Machenike G5 Pro V2 Controller Review

Machenike G5 Pro V2 is an upgraded controller over the G5 Pro. G5Pro V2 has been released in 2024 and it’s pretty feature packed controller with one very distinct feature – its Hall effect joysticks are hotswappable. Let’s review the whole package though.

I am reviewing the G5 Pro VE SE which comes with a dock, but it’s the same controller as G5 Pro V2 SE just in a different color theme. In the box you will get the controller, a 1 meter long USB to USB-C cable, three sets of thumbsticks (nice!), a charging dock, 2.4Ghz dongle for wireless connection, manual and some stickers. The box is quite big.

Hot swappable hall effect joysticks

Machenike G5 Pro V2 has K-Silver newest hall effect joysticks module – JH20 which are hotswappable. The controller usually comes with the orange 700gf joystick modules and you can also order 3 other modules with different resistance if you want to swap them out.

The triggers are surprisingly not hall effect triggers, but optical linear triggers. Honestly they feel very similar to regular hall effect or analog triggers, but I just don’t love the shape of them as my index finger was getting a slight strain after longer (2hrs+) gaming sessions. The bumbers are alright. What I love about this controller are its face buttons, they are honestly some of the best I have ever used. These are optical micro switch buttons with pretty short travel distance and they feel amazing. Very responsive and satisfying to click on.

There are two back/rear buttons to be usually clicked with your middle finger and they are quite nice with grippy texture and good placement on the back. There are also two shoulder buttons for claw grip, but I haven’t used them at all. The joystick resolution is 4096 levels which is very good and the polling rate is 1000Hz which is now a standard in PC gaming controllers. The latency of the sticks and buttons is very good, nothing to complain here.

Keylinker Machenike software

There’s a Keylinker app for Android where you can connect the controller via Bluetooth and control macros, vibration motors, RGB colors, joystick deadzones and few other options. It’s easy to use.

You can check the Keylinker software in my video review at 8:00 below

The battery is 600mAh and you can connect the Machenike G5 Pro V2 via a cable, Bluetooth connection and a dongle which comes in the package.

Do I recommend this controller? Yes, it’s a very solid option at $60-$70. Comparing it to Xbox One controller this is better in nearly every aspect. And comparing it to something like the recent bestseller – the Gamesir Cyclone 2, it’s better in terms of the face buttons and Dpad and overall slightly better build quality. The joysticks are very close and it loses mainly in the worse triggers. But the triggers may as well only be my personal thing, I just didn’t like the shape of them mostly and they feel a bit cheap.

Overall, this is a great option. And especially if you like to tinker with controllers and maybe you are a heavy joystick user – then the hotswappable joysticks will come very handy as swapping them out is just a minute of work and they are good to go.