Cronus Zen vs CronusMAX Plus vs the PS5 Ultimate Edition: what is actually different

There is no Cronus Zen 2: the current choice is the Cronus Zen, the Zen Link expansion module that adds PS5 support, or the two sold together as the PS5 Ultimate Edition, while the older CronusMAX Plus still turns up second-hand. People searching for a "Cronus Zen 2" are usually trying to work out which of these to buy. This article says what each is for.

Which one, by console

You play on	Buy	Why
Xbox Series X/S only	Zen	Cronus lists every Xbox Series console as supported; no module
PC only	Zen	It works as a controller, though Cronus offers no official PC support
PS5, or PS5 and anything else	Zen + Zen Link, or the Ultimate Edition	Cronus's current guide recommends Zen Link; without it, PS5 play means the bypass, a manual procedure that has to be repeated
Switch	Zen	Cronus lists the Switch, Switch OLED and Switch Lite, not the Switch 2; the CronusMAX Plus has no Switch support
PS4 or Xbox One only	Zen, or a used CronusMAX Plus	Both work; the Max's software has had no update since its final release
Not sure yet	Zen; add Zen Link later	The module plugs into A1 on either Zen model

Cronus Zen

The current device. In Cronus's own spec: a 128 by 64 pixel OLED screen, three USB inputs (A1, A2, A3), two USB outputs (CONSOLE/PC and PROG), and eight memory slots of 32 KB each. The 2023 model uses USB-C for the outputs and the 2020 model micro-USB and mini-USB; Cronus's product listing says that is the only difference. Cronus lists support for Xbox Series, Xbox One, PS4, Switch and older consoles, PC without official support, and PS5 with the Zen Link module or, without it, a manual bypass. It runs GPC scripts and Cronus's GamePacks, and has a mouse-and-keyboard mode with its own settings panel in Zen Studio.

Buy this if you play on Xbox, Switch or PC and you are sure you will not play on PS5. How the Cronus Zen works is the mechanism; Xbox Series setup and PC setup are the wiring.

Zen Link

A Wi-Fi expansion module, sold separately, that Cronus recommends plugging into the Zen's A1 port. The Zen's original PS5 connection stopped working with Sony's system update of 24 January 2024, as Cronus said in a notice at the time. Cronus's current guide now supports every PS5 model through Zen Link or the PS5 bypass and recommends Zen Link: it gives PS5 Native Mode with a one-time setup, while the bypass is a manual procedure that has to be repeated. The module joins your 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi, and Cronus says Native Mode plays every PS5 game without a secondary PC or a complex Remote Play setup. Its PS5 page lists the DualSense and DualSense Edge with rumble and haptics, adaptive triggers, the touchpad, the gyroscope and a wired headset over USB. Setup runs through Cronus's Zenlink phone app, and the module also lets you install and configure GamePacks from a smartphone over Wi-Fi.

Buy this if you already own a Zen and want PS5. PS5 setup covers the procedure.

PS5 Ultimate Edition

The Zen (the USB-C model) and the Zen Link in one box, with an upgrade service and an extended warranty. Cronus markets it around PS5 and around wireless programming: the Zen can be loaded with scripts and GamePacks from a phone over the module. Functionally it is a Zen with the module attached; nothing in the device differs. In Cronus's own product listings on 7 October 2026 the bundle cost more than the Zen and Zen Link bought separately; the difference pays for the service and the longer warranty.

Buy this if you are starting from nothing, PS5 is one of your consoles, and you want the extended warranty. Otherwise the two-purchase route is the same hardware for less.

CronusMAX Plus

The previous generation. In Cronus's comparison of the two devices: no OLED screen, one USB input and two outputs, nine memory slots of 4 KB each, and no direct mouse-and-keyboard connection. It supports PS4, Xbox One, PS3, Xbox 360 and PC, and does not support the PS5, the Xbox Series or the Switch; many newer PS4 and Xbox One controllers are not supported either. It is configured with Cronus Pro, not Zen Studio, and Cronus's downloads page lists the final Cronus Pro release with the note that the CronusMAX was discontinued in 2019.

Buy this only for a PS4 or Xbox One setup where you are certain you will never move to a current console, and only used, cheaply.

The comparison in one table

	Cronus Zen	Zen + Zen Link / Ultimate Edition	CronusMAX Plus
PS5	Only through the bypass, a manual procedure that has to be repeated	Yes, PS5 Native Mode	No
Xbox Series	Yes	Yes	No
PS4 / Xbox One	Yes	Yes	Yes
Switch	Yes (not Switch 2)	Yes (not Switch 2)	No
PC	Yes, without official support	Yes, without official support	Yes
Screen	128 by 64 OLED	128 by 64 OLED	None
Memory slots	8 of 32 KB	8 of 32 KB	9 of 4 KB
Mouse & keyboard	Direct, with an M&K Settings panel	Direct, with an M&K Settings panel	No direct connection
Wireless programming	No	Yes, via the module	No
Software	Zen Studio Live; desktop Zen Studio (legacy)	Same	Cronus Pro, final release

Scripts across the three

Script written for	Runs on Zen	Runs on CronusMAX Plus
Zen, current firmware	Yes	Not if it uses Zen-only commands
Zen, older firmware	Usually; desktop Zen Studio keeps a legacy 16-bit compiler for older scripts	Same caveat
CronusMAX Plus	Yes; Cronus says the Zen is backwards compatible with CronusMAX scripts	Yes
GamePack	Zen Studio's packs	No; the Max cannot use Zen Studio

The rule: assume a modern script targets the Zen. How to put a script on the Zen is the Zen procedure; the Max uses Cronus Pro instead.

What none of them change

All three sit between the controller and the console and rewrite the input report. None sees the game, none modifies the console, and none is exempt from the positions publishers have published: Epic's restricted-hardware page names both the Cronus Zen and the Cronus Max, and Activision's and Respawn's 2026 posts name Cronus devices. Is the Cronus Zen detectable? applies to every device on this page equally. The choice between them is a compatibility choice, not a risk choice.

Buying used

Check	Why	Deal-breaker?
OLED works	A failing panel is a warranty item you no longer have	Yes
Firmware version shown in Zen Studio	0.0.0 usually means an interrupted update; Cronus's fix is to update again	No
Still registered to the seller	Cronus says a used Zen registered to someone else blocks your access to its community until it is unregistered	Ask the seller to unregister it
Zen Link included	Without it, PS5 play means the manual bypass	Only if you need PS5
Ports hold a cable firmly	A loose port drops the connection	Yes if loose
Listing offers a "bypass" instead of Zen Link for PS5	Cronus's current guide documents the bypass, which uses the Zen and a DualSense or DualSense Edge with no module, as a manual procedure that has to be repeated, and recommends Zen Link instead	Price it as a Zen without Zen Link
Slots full of someone else's scripts	Harmless; reprogram	No

Firmware: update, downgrade, recovery is what you will do first with any used unit.

Sources, read on 7 October 2026: Cronus's current guide pages for PS5, the PS5 bypass, Zen Link and Zen Link setup; its older guide pages for PS5, Zen Link, Switch, Switch 2, PC, Step 2 and Downloads; Cronus's Zen vs CronusMAX comparison page and its product listings for the Zen, Zen Link and PS5 Ultimate Edition.