Steelseries Mobile Gaming & Headphone Review

First up we have the “Free Wireless Controller” which connects via Bluetooth to your mobile device, tablet or even your computer via the downloadable firmware on the SteelSeries site or your mobile device app store. It was simple enough to setup and operate and from taking it out of the box to playing games was around 5 mins.

It’s a very compact device too, a little smaller in length and width than your average smart phone, it has a relatively slim profile and its really lightweight. Overall its size and ergonomics lend to its portability and while it does make it rather small to hold it isn’t uncomfortable to use.

Equipped with a high quality D-Pad, two shoulder buttons, six face buttons and two highly responsive and durable analogue sticks this really capable device. The only downside however is support, not all games work with this kind of controller but if your the kind of person that plays racing games, action games, or re-releases of classic Megadrive, Super Nintendo and similar titles then this is as good as it gets.

Using the device however can be a mixed affair depending on your environment  I’ve no problem putting my tablet on my legs and using the controller while sat on the couch and its certainly more accurate than using the unresponsive virtual sticks on the tablets screen, but this isn’t going to be a practical seating position for many people. If you have a dock or stand however then it really opens up your tablet to being a portable games console, perfect for travelling and more than enough to keep me entertained on the flight from Las Vegas to London.

The battery life is said to be over 10 hours but I charge mine every other day, so haven’t really found out if that’s the case. Fortunately it does come with a micro USB cable for charging and you can even charge it while you play. The controller works nicely with Android, iOS, PC, and Mac and because it performs so well across multiple platforms I am happy to award it with our eTeknix Gamers Choice Award.