Steelseries Stratus Bluetooth iOS Mobile Gaming Controller

Performance

Setting up the controller was pretty straight forward, while the controller is Bluetooth ready, you’re best to download the official (free) app that Steelseries have on the App Store. The app allows you to configure your controller setup such as how the analogue sticks should behave; handy for improving compatibility with games that don’t behave correctly with the controller.

The wireless pair button worked easy enough and hooking the controller up to an iPhone 5 and then an iPad Mini was a task that took just a few seconds. Just remember to have the app installed on each device to improve functionality.

The software also comes capable of managing multiple controllers, allow you to use up to four Stratus controllers on one Apple device, great for those wanting to enjoy multi player titles, although I will admit there aren’t a huge amount of local multi player games out there, nor does there seem to be much demand for them short of using emulators.

Gameplay proved simple enough, the controller was auto detected straight away for games like Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas and the improvement over touch controller was huge. The analogue sticks are small, but pretty responsive and they’ve got a good bit of tension to them that allows you to make subtle adjustments with surprising accuracy. The shoulder buttons feel a little compact at first, but don’t take too long to adjust to, but the D-Pad does leave a lot to be desired, proving tricky to use accurately in fighting games such as Street Fighter 2.

The clam shell case is a nice feature, it really does provide you with a good base to grip the controller, but it can be prone to falling off should you get a little carried away with your game. This is unacceptable really and overall I found myself not using it after a while, only leaving it at my side to use as a protective case for the controller when I was done playing.