New TourBox Elite Plus From a Broken Kickstarter Controller to a New Creative Weapon Plusin Japan Hands-On Experience

I flew all the way to Japan for one simple reason—To get my hands on the latest version of Torbox.

My current unit? A relic from the original Kickstarter era. And it really feels like it.

It’s so old that even the down button is completely broken. For day-to-day creative work, especially in editing workflows, that kind of failure doesn’t just become an inconvenience—it slowly breaks your rhythm.

So this trip wasn’t just curiosity. It was a necessary upgrade check.

New TourBox Elite Plus Broken Controller

https://youtu.be/qXXmsWjG7KU?si=lXe7lPmsnXx3FQ5_

The Most Unexpected Design Choice: No Built-in Battery

One of the first things that immediately stood out in the new Torbox design was what they decided NOT to include.

There is no built-in battery.

Instead, the device uses AA batteries, and it can also be powered directly via USB. When the USB cable is plugged in, it takes over power delivery completely, meaning the batteries are no longer drained during use.

This design decision changes everything:

• No long-term battery degradation inside the device

• More stable performance during long editing sessions

• Flexible power options depending on your workflow

It sounds simple, but it’s actually a very engineering-focused decision rather than a marketing-driven one.

Same Hardware Philosophy, Smarter Software Direction

After spending time speaking with the team, one thing became very clear:

They don’t see themselves as a hardware company anymore.

They position themselves more as a software-first company.

The hardware itself hasn’t dramatically changed. The layout remains familiar, and the physical structure is mostly the same. What has improved are the small but meaningful refinements:

• Better wheel feedback and resistance

• Improved button tactile feel

• More consistent operational response

But the real evolution is not physical—it’s digital.

From Manual Mapping to Ready-to-Use Presets

Earlier versions of Torbox had one major barrier:

Every single button had to be manually mapped from scratch.

That meant before you could even start working, you had to build your own control system.

Now, that entire workflow has been rethought.

The new software includes ready-made presets for major creative tools such as:

• Photoshop

• Lightroom

• Premiere Pro

• Capture One

• Clip Studio

• 3ds Max

• DaVinci Resolve

This completely changes the onboarding experience.

Instead of building from zero, you can now:

👉 Plug in → Select software → Start working immediately

That alone makes the system significantly more accessible for creators.

Macro System: Turning Buttons into Automation Engines

One of the most powerful features introduced is the Macro system.

A single button can now trigger a sequence of mouse and keyboard actions, meaning you can build entire workflows into one press:

• Multi-step editing operations

• Repetitive color grading tasks

• Complex UI navigation sequences

In practice, this transforms the device from a controller into a workflow accelerator.

However, there is still a limitation:

• Macros must be built line-by-line manually

• There is no full sequence recording feature yet

So while powerful, it still requires time and planning to set up properly.

A Useful Upgrade for Editors: Shuffle Playback Speed

Another interesting update they shared is a new feature for DaVinci users: playback speed control improvements.

This allows users to dynamically switch playback speeds more efficiently, which is especially useful when reviewing footage.

For anyone using DaVinci Resolve, this becomes a small but meaningful workflow enhancement.

It helps with:

• Faster timeline scanning

• Better shot selection speed

• More efficient editing decision-making

What’s Coming Next: New Hardware on the Horizon

They also revealed something important:

A new hardware release is coming later this year.

Details are still under wraps, but based on the current direction, it likely continues the same philosophy:

• Software-driven experience

• Workflow-first design

• Incremental but meaningful hardware refinements

This suggests the ecosystem is still evolving, not finished.

The Bigger Picture: A Trip Worth Thousands

This entire experience came from attending CP+ Camera & Photo Imaging Show in Japan—a trip that cost thousands of dollars in travel and logistics.

But the value wasn’t just in seeing a product.

It was in understanding a shift in mindset.

Tools like Torbox are no longer just about hardware performance.

They are becoming systems designed around:

• Speed of decision-making

• Workflow automation

• Creative efficiency at scale

Final Thought

The new Torbox isn’t trying to reinvent physical controls.

It’s trying to remove friction between intention and execution.

From manual setup chaos → to structured presetsFrom isolated buttons → to workflow automationFrom hardware-first thinking → to software-centered evolution

And that shift is where the real upgrade actually lives.

New TourBox Elite Plus Broken Controller