ZD Super Legend Review: the Most Comfortable Xbox-Shaped Controller
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The ZD Super Legend Review
The ZD Super Legend is a comfortable, Xbox-shaped controller with some of the best ergonomics our tester has felt on any pad, backed by high-quality TMR sticks, 60gf face buttons with a silicone dust pad, and speed that our tester said matched their main controller stride for stride. It builds on several of the ZD Ultimate Legend's strengths, with a grippier joystick rubber, a better-feeling D-pad click, and slightly lower Bluetooth latency. But the exterior coating feels slippery, the bumpers feel soft and fragile enough that our tester would be wary of dropping the controller, the software is still basic and light on fine-tuning options, and the unit our tester received had a manufacturing defect in the right trigger.
Purchase the ZD Super Legend here!
"The most comfortable Xbox-shape controller I've held"
The ergonomics and shape stood out as the controller's biggest strength in our testing: the most comfortable Xbox-shaped controller our reviewer has held, with everything resting naturally under the fingers and no awkward reaching required. That translated directly into the scores: overall comfort hit a perfect 5 out of 5, along with 5 out of 5 for button layout and reach, and weight and balance came back as "perfect" for our reviewer's play style. Grip and texture came in lower at 3 out of 5, largely because of the exterior coating, which felt slippery in hand.
Build quality feels a tier above in several places. The face buttons use 60gf switches with a silicone dust pad, giving them a high lifespan and a great feel. The back buttons and shoulder buttons also impressed as high quality; the joystick rubber is grippier than the ZD Ultimate Legend's, and stick speeds beats the GameSir G7 Pro 8K's. Build quality impression scored 4 out of 5 overall, and input responsiveness, thumbstick precision, trigger sensitivity, and D-pad accuracy all scored a perfect 5 out of 5.
"As fast as my main controller"
Speed was on par with our reviewer's fastest controller, the GameSir G7 Pro 8K, with no noticeable delay or clunky feeling during play. The Super Legend also edges out the ZD Ultimate Legend on Bluetooth latency, which came through as a smoother, more responsive feel in-game. Connection stability and consistency under pressure both scored 5 out of 5, holding up through fast-paced, high-action moments.
"The coating, bumpers, and software hold it back"
Despite the strong ergonomics and switch quality, a few things kept the Super Legend from being a clear-cut upgrade. The exterior coating feels slippery rather than grippy, and the bumpers feel soft, mushy, and delicate enough that our reviewer said they'd be scared to drop the controller. The software is also still fairly basic, with limited fine-tuning options compared with what they're used to. One specific gripe: a labeling issue in the software's parameters menu, where a section currently called "steps" would be far more intuitive to most players as "bit," since that's the term and the numerical values players are already familiar with.
For context, if the software were better and the bumpers weren't so fragile, our reviewer said they'd run the Super Legend as their main controller over the GameSir G7 Pro 8K, since the ergonomics and switch quality are that much better on the ZD. Software, and the fine-tuning it enables, is the one thing holding it back from replacing their daily driver. They said they'd buy it at retail price without hesitation.
Flaws but not dealbreakers
Stick drift showed up during testing. As with the ZD Ultimate Legend, stick drift appeared during the testing window and is worth keeping an eye on.
The right trigger, which uses the mouse-click trigger mode, felt very stiff and "weird" compared with the rest of the controller, and appears to have shipped with a manufacturing defect. It's worth noting this may be isolated to the unit we tested rather than a broader issue, but it's something to check for on arrival.
The bumpers feel soft and fragile. The bumpers, which have a soft, mouse-click-style press, stood out as one of the parts most likely to wear out or break with regular use, alongside the trigger mechanisms and thumbstick tops. Between that and the defective trigger, we'd be hesitant to drop this controller.
The software is basic and light on fine-tuning options. We'd like to see software updates that add more granular tuning, along with clearer labeling, specifically renaming the "steps" section under parameters to "bit," which is the term and value format most players are already familiar with. As it stands, a casual user could easily be confused by the current setup.
ZD Super Legend Score: 4 Stars out of 5
Price Point: $76.99
Pros
Best-in-class ergonomics for an Xbox-shaped controller
60gf face buttons with silicone dust pad for a long lifespan and great feel
Grippier joystick rubber than the ZD Ultimate Legend
D-pad click feels better than the GameSir G7 Pro 8K
Slightly better Bluetooth latency than the ZD Ultimate Legend
Speed on par with the GameSir G7 Pro 8K, with no noticeable delay
High-quality back and shoulder buttons
Perfect weight and balance for our tester's play style
Cons
Exterior coating feels slippery rather than grippy
Bumpers feel soft, mushy, and fragile
Our test unit's right trigger arrived with an apparent manufacturing defect
Software is basic and lacks fine-tuning options
Confusing "steps" labeling in the software's parameters menu
Stick drift noticed during testing
Build Rating
Input responsiveness: 5 out of 5
Thumbstick precision: 5 out of 5
Trigger sensitivity: 5 out of 5
D-pad accuracy: 5 out of 5
Overall comfort: 5 out of 5
Grip & texture: 3 out of 5
Button layout & reach: 5 out of 5
Build quality impression: 4 out of 5
Connection stability: 5 out of 5
Consistency under pressure: 5 out of 5
Disclaimer: ZD provided the hardware upon request from Breaking Point to test out the new ZD Super Legend Controllers. BP received no sponsorship money in return for this review. The Rating System will continue to be refined as we review controllers & developing the right methods.
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