Items tagged with Controller
In 2019, popular retro-style controller manufacturer 8BitDo released the SN30 Pro+, a fully customizable controller with a host of settings and features. Now, the company is taking things up a notch with the new 8BitDo Pro 2. This new controller should allow users to "play like a pro with 8BitDo's most advanced controller ever" at a fraction of the cost of competing options. Supposedly, the Pro 2 is an evolution of the Pro+ in every way, and while it does not necessarily look that way, we will take 8BitDo's word for it. As we hinted at, the exterior design appears largely the same, with the only major noticeable difference being that there is now a grippy texture on the back of the controller....
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Microsoft is quadrupling the warranty period for its luxury Xbox Elite Series 2 wireless game controllers, from 90 days to a full year from the date of purchase. The decision comes after the Elite Series 2 was added to an existing class-action lawsuit over an alleged defect in some Xbox One controllers that can cause the analog sticks to drift. "We’ve received claims that a small percentage of our customers are experiencing mechanical issues when using their Xbox Elite Wireless Controller Series 2. To ensure your satisfaction, we’re extending the warranty coverage period on Elite Series 2 controllers from 90 days to 1 year from the date of purchase," Microsoft stated in a support...
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One of the big draws for the Google Stadia service is that you can play video games on numerous platforms, including mobile. One catch for those wanting to play on tablets or smartphones is that you need a controller connected to your device. A new touchscreen controller app called TouchStadia has debuted that can be used with touchscreen devices to add an on-screen controller for playing games. TouchStadia works by loading up a JavaScript snippet while running Stadia in desktop mode on the Chrome browser. TouchStadia can be enabled on a smartphone, but there are few steps players have go through. It's also worth noting that the TouchStadia software only works on the Chrome browser and doesn't...
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What would an arcade fight stick be without the actual stick? Peripheral maker Razer came up with an answer—it's the Raion, a new gamepad that "brings arcade stick controls to the palm of your hand." As such, it's a fight pad, and it is designed for both the PlayStation 4 consoles and Windows PCs. Razer said it built the Raion from the ground up for fighting games. While not specifically mentioned, that translates to high profile titles like Mortal Kombat 11 and the Street Fighter series (among others). From my vantage point, the renders look a bit similar to Microsoft's Xbox One controllers, in terms of the general shape. The Raion is a different beast, though. It features a 6-button layout...
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Gamers all around the world know the familiar PlayStation DualShock controller that has been included with the consoles since they launched years ago. On the right side of those controllers are the familiar four buttons that have shapes on them, and over the years, one of the shapes has been debated for its proper name. The triangle, circle, square buttons are clear and straightforward with no debate about what they are called. Where the debate comes for some gamers is the in the name of the bottom button of the quartet with the "X" symbol many call the "Ex" button. While many think it looks like the letter "X," PlayStation UK has chimed in and settled the debate once and for all. PlayStation...
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8BitDo is well-known for its retro-inspired controllers, adapters, and other accessories. The company has now released its most advanced controller yet. The 8BitDo SN30 Pro+ is a fully customizable controller with multiple profiles and settings. The SN30 Pro+’s Ultimate Software allows users to fully customize their button mapping, trigger, sensitivity, and vibration. Users can also assign sequences and other actions to one button. Perhaps most interestingly, users can create and save different profiles for various games. Once you have saved your different profiles, you will not need to completely adjust your settings every time you switch games. The SN30 Pro+ is reminiscent of Nintendo’s...
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Google has something big planned for the Game Developers Conference (GDC), and the company first tipped us off about its announcement last month. Today, we’re getting a one-two punch concerning a major component to its upcoming game streaming service: the controller. The first hint comes via a patent for the game controller, which shows a publication date of January 31st, 2019. The patent shows a number of line drawings for the controller which features a traditional D-pad, twin thumb sticks, four primary buttons and a four triggers buttons. In addition to those functions, there is a Home button, a menu button, a Google button and a microphone button on the controller. Google's...
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Behold the MEGA-one video game controller mod. This thing is designed specifically to make your games more immersive by delivering heftier vibration feedback than your PS4 or Xbox One controller is capable of. In fact, the MEGA-one vibration motor is 500 times stronger than what's available in a standard DualShock or Xbox One controller. According to the ex-NASA engineer who designed the controller each bullet you fire in a shooter recoils the controller back at you. The vibration is enough to nearly pull the controller out of your hands in a driving game if you get out of control. The giant vibration motor has an on/off switch that looks right out of a fighter plane. The controller promises...
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Valve has announced that it has made some major changes to its Knuckles EV 1.3 controller. It has been sending out Knuckles EV 1.3 developer kits to game devs over the past year to test and that it has been listening to the feedback from these devs along the way. The result of that feedback is a brand-new version of the Knuckles EV controller called Knuckles EV2. According to Valve, very little of the EV 1.3 controller was left untouched. The EV2 version is still recognizable as Knuckles but has lots of changes: Improved industrial design and ergonomics Updated input set and layout Improved strap fit and feel for more hand sizes New sensors, enabling new interactions Improved battery life, USB-C...
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If you want to spark an intense debate among friends (and don't care about keeping them as such), just bring up any number of controversial political topics. Or if you really want to get in a heated exchange, talk about the merits of controller design and declare your allegiance to either Sony's DualShock 4 controller for the PlayStation 4 or Microsoft's Xbox One controller. For those who prefer the latter but own a PS4, SCUF Gaming has you covered with its new and customizable Vantage, a PS4 controller that takes several design cues from Microsoft's Xbox One Elite controller. I don't mean to spark a controller debate in these parts, but in case anyone is wondering, I prefer the feel of an Xbox...
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Microsoft is a major force when it comes to gaming thanks to its Xbox One console, popular first-party games, and the fact that Windows 10 is the platform of choice for many PC gamers. One of the biggest things that Microsoft pushes for in many aspects of the software and hardware it builds is inclusion and accessibility. Windows 10 is chocked full of accessibility features for those with physical limitations. The image you see above is said to be a leaked shot of Microsoft's accessible Xbox One controller. It may look like a DJ controller for a music game, but the two large black circles are for the A and B buttons. Without anything for scale, it's hard to tell just how large the controller...
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Steam gamers running the latest Steam Client Beta now have support for the Nintendo Switch Pro Controller for use in Steam titles. This also includes support for the Pro's gyro functionality. Those motion controls will bring a new element to action and FPS games. To enable support for the Pro controller, you need to opt into the Steam Client Beta and first enable support globally by checking the box in "Controller Settings" that says "Switch Pro Configuration Support." That setting is on the same page where you would go in the client to enable support for PS4 and Xbox controllers. There is a toggle that allows you to "Use Nintendo Button Layout" that swaps the A/B and X/Y buttons of the...
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I've always liked the feel of Microsoft's Xbox controllers, and I'm not alone in that sentiment. That also applies to the controller for the Xbox One, which retains the same general design of previous versions while adding a bunch of fancy new features, though it's missing a 3.5mm audio jack. According to a support page on Microsoft's website, that's about to change.The support page provides an overview of the Xbox One controller, including a pair of diagrams that are labeled with 16 points of interest, plus the four X-Y-A-B buttons. On of the bottom of the controller is point number 16 for a 3.5mm port, something that doesn't exist on current generation controllers."3.5mm port (16). Used to...
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Some Xbox One owners have been dealing with a controller issue that causes random disconnections. There are several support threads on the topic scattered throughout cyberspace, though no real solution that seems to work for everyone -- moving routers and other items that might interfere with the wireless signal doesn't solve the problem. What might do the trick, however, is new firmware for the Xbox One controller that's currently available to members of the Xbox Preview Program. The latest preview build, OS version 1502.150120, addresses two main issues, the first being a faster connection time. Prior to the firmware, it could take an Xbox One controller 4-5 seconds to connect when powering...
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The SHIELD Tablet is only a few months old, but NVIDIA is already updating the device with a freshly minted OS, a refreshed SHIELD Hub (and other NVIDIA apps), and access to the company’s newly upgraded GRID Game Streaming service. A number of new Tegra K1 optimized games are arriving as well, as well as a new game bundle which includes one of the best reviewed PC games of all time. We’ve already mentioned that NVIDIA had an Android Lollipop update on the way for the SHIELD Tablet, but we have a few more details to share today. The SHIELD Tablet Android Lollipop update will feature the new “material design” interface and improved app performance, according to...
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Last week, NVIDIA officially announced the SHIELD tablet (powered by the Tegra K1 SoC) and its companion SHIELD wireless controller. To quickly recap, the SHIELD tablet’s specifications include NVIDIA Tegra K1 SoC (clocked at up to 2.2GHz), paired to 2GB of RAM and an 8”, full-HD IPS display, with a native resolution of 1920x1200. There are also a pair of 5MP cameras on the SHIELD tablet (front and rear), 802.11a/b/g/n 2x2 MIMO WiFi configuration, GPS, a 9-axis motion sensor, and Bluetooth 4.0 LE. A few days after the initial announcement was made, we got our hands on a SHIELD tablet, wireless controller, and cover. We’re still working (and playing) with the SHIELD tablet, and...
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Last week, NVIDIA officially announced the SHIELD tablet (powered by the Tegra K1 SoC) and its companion SHIELD wireless controller. Just in case you missed the initial announcement, we’ve got it posted for you all right here, along with some early hands-on video, the device’s full specifications, and a handful of pictures and additional info. To quickly recap, the SHIELD tablet’s specifications include NVIDIA Tegra K1 SoC (clocked at up to 2.2GHz), paired to 2GB of RAM and an 8”, full-HD IPS display, with a native resolution of 1920x1200. There are also a pair of 5MP cameras on the SHIELD tablet (front and rear), 802.11a/b/g/n 2x2 MIMO WiFi configuration, GPS,...
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NVIDIA just officially announced the SHIELD tablet (powered by their Tegra K1 SoC) and SHIELD wireless controller. As the SHIELD branding implies, the new SHIELD tablet and wireless controller builds upon the previously-released, Android-based SHIELD portable to bring a true gaming-oriented tablet to consumers. In some ways, the SHIELD tablet and wireless controller are somewhat of mashup of the SHIELD portable and the Tegra Note 7, but featuring updated technology and better build materials. NVIDIA SHIELD Tablet and Wireless Controller Hands-On Preview You could think of the SHIELD tablet and wireless controller as an upgraded SHIELD portable gaming device, with the screen de-coupled from the...
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NVIDIA just officially announced the SHIELD tablet (powered by their Tegra K1 SoC) and SHIELD wireless controller. As the SHIELD branding implies, the new SHIELD tablet and wireless controller builds upon the previously-released, Android-based SHIELD portable to bring a true gaming-oriented tablet to consumers. In some ways, the SHIELD tablet and wireless controller are somewhat of mashup of the SHIELD portable and the Tegra Note 7, but featuring newer, updated technology and better materials. You could think of the SHIELD tablet and wireless controller as an upgraded SHIELD portable device, with the screen de-coupled from the controller. The original SHIELD portable and the Tegra Note...
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Here's a bit of good news if, for whatever reason, you're hoping to use your PlayStation 4 (PS4) controller wirelessly with your PlayStation 3 (PS3) console. Courtesy of a recent firmware update Sony rolled out, it's now possible to pair the new controller with the previous generation game system using Bluetooth technology. The functionality became public knowledge from a Reddit forum thread discussing the topic. Since it's through Bluetooth, you need to head into your PS3's Settings menu and have it search for devices. Here are the steps: Go to "Accessory Settings" and select "Manage Bluetooth Devices" Select "Register New Device" and start scanning Press and hold the Share and PlayStation buttons...
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Bust out those happy feet and get to dancing for joy, provided you're a PC gamer who happens to also be a fan of Microsoft's Xbox One controller. If you are, today is the day you've been waiting oh-so-patiently for. At long last, Microsoft has made available a driver download so that you can plug the Xbox One controller into your PC and use it for games you deem appropriate. As for myself and the majority of PC gamers, I prefer a mouse and keyboard combination for most games. However, there are titles where a console controller admittedly comes in handy -- mainly sports and racing games for me, though I also like it for titles like Assassin's Creed. Microsoft announced before the release of the...
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Nintendo has decided to mix a bit of old school styling with a new generation video game. More specifically, Nintendo is releasing a four-port adapter for the Wii U that will allow gamers to plug in up to four GameCube controllers for its upcoming Super Smash Bros. title. It's not yet clear if the adapter will work with other titles or if it will support Nintendo's wireless Wavebird. "Get excited! The Wii U version of Super Smash Bros. will be playable with GameCube controllers," Nintendo announced in a Twitter post. Nintendo also posted a video to YouTube teasing the release of both the game and the adapter. Take a look: It looks like the adapter needs to be plugged into both USB ports on the...
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