Decent game controller?

Wireless xbox one controllers here - have used MS controllers with the usb 'dongle' for years and never had any kind of issue about from buttons/sticks that were worn out through an awful lot of use and needed replacing
 
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The 2000Hz Beitong on paper looks good but sadly in practice not even 2000Hz can save hall effect sticks with heavy processing from being enjoyable, even compared to the Ksilver TMR sticks currently running at 125Hz on the PB Tails and 1000Hz on the Tarantula, bot are superior to the 2000Hz hall effect.

It's also way too basic for features given it costs 50 bucks and the D-pad feels poor.
 
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mrk said:
Tick the offer box for 40% discount at checkout.

Job jobbed. It comes in lime and black too. Performance is excellent, build quality is excellent, battery life is excellent (or you can use wired mode).

Ignore the one amazon review there saying it needs drivers which are only available for Windows. No such driver is needed, PEBCAK.

My review:
www.neowin.net

Review: So cheap, so good - The EasySMX X05 games controller offers multi-platform fun

EasySMX is back with something new aimed at those who don't want to break the bank, but also don't want to skimp out on quality and performance. The X05 seems to deliver these in spades.
www.neowin.net www.neowin.net
Click to expand...

Definitely looks pretty good for £22!
 
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Motion controls on the Tarantula Pro when in xinput works great, the upcoming Cyclone 2 will also have the same since it uses the Connect app too. My sample should be arriving soon to play around with, you could as of a few days ago buy it right on Aliexpress for around £40 but official launch isn't until later November, how do these sites get them so early lol. Cyclone 2 also has micro switch ABXY buttons for those that prefer this.

Anyway, the tarantula Pro seems the best fully featured controller that has hit the market with flagship specs. I think the only better controller for this sort of featureset is the Scuf Envision pro, but that's £180 and doesn't have TMR sticks.

Quick how to for the gyro stuff:

 
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Any suggestions on one with a playstation type layout? E.g. with both sticks at the bottom for people whose thumbs are the same length :p

That easysmx x05 looks nice for £20, but I'm used to the PS layout.

That gamesir tarantula looks quite nice too, but I can get another dualsense for ~£50, what does the extra £30-40 get me? (Is the charging dock worthwhile?)

Edit: needs to work natively with an Nvidia Shield

Edit 2: @mrk just watched your video on the Tarantula Pro. Seems decent, but it looks quite cheap & plasticky (I see you mentioned in the video that it's better in reality)?

More importantly, that PB Crush controller is gorgeous - would you recommend it over the X05 or Tarantula (assuming I just want a decent quality controller and don't care about RGB, extra buttons etc.)?
 
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@mrk I'm not sure if edits send notifications; I think I've narrowed it down to 3 options:

EasySMX x05 - ~£22;
+ cheap
+ "clean" looks
- asymmetrical layout
- hall effect sticks

PB Tails Crush - £40 for the standard white one (£44 with dongle) or £89 for the Defender;
+ cheap(ish) for basic one
+ clean looks
+ TMR sticks
+ no filtering on sticks
+ Defender edition is awesome (but expensive!)
- asymmetrical layout

Gamesir Tarantula Pro - £70 (£80 with the charging stand) or ~£45-55 from AliExpress
+ TMR sticks
+ Symmetrical layout
+ Additional mappable buttons
- Looks a bit "cheap"/busy layout
- Some filtering on sticks

Option 4 I guess - another Dualsense controller

If it was your money, which would you go for?
 
Hmm so I have all 3 of those and tbh with the extra customisation offered on the Tarantula Pro and symmetrical sticks, that's probably the best option. In practice too the small amount of filtering isn't an issue in games from what I've played so far by the way too.

There is a new GameSir coming out next month, the Cyclone 2 which also has TMR sticks though not symmetrical and is supported by the connect app so same customisation though I very much like the large d-pad on the Tarantula as it's mechanical switched and feels great than the others.

The Crush TMR would be my new choice if I just wanted excellent TMR sticks with no filtering and didn't care too much about additional buttons and stuff as the performance is excellent.

HD Rumble on the Tarantula would also be a big selling point too by the way, much better than regular rumble of the others.
 
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mrk said:
Hmm so I have all 3 of those and tbh with the extra customisation offered on the Tarantula Pro and symmetrical sticks, that's probably the best option. In practice too the small amount of filtering isn't an issue in games from what I've played so far by the way too.

There is a new GameSir coming out next month, the Cyclone 2 which also has TMR sticks though not symmetrical and is supported by the connect app so same customisation though I very much like the large d-pad on the Tarantula as it's mechanical switched and feels great than the others.

The Crush TMR would be my new choice if I just wanted excellent TMR sticks with no filtering and didn't care too much about additional buttons and stuff as the performance is excellent.

HD Rumble on the Tarantula would also be a big selling point too by the way, much better than regular rumble of the others.
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Yes, I saw in your videos you had them all, so I figured you'd be in a good position to compare them, I saw your Reddit post that seemed you weren't much of a fan of the Tarantula?

Does HD rumble work on the PC, or is it just a Switch thing? I can't find many mentions of it other than in reference to the Switch.

Thanks for the reply :)
 
Haggisman said:
Yes, I saw in your videos you had them all, so I figured you'd be in a good position to compare them, I saw your Reddit post that seemed you weren't much of a fan of the Tarantula?

Does HD rumble work on the PC, or is it just a Switch thing? I can't find many mentions of it other than in reference to the Switch.

Thanks for the reply :)
Click to expand...
Oh yes that post was from reading some user reviews which since that post and me recieving mine I realised was a bit quick to Juno the gun

Both pb tails and gamsir tmr sticks are on par far as I can test so all good especially with the up to date firmware which it seems early reviews weren't using.

HD Rumble works on pc, I've been playing Alan wake 2 with it for example and it's a greater level of immersion than normal rumble.

Motion control works too in PC mode.


I've newer videos of it btw outlining my findings and feedback with it all up to date.

The only issue I've seen, well it's a non issue really, is that the triggers can be squeaky when cold, the spring rubs against itself but GameSir replaced the controller so I'm assuming it's a batch issue or something.

My neowin head to head is not yet published but should be this weekend by the way.
 
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Nice one - thanks :)

Just realised the AliExpress price is excluding VAT, so it's closer to £65 on there, so might just pick one up from Amazon!

Given the awkward recess of the USB port, do you reckon the charging dock is worth the extra £10?
 
I got a Vader 4 Pro last week and been really enjoying using it so far, the face buttons feel really nice to press and the back buttons are positioned well. Super comfy and comes with a 2.4GHz dongle.

Not entirely sure how reliable it will be going forward but initial impressions are poistive.
 
I still think the coolest controller I've seen in the flesh is the Defender though, that worn out aesthetic just really does it :D

And it helps that it performs great too especially after the 1000Hz update.

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