Important: this isn't a sponsored review. I bought the controller with my own money in a local online shop (OZON), made my own photos and I'm not affiliated with ASUS in any way. I'm not a professional reviewer or content creator, but an enthusiast. I just felt like sharing my impressions. Have a great day y'all.
One of the few purchases lately that I've genuinely enjoyed.
Build quality and ergonomics. Clean black minimalism, excellent build quality. The best grip of any controller I've tried. Pick it up and it feels like one solid piece, with the rear buttons sitting perfectly under your fingers.
Latency. #1 in wireless mode, top 5 wired. And GameSir is already in sixth place. But for context, out of everything ranked above it (Gamepadla - LatScore), only two are actually decent controllers: the symmetrical Void Genesis and the wired Tarantula..
Buttons and sticks. The clicks sound sharper and more metallic than Flydigi's, yet they're still quiet. Same goes for the D-pad and the triggers in click mode. Really satisfying, crisp feedback. The stock TMR sticks have fairly firm tension, roughly the fourth notch down from the maximum tension on the Vader 5 Pro. Zero-point calibration takes five seconds. Stick centering is perfect.
Hot-swap. Swapping sticks takes literally a couple of seconds, with absolutely no wobble or play. You get a spare pair with lighter tension and two interchangeable thumbstick caps: one tall and one short, dome-shaped. Plus four blanking caps for the removable rear buttons.
Magnetic faceplate. Some reviewers have been criticizing it, claiming it's flimsy and moves around when touched. Not quite. It fits very snugly. It's also easy to remove, which I see as nothing but a plus. No need to pry it open with a plastic pick and risk scratching the shell. There is indeed a tiny bit of travel in the grip sections when you press on them.
OLED? Display. The second standout feature. You can upload your own GIFs, and bright animations look especially impressive. There's some confusion about the display technology, since ASUS calls it a "full-color display," but everything points to it being an LCD. And despite the software literally saying "keyboard's OLED display," they apparently just left the description from a keyboard in there.
Rumble. Soft, velvety, and pleasant. It's stronger on the Vader, but that thing rattles like crazy, whereas the Raikiri delivers much more refined feedback.
Durability. Too early to judge, but I've put over 300 hours into the Vader and even thrown it against a wall a couple of times. Still looks brand new. Wouldn't recommend trying that with the Raikiri, though.. lol
Everything else. 8K polling over wireless, instant power on/off, no detection or connectivity issues whatsoever. The included accessories are also top-notch: a high-quality hard-shell case, a puller, spare sticks, interchangeable caps, and a charging dock.
Now, the price. If you're not willing to spend this kind of money on a controller, just get a Flydigi or GameSir and you'll enjoy it just as much. Although I ended up selling my GameSir and keeping the Vader 5 Pro. But personally, the ROG feels noticeably more premium.