PB Tails Metal Crush Defender TMR: Honest Review

PB Tails Metal Crush Defender TMR is a premium multi-platform gamepad with TMR sensors, metal build, and smooth performance.

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Hall Effect (HE) technology, which uses magnetic sensors instead of traditional potentiometers, has improved the reliability of analog sticks in game controllers by reducing stick drift. Now, PB Tails has taken it a step further with its Metal Crush Defender TMR controller. It uses Tunneling Magnetoresistance (TMR) sensors, offering better precision, lower power use, and faster response. While it might not be the perfect premium gamepad, this unique multi-platform controller stands out—especially with its advanced K-Silver TMR analog sticks.

PB Tails Metal Crush Defender TMR – Design and Features

PB Tails offers three TMR-based gamepads — Crush China White TMR ($64.99), Crush 550 TMR ($79.99), and Metal Crush Defender TMR ($109.99). All three work the same; the differences are mostly in design.

The Metal Crush Defender TMR is the flagship model, limited to only 999 pieces. It comes with a hand-polished metal shell, metal joysticks, and an aged finish that shows dents, scratches, and rust spots for a worn, post-apocalyptic look. While I’m not a fan of the scratches, the overall design gives off a cool Fallout-style vibe.

Inside the box, you get the controller, a 2.4GHz USB-A wireless dongle with cap, a USB-C to USB-A charging cable, a user manual, and a hard carrying case to hold everything. The package is simple and practical.

Controller design is similar to a modern Xbox controller. It’s heavier, weighing 12.49 ounces, compared to the 10.34 ounces of Xbox Wireless Controller with batteries. The metal build feels premium but may cause fatigue during long gaming sessions.

For controls, it has left and right analog sticks, a D-Pad, A/B/X/Y buttons, bumpers, and Hall Effect triggers. You also get screenshot, home, T, minus, and plus buttons. There’s a pairing button, USB-C port, and a switch to toggle between two paired devices. RGB lighting is added to the home button, A/B/X/Y buttons, and a light bar at the bottom. The controller also features asymmetrical vibration motors and a 6-axis gyroscope for motion control, which works well on platforms like the Nintendo Switch.

PB Tails Metal Crush Defender TMR – Performance and Compatibility

The Metal Crush Defender TMR works with Nintendo Switch, Windows, Android, iOS, macOS, and any device that supports Bluetooth 5.0 or higher. Pairing is easy — just set the mode switch to S or X, hold the pairing button for three seconds, and connect it to your device. The controller supports SWITCH, DINPUT and XINPUT modes, making it flexible for different platforms.

For PC, you can use it wired or with the included 2.4GHz USB-A wireless dongle. However, pairing with the dongle can be a bit tricky. I had to plug in the dongle, press its pairing button until it flashed, set the controller to S mode, and hold the controller’s pairing button until it powered on and flashed.

Once connected, the controller delivered great performance. I hit the 1000Hz polling rate using Gamepadla’s Polling app. Testing also showed low latency and accurate joystick response. Even in wireless mode, the controller handled fast-paced games smoothly, which is impressive.

Whether I used it on Switch, Android, iOS, or PC, the performance was consistently great. Every stick movement, D-Pad input, and button press felt responsive. Although I would’ve liked textured grips or more grip on the K-Silver TMR analog sticks, the controller didn’t feel too slippery during gameplay.

If there’s one thing to point out, it’s the metal analog sticks. They look premium with their shiny finish, but they felt a bit slippery at times. It wasn’t a major issue but I did worry about my grip during intense gameplay.

Battery life is average. It comes with an 860 mAh battery, takes a few hours to fully charge and runs for about 10 hours. Compared to other controllers like the PowerA XP-Ultra, which offers over 40 hours of battery life, this one could definitely use some improvement in battery performance.

PB Tails Metal Crush Defender TMR – Customization Options

If you’re someone who likes using software or apps to customize your controller, the Metal Crush Defender TMR might disappoint you. PB Tails doesn’t offer any software support, so you’re limited to physical controls for adjustments like RGB lighting, turbo mode and manual calibration of the gyroscope and joysticks.

For example, to change the RGB light bar color, you hold the T button and move the left joystick to select a color, then release the T button to set it. To activate turbo mode, you hold T and press the button you want turbo applied to. These controls are simple but having a dedicated app would’ve made customization easier, like on many other third-party controllers.

On the bright side, switching between two paired devices is super easy — just flip the mode switch. I currently have S mode connected to my PC via the wireless dongle and X mode paired with my Android tablet.

Physical customization is also limited but nice. The front part of the metal MagCase is magnetically attached and can be swapped with other MagCases from the PB Tails Basic, Gem, or Metal Series. You can also remove and replace both analog sticks, though PB Tails doesn’t sell any replacement sticks separately yet.

Pros and Cons of PB Tails Metal Crush Defender TMR

✅ Pros	❌ Cons
🎮 Smooth and accurate controls with TMR sensors	🕹 Analog sticks feel slippery
🛠 Strong metal build with unique design	✨ Scratches and dents may not appeal to everyone
🌐 Works on Switch, PC, Android, iOS, macOS	🔋 Battery life is only 10 hours
⚡ Fast 1000Hz polling rate, low latency	⚙️ No app or software for customization
🕹 Performs well on all platforms	🏋️ Feels heavy for long gaming sessions
🔄 Easy device switching (2 devices)	🔌 Wireless dongle pairing is tricky
🧲 Swappable metal case and sticks	❌ No extra sticks available for purchase
🎯 Includes vibration and motion control

Conclusion

PB Tails has done a great job with the Metal Crush Defender TMR, mainly because of its high resolution and fast response thanks to TMR technology. However, a few design choices hold it back — like the intentional scratches and slippery metal analog sticks. There’s also no software or app for customization and 10-hour battery life is below average.

Still, what this controller lacks in extra features, it makes up for in performance. It feels premium in hand and performs like a high-end gaming controller where it matters most — during gameplay.