Earlier this 12 months, PB Tails’ Metallic Crush Defender TMR controller caught my eye, with its Fallout-inspired, distressed yellow stylings and glistening chrome sticks. I do not normally go in for ‘relic’ results on something, however this regarded a bit particular. It felt clever and novel in a market the place neon gamer gear dominates, screaming for consideration, and ‘cheapening’ in any other case respectable tools. The Xbox face button structure, although, meant it wasn’t particularly related to Swap house owners.
Quick-forward a number of months, and there is a new mannequin bearing Nintendo’s basic button structure. Retailing for $79.99, that is the agency’s acquainted Crush pad however with ’50s automotive stylings – particularly, it is celebrating the seventieth anniversary of the Porsche 550 Spyder.
There isn’t any official licensing on this tribute, however the end is gorgeous, if you happen to’re into that kind of factor. The pink mild strip alongside the underside edge (you possibly can change the color – extra on that later) seems to be like a tail mild, whereas the decals and particulars throughout the face, plus the silver paint job and the ‘grille’, faux-number plate, and pink strips on the rear, give the texture of a top quality piece of retro memorabilia. The burgundy trim of the D-pad and the shoulder buttons add to the fashionable, retro stylings, too.
Opinion amongst Group NL is split — you will have to be a basic automobile connoisseur or have a factor for mechanical engineering and retro design — however I really like the feel and appear. It is a area of interest aesthetic and the pad will not swimsuit each gaming goal, however there is a luxuriousness to the end and the chrome accents that will get my motor operating. You are feeling like you ought to be taking part in with leather-based driving gloves if you’re dealing with this factor (and possibly I did).
Within the fingers, gloved or in any other case, this Crush pad seems like an old-school Xbox 360 controller, however weightier, and undoubtedly glossier. The steel of the default sticks is only the start, and the slickness of the bodywork might be a dealbreaker if you happen to most important video games that provide you with sweaty palms.
Fingerprints had been my speedy concern on taking the pad from its black and white case and eradicating the little foam collars across the sticks, however surprisingly, I have not discovered them a difficulty. I assumed I would want a microfiber material after each session, however it’s been superb sitting on the aspect over the previous couple of weeks, regardless of the mud on my TV shelf and my sticky gamer paws.
A braided USB-A to C cable is included for charging (the claimed 30-hour life feels correct, though that’ll rely in your lighting depth), plus a dongle for two.4G wi-fi connection and plastic/rubber sticks if you wish to swap out the zinc alloy pair.
And actually? In case you’re into your on-line shooters or simply need to be aggressive in Fortnite, you will need to change the stick covers; channel-hopping in Blippo+ was a dream, a tense shootout in Springfield much less so. I had no problem racing in GRID or unleashing ninja expertise in Shinobi, however chromed steel simply would not provide sufficient grip for split-second, precision inputs.
The sticks themselves are the TMR selection, so energy environment friendly and providing commensurate efficiency and safety towards drift to Corridor Impact. Clearly, it’s going to take a 12 months or two of use to completely take a look at their resilience, however there’s nothing to recommend they will begin wandering. They really feel strong and responsive.
Altering the sticks includes eradicating the magnetic faceplate, which might be difficult if you do not have respectable nails, however gripping the entrance housing up across the shoulder buttons whereas urgent down on the sticks along with your thumbs will finally prise the quilt away. Swap out the steel ones, clip the caps into the plastic domes, pop the quilt again on, and also you’re away.
PB sells different faceplates, though it might be bizarre to purchase one in all these after which smash the aesthetic with a transparent orange cowl. Additionally price noting is that the carry case’s foam insert holds the two-part plastic sticks solely, so you will must retailer the steel ones safely elsewhere.
Eradicating the chrome ones seems like sacrilege, although, such as you’ve whacked some low cost rims on a classic Jag. It features nicely, with gyro controls, some very good rumble (the growl it makes when it connects to the console feels, brilliantly, like a revving engine), and pleasingly springy analogue triggers. The D-pad felt superb for a blast via some NSO classics, and the entire controller has a premium-feeling heft to it.
Even the RGB lighting feels one way or the other refined right here. Holding down the ‘T’ (turbo) button and shifting the left stick allows you to decide the precise color of the sunshine strip, whereas the appropriate stick adjustments the face and central House buttons. You’ll be able to tweak the depth of the LEDs, too, and I appreciated that it is all there and selectable through the pad itself, no exterior software program wanted. You’ll be able to’t purchase a lightbulb as of late with out downloading a bloody app.
Face button lighting presets are selectable, as nicely: Tremendous Famicom-style is the default, however you have additionally bought PlayStation blue with the customary hues of Sony’s shapes, or Xbox inexperienced and corresponding button colors. There’s additionally a Dreamcast-style possibility – not less than I believe that is what the orange residence button and this color structure are referencing. Clearly, the Nintendo ABYX labelling stays, however it’s a neat nod to different platforms.
No clicky microswitches is an enormous plus, personally; all of the face buttons really feel properly responsive with out the irritating, cheap-sounding click on that makes taking part in in a quiet area irritating. Toggling the change on the highest edge adjustments from ‘S’ (Swap) to ‘X’ (XInput), and all the things functioned precisely as you’d count on when testing with Steam utilizing the included dongle (or wired if you happen to want) and iOS over Bluetooth.
When you get added turbo choices through the aforementioned button, you do not get NFC reader for amiibo or a ‘C’ button for straightforward Swap 2 GameChat entry. There isn’t any headphone jack, both, so headset players ought to look elsewhere, and you do not get any fancy again buttons, both.
One other minor quirk is that ‘-‘ and ‘+’ listed here are within the place of the House and Seize buttons on Nintendo’s controller, so put together for some unintended screenshots at first. Additionally, you possibly can’t wake your Swap 2 up with this – not a difficulty for me as I all the time flip it on through the console, however some folks actually just like the comfort of grabbing the pad down the aspect of the couch and powering on.
This is not the sort of pad you will go away jammed down the aspect of the couch, although. For $80, there are features lacking that you simply may hope to have. In case you solely get one controller for Swap 2, take a look at Nintendo’s personal possibility or one thing from 8Bitdo. You are actually paying for the model right here. The Crush 550 wants pairing with a high-backed, leather-studded chair and a glass of Margaux whereas having fun with a visible novel or a lightweight puzzler. It isn’t what you need if you happen to’re within the midst of a nailbiting deathmatch, perspiring between frantic frags and Dorito downtime. You would not need to rag this into the bottom with twitch shooters.
It actually relies upon what sort of gamer you’re, then. I discover this a pleasure to play with, and I will be utilizing it every time a sport would not demand extra efficiency than it might probably handle. A basic automobile is an ideal comparability; it is a fair-weather pad, a fantastic Sunday driver you’re taking out solely when situations permit. In case you’re out there for one thing for the weekend and value-for-money is much less necessary than sophistication, this can appear and feel nice in your showroom.
Model up the wazoo
TMR sticks, and the chrome feels oddly luxurious (and you have got the choice to change)
Snug, with nice consideration to element
Elegant-looking lighting with stable customisation choices
Not the pad you need for elite efficiency and twitch-based aggressive video games
Missing options you may count on at this value level
Nice 8/10
The pattern used on this evaluate was offered by PB Tails.
