ImperialHal’s controller banned hours before $2 million ALGS 2026 Championship

Amy Chen

Amy Chen

ImperialHal revealed that his controller got banned 12 hours before the start of the ALGS Year 5 Championship.

With the Apex Legends Global Series 2026 Championship (ALGS 2026 Championship) just hours away from kicking off in Sapporo, Japan, player Phillip "ImperialHal" Dosen's controller got banned by the tournament.

ImperialHal gets controller ban

The day before the ALGS 2026 Championship, also known as the ALGS Year 5 Championship, ImperialHal revealed that his controller got banned from the tournament. He posted about this on social media and explained that players who duked it out in the Esports World Cup (EWC) used a controller for the same reasons it got banned now. He also noted that the controller was used during an ALGS-run event.

"My controller gets banned the day before 2 million [dollar] tournament," he wrote on X.

ImperialHal on the controller ban (Screenshot via esports.gg)
ImperialHal on the controller ban (Screenshot via esports.gg)

Jack "NiceWigg" Martin called the ban "criminal" for coming just a couple of days before a tournament. ImperialHal then clarified that it was actually only 12 hours before the event.

NiceWigg on the ALGS 2026 controller ban (Screenshot via esports.gg)
NiceWigg on the ALGS 2026 controller ban (Screenshot via esports.gg)

Which controller got banned for ImperialHal?

According to ImperialHal, his ZD Ultimate controller got banned by the ALGS 2026 Championship due to its wireless capabilities. These capabilities can be changed via mobile and include macros that cannot be disabled.

ImperialHal confirms its the  ZD Ultimate controller (Screenshot via esports.gg)
ImperialHal confirms its the ZD Ultimate controller (Screenshot via esports.gg)

In another reply, the Apex Legends player revealed that a Mojiang controller was also banned from the tournament.

According to our translation of this controller's product page, it allows users to enable a rapid-fire function and record button macros through an app. Rapid-fire means that holding down a button will repeatedly execute a command. In Apex Legends, this could result in an advantage with certain weapons that fire in bursts.

Knowing the features of these controllers suggests that ALGS is targeting devices with wireless modifications, rapid-fire, or macros to maintain competitive fairness.

That's all for now. Stick around on esports.gg for more Apex Legends and ALGS news and updates.