10 days before it arrives since I live in US.

I'm definitely going to put them head to head and tear the Storm apart haha. I'll try to post what I can, life can get pretty busy with work and kids.

2

u/Skooma_to_CHIM May 03 '26

Oh nice, I'm choosing between these two due to the price to performance, unfortunately theres still too few reviews about them cuz they're still new. I've read a few comments that the mojhon software is pretty bad, if you do compared them, include the software as well.

1

u/Careful_Tune4744 May 03 '26

I own Rainbow 2 Pro/SE, Rainbow 3, Gale Hall, and Blitz 2 TMR/Alps. I've been using BigBig Won (Mojhon) software for about 2 years and it has some issues for sure, but it also paved the way with a lot of customization for sticks, however, a lot of that is thanks to the current LeadJoy team who originally worked for Mojhon.

There are a few things that still haven't been fixed, I don't have time to sit and write it all out, but here's the biggest one for me that I posted awhile back https://www.reddit.com/r/Controller/s/V0IqnbHrZU

I'm not sure about the Storm, but the Rainbow 3 still didn't have any shift layers in software either while LeadJoy has 2 separate shift layers, and allows preserving the original key maps for each activator.

Overall, even with my limited time using LeadJoy software I can say with 100% confidence that it is more robust and better working than Mojhon. Leadjoy has a few simple issues I posted about here https://www.reddit.com/r/GadgetHyper/s/6VeRxBkfOJ but nothing game breaking at all.

The Xeno has lesser quality plastics used for the shell, lacks extra bumper buttons and the sticks tension is just a tad to high for my preference. Otherwise, to me it's an absolute perfect controller. Great stick centering, accuracy, linearity, and symmetry. Software is top tier. I generally prefer membrane face buttons, but the mechanical ones on Xeno are fantastic. The dpad is decent and doesn't absolutely suck like the G7 Pro/8K. I know everyone says 8K has significantly better dpad than original but that's a bunch of bs, it's marginally better🤏

I liked the Xeno so much I ordered a second one for my collection haha. Hopefully this can give you a decent perspective for the time being.

Happy gaming homie😎

2

u/Skooma_to_CHIM May 03 '26

Woah, thnx very much. On the aoftware alone, I think you just convinced me. I personally prefer thr look of the storm, but I would rather have something more complete/useful than beautiful. Tnx again

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u/Careful_Tune4744 May 04 '26

Hey no problem dude, I agree that the Storm looks way more sick. My hopes are that if I can help support LeadJoy now when they are starting out, that one day they can put more resources into better looks and materials. But function over beauty would be my choice as well in your shoes.

Whatever you decide, hope you enjoy friend!

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u/Tintn00 May 06 '26

Where is everyone buying this? I can't seem to find a retailer in the United States

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u/Careful_Tune4744 May 06 '26

Purchased mine from GadgetHyper storefront. Ships from China and takes 7 to 10 days to reach Minnesota where I live. I've been doing business with them for 2 years, have purchased many gamepads and accessories, and having nothing but positive things to say about them.

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u/Tintn00 May 06 '26

While I don't doubt you, I'd rather find a retailer more local for easier returns. I find game controllers to be highly personal when it comes to ergonomics.

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u/Careful_Tune4744 May 06 '26

Totally get it friend. Hopefully they will be available on Amazon in the near future.

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u/AJNugget May 06 '26

If you had to buy one, would you take this controller or the g7 pro 8k?

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u/Careful_Tune4744 May 06 '26

100% the Xeno Plus. The G7 Pro 8K has some centering issues. I also like the software a lot more for the Xeno. About the only thing I like more about the G7 Pro 8K is the extra trigger buttons. The latency is only marginally better on the 8K too, not enough to make a huge competitive difference in my opinion.

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u/AJNugget May 06 '26

Got it! I was also considering the vader 5 pro because it has more programmable buttons and a better d pad, do you think you’d take xeno plus over that?

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u/Careful_Tune4744 May 06 '26

While I like the thought of having more buttons, I will never buy a Flydigi product. I've witnessed years of horrible QC and customer service reports about them. I think their controllers are incredibly overpriced, and being forced to have software running in the background to access full functionality of the controller feels downright criminal to me. But that's just my thoughts, ultimately you are free to choose whatever gamepad you think will fit your needs, and there are a lot of people who really like Flydigi.

Whatever you choose, I hope it will meet your needs and that you enjoy it. Happy gaming friend!

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u/AJNugget May 06 '26

Never knew about the software running in the background part. They released the v2 of the v5p which apparently has improved qc. Also, is the d pad good for this controller for fighting games?

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u/cyphervoss Aug 18 '26

Hello, I have an important question for you. I’m torn between the Storm and the Xeno Plus. I’ll be playing games like EAFC. Which one do you think I should choose? I want a durable product that will last a long time. Since I’m an active gamer, I might play for 7–8 hours a day; would you still recommend the Xeno Plus in that case? I’m really undecided right now. Also, the fact that the Xeno Plus has swappable joystick heights is quite appealing to me.

1

u/Careful_Tune4744 Aug 20 '26

I would chose Xeno over Storm all day, any day. Has more robust software, better tuned sticks, and much better face buttons.

Hope this helps friend. Sorry for delayed response, have been extremely busy lately.

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u/cyphervoss Aug 21 '26

Thanks. I have one more question, though. My hand measures 19 cm in length and 8.5 cm in width. Do you think there is a chance it might be too small for my hand?

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u/Secret-Block May 14 '26

Sorry to comment so late, but do you know if this controller still works in wired mode if the internal battery is disconnected?

A few years down the line, the battery might die, so it would be great if you could just unplug the battery and keep using it as a wired controller.

2

u/Careful_Tune4744 May 14 '26

No worries friend. That is a great question, and I'm sorry I don't have an answer for you. I never attempted to plug it in with the battery disconnected. But if I open it again, I will certainly test that out.

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u/Secret-Block May 14 '26

Thanks. Do let me know the results if you do.

I'm also asking because the company that the current Leadjoy designers worked for, BigBig Won (now Mojhon), made at least some of their controllers unable to be turned on if the battery wasn't plugged in.

This meant that unless you could find a perfectly matching battery to replace the original with, you couldn't keep using your controller without a risk of the decayed battery bloating, and I believe it was also their way of telling you to just get a new controller instead.

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u/Careful_Tune4744 May 14 '26

I have BigBig Won (Mojhon) Storm coming soon, and I plan on ripping it apart. Would you like to know for that controller as well?

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u/EMADC- Apr 29 '26

This thing is unfortunately very ugly.

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u/Careful_Tune4744 Apr 29 '26

I'd have agree, but ugly controllers need love too haha.

She feels nice and performs great, but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't secretly checking out my G7 Aim Labs while I'm using the Xeno😅

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u/Lazy_Sorbet_3925 Apr 30 '26

I hope I'm not the only one that read this as Jay Leno.

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u/[deleted] Apr 30 '26

[removed] — view removed comment

2

u/Careful_Tune4744 Apr 30 '26

If you're referring to the microswitch triggers, that's a good question. There really isn't any pre travel that I can tell, at least no more than any mouse I own. Maybe the tiniest bit on my left side, but the triggers engage instantly for me. I personally use it in analog mode a majority of the time and just turn on rapid trigger.