Fantech Nova II

Fantech Nova II, the latest gamepad released by the brand at the same time of the Fantech Shooter III X.

Fantech has been building up a large and varied catalog of gaming peripherals on the last years and with an always evolving generation of new models being introduced at a fast pace, gamers have plenty of gamepads, mice, keyboards to choose from.

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Fantech Nova II Review

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Fantech Nova II Scores

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ACCESSORIES & PACKAGING
^2.5^_/5

The Fantech Nova II comes in a relatively small package including only an USB-C cable.

DESIGN
^4.5^_/5

We are liking the retro-vibes of the Fantech Nova II, with the all-time classic mid-grey color theme but with a more modern form factor, specs and features. If any, we could say that some details that we would had prefer to see, would had been colored symbols for the 4 main buttons or even backlit like on other Fantech gamepads.

Another aspect that we do enjoy is the Playstation layout with the aligned thumbsticks, we always felt them to be more ergonomically coherent than the Xbox approach.

All around the touchpad, the Nova II holds an addressable RGB light that can be set in any desired color through systems like Steam. The other element using LED lights is the main power/connection button with the shape of Fantech’s logo.

On the front edge, you will see the pins for the dock and an audio out 3.5mm headphone connector.

The button layout is based on Playstation’s format as well as the pad that is a 4-way directional instead of the D-pad style of Xbox controllers.

In total you have access to 14 buttons plus a button function on the touchpad as well. Of all the buttons 2 of them correspond to the rear paddles.

CONSTRUCTION & BUILD
^4.25^_/5

The Fantech Nova II certainly has a much better overall build quality feel than the Fantech Shooter III X.

It is still made of polymers but you get a sensation of a more rugged and higher quality controller, in part due to the heavier weight of the Nova II.

Internally, the Fantech Nova II meets the standards expected, with hall-effect triggers and hall-effect thumbsticks to avoid imprecise, low-quality performance and dreadful deadzones.

On top of that, the gamepad is equipped with a gyro sensor for motion sensing control in compatible games and the large touchpad with button-pressable function.

CUSTOMIZATION
⁴^_/5

Unlike the Shooter III X, the Nova II is much more customizable with not only Turbo features but also enabling macros programmability in 12 of the gamepad’s buttons.

CON

CONNECTIVITY
^3.75^_/5

Unfortunately, our unit did not include the dock station so we cannot give you any insights on this but we are estimating that the dock station does not come bundled as a standard accessory and you might need to choose an upper tier to get it.

Another detail that we were kind of surprise to discover was that, despite feeling great as an overall gamepad, the Nova II does not have 2.4G wireless connectivity.

On the other hand, the controller is still a wired and wireless device with modern Bluetooth 5.3 connectivity through the internal module.

The wired connection uses a detachable USB-C cable that can be plugged to the rear edge of the device. In wired mode you can benefit from twice the polling rate than in wireless – max. 250Hz.

PERFORMANCE
⁴^_/5

The membrane buttons have a very noticeable tactile feedback and some clicky bounce back sound; feeling more inline with the EOS PRO than to the NOVA PRO – also the weight and force is nearer to the EOS PRO.

If you are a hardcore button smasher that need ultra-fast spamming, the membrane buttons are not the fastest among all other Fantech gamepads but it is still feasible to do it; also having Turbo built-in you basically can get your button spamming being done automatically.

The LT and RT present clicky (and tactile) feedback, while the rear paddles have a nicer deep-pitched click sound.

On top of that, the gamepad allowed us to program macros on-the-fly with free-access to any of the main 12 buttons to be set for macros.

As usual with Fantech gamepads, the Nova II was fast and easy to handle with precision through the hall-effect thumbsticks while the touchpad and gyroscope make it a far superior controller than barebones, entry-level competitors.

BATTERY
^3.75^_/5

The rechargeable battery inside the Fantech Nova II has a decent capacity of 600mAh but, despite being as big as on other gamepads from the brand, it has a shorter runtime.
The rated playtime is estimated at 10 hours per charge.

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Fantech Nova II Technical Specifications

Model Number
WGP16
Connectivity
BT5.3, Wired
Number of Button
21
Thumbstick Type
Hall-Effect
Trigger Type
Hall-Effect
Face Button Type
Membrane
Turbo
Yes
Vibration
Yes
Macro Buttons
12
Polling Rate
250 Hz (Wired), 125 Hz (Wireless)
Battery Capacity
600 mAh Li-ion
Battery Life
Up to 10 Hours
Size
160*108*69 mm
Weight
222 ± 3 g