ADAPEX R90 Wired Adapter
I’ve been showing my PS4 some love recently, playing through some of the titles in my backlog. Unfortunately, my DualShock 4 controller has been having analog stick issues. It works perfectly fine in games where I don’t need to sprint but for most FPS and action games, it’s a problem. An official replacement controller seems to have rocketed in price as PlayStation 4 gaming remains in demand and PS5 production is yet to bounce back from global chip shortages. I didn’t want to open up the controller just yet. I could either splash out some cash on a new DualShock 4, pick up a cheaper (and perhaps inferior quality) third party controller or look into controller converters.
If you’re like me and have multiple gaming systems including a Nintendo Switch and/or Xbox One, spare controllers are in abundance, they just don’t work on other consoles. This is where BIGBIG WON’s ADAPEX adapters come in, allowing mix and match of consoles and controllers. All of the adapters support Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One X/S, Xbox Elite Controllers, DualSense/DualShock4 and the Switch Pro controller.
BIGBIG WON Adapters
The company sells three variants:
ADAPEX-R90 – Wired Controller Adapter
ADAPEX-R100 – Wireless Adapter
R100Pro – Wireless Adapter including turbo, vibration adjustment and joystick calibration features.
At a modest price of $24.99 on Amazon for the R90, it was much cheaper than Brook adapters that seemed to only allow one type of controller on another system. This would let me use all of my controllers across all my systems. I bought the R90 because I have an older Xbox One controller that doesn’t support Bluetooth. This is important to note if you’re thinking of getting the wireless R100/R100Pro adapters, it simply won’t work.
You can tell whether your Xbox One controller supports Bluetooth based on the design of the top section where the Xbox button is.
Identify Xbox Controller Bluetooth Versions - Image Credit: PCMAG
ADAPEX R90 Unboxed
ADAPEX R90 Unboxing
After just a week the adapter arrived and I was ready to game on my PS4 again. Inside the box there was the R90 adapter, instruction manual, warranty card. A quick browse through the manual explains setup clearly and it was very much plug and play.
Gameplay – PS4
Switch Pro Controller Connected to PS4
I hooked up both my Xbox One and Nintendo Switch Pro controllers to the PS4 via USB and they worked perfectly. The adapter LED lights up red and my Dualshock 4’s LED turned purple when connected. All buttons were mapped and analog sticks performed as expected. After a few games of Warzone and GTA Online I was happy enough with its performance. BIGBIG WON State that third-party Nintendo Switch Pro controllers don’t work with the adapter, I confirmed this too when hooking up one of my BinBok Pro controllers to the R90/PS4.
Rumble works on all systems. Sound/microphone through controllers will not work when connected to the adapter. If you’re playing online a wireless headset or additional audio/microphone dongle may be needed. I have not yet tested a DualSense controller on the PS4.
Note: When using the adapter on the PS5, it will only work with PS4 versions of games.
Gameplay – Nintendo Switch
PS4 Controller Connected to Nintendo Switch
Next, I decided to try the R90 on my Switch in docked mode. The instructions state that wired Pro Controller communication needs to be enabled. An easy enough task by going to the system settings:
Settings > Controllers and Sensors > Pro Controller Wired Communication (toggle on).
This setting seems to be needed for the R100/Pro adapters as the dongle communicates over USB to the console.
Once again both the Xbox controller and PS4 controllers worked out of the box with the Switch. There was no need to calibrate gyro or control sticks either. Everything is mapped, you can even take a screenshot on the Xbox controller using the Sync button (use the touchpad on a DualShock 4). During my gaming sessions I remembered that the DualShock 4 has gyro capability and this works well on the Nintendo Switch, I tested this in Zelda: Breath of the Wild.
Waking the console via the connected controller did not seem to work.
I played a few fighting games on both the Switch and PS4 including some Street Fighter V/Third Strike and Smash Bros. Ultimate. Input lag seemed minimal if any, all the games I tested with the ADAPEX-R90 performed well without dropped input or issues.
The R90 dongle also comes with a turbo feature, not something I normally use but I did test it out and it works. I didn’t see this included in the paper user manual. Configuration of turbo mode is covered on their support page:
https://www.bigbigwon.com/product/adapter/r90/tutorial/
DualShock 4 Connected to Switch Over OTG
I decided to test functionality in handheld mode too, because why not! Hooking up the R90 to an USB-C OTG adapter worked perfectly in handheld mode but I don’t think anyone would want to do this. It’s messy and hangs from the bottom of the Switch, use of the kickstand is impossible too. So, if you were curious if it works in handheld mode, yes it does.
The dongle works on Windows too but I didn’t bother to test this out yet. Most of my controllers are plug and play on PC anyway.
Final Notes
BIGBIG WON’s ADAPEX-R90 wired adapter works very well and offers great value for people who want to use their controllers on other systems. It even brings the latest generation of console controllers (PS5 and Xbox Series S/X) to older systems. The wireless versions of the adapter may be a better solution for a tidier setup and extra features. But In my case, it’s been the perfect wired adapter to use my Xbox One controller on my other consoles. At $24.99 it’s a reasonable price for such utility, a solid product from BIGBIG WON.
Check out my BIGBIG WON ADAPEX-R90 video here:
