Difference Between Modded Controller and Pro Controller
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In the gaming world, two new types of controllers have started to emerge. Besides the standard official controllers, we now have modded controllers and pro controllers.

Understanding the differences between each of these controllers is sometimes hard, but the differences are important to understand. Whilst both modded controllers and pro controllers may share similar qualities, modded controllers can often include features that would disqualify players from professional events. Pro controllers, on the other hand, have advantages, but they’re perfectly fine to use in professional events, LANs and esports tournaments.

Programmable buttons and macros

Pro controllers can have additional buttons and button mapping, but they can’t give players any abilities that wouldn’t be available to a player with a standard controller. As soon as buttons become programmable, it’s considered a modded controller.

By programmable, we’re talking about macros and combos. If you can program your controller to perform a combo with the tap of one button, it’d be unfair to use against other players on a competitive level.

Below, we’ve listed some of the things that are okay to be included in a pro controller.

- Improved D-pads or joysticks with better precision
- Improved button quality
- Additional buttons, such as the paddles on the Xbox One Elite
- Hair Trigger Locks, or improved triggers
- Button re-mapping

As you can see, most of these changes are simply better quality variants of the standard controller. It’s like using a mouse with a more accurate sensor or a keyboard with faster response times.

All of the above are almost entirely hardware-related, with the exception being button re-mapping. With button re-mapping players can change their control layout, so for example, a kick in Street Fighter V could be changed from the B button to the trigger button.

If your controller gives you a distinct advantage, especially on a software level, it’s most likely considered a modded controller.
- Macros that can go faster than standard trigger presses, such as rapid fire
- Macros to automate combos or certain buttons
- Auto run or automating different actions
- Macros to take advantage of skill-based actions like quick reloads

Most of these changes affect gameplay in some way. In some cases, they remove elements of skill from your gameplay in other cases they make it possible to do things even the most skilled players can’t do. In this case, modded controllers would give pro games an unfair advantage.

If you’d like to learn more about the differences between modded and pro controllers and see what controller could fit your playstyle, take a look through the ‘pro’ and ‘modded’ sections on our website.

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