Since the dawn of RROD, Xbox players have been lauding the fact that their controllers are better than the PlayStation counterpart. Having grown up as a PS player and only moving to Xbox much later, I don’t see the big issue or what ‘the claw’ is all about. If you are in the market for a new controller and the idea of giving someone your spleen for a DualShock3 sounds like too extreme and you dislike the other third party options, check this baby out.
The Gioteck HF-2 uses a Bluetooth connection, meaning you don’t need a USB dongle taking up one of your USB ports.
This control boasts four triggers. Wait, what? When I first held the control, I thought my Wookiee hams were too large for it. I was battling to press the L1 and R1 buttons and any attempt to hold them in seemed to fail. Then I looked a bit closer at their design. The L1 and L2 buttons work just like triggers, but they project out to the sides, making it easy to squeeze with the second or third pad of your index finger, rather than using the first. Once I realised I was trying to press the far end of the trigger, instead of the raised section, I stopped making very odd clawing gestures and got comfortable. Having four triggers means your fingers rest on the buttons at all times and a light squeeze was all that was needed to blast my foes into confetti. It really helps having such a large surface to apply pressure to.
If you who hate mashing buttons to open doors or do whatever other inane on-screen activity requires pressing X eleventy-one times, this controller has a turbo button between select and start. Hold it and whatever button you need to press a lot of down and enjoy keeping your thumbs from looking like squat cigar nubs.
For those who feel their analogue sticks aren’t sensitive enough, connect the controller to a PC and download the calibration tool, which allows you to toggle between normal and high sensitivity, and to update the firmware of the device if needed. The analogue sticks also have a depression for your thumbs, meaning you won’t slip while fine-tuning that headshot.
In between the legs of this controller lies its best feature. The tiny toggle switches L1 and R1 with L2 and R2. This may seem odd, but you may have noticed that many PlayStation games don’t allow for control remapping? As soon as I hopped into InFamous 2, I flicked the switch so that I could use the triggers to aim and fry everyone with lightning. The pleasurable little nub is nestled safely out of accidental reach, meaning your buttons won’t swap midbattle.
The HF-2 runs on AA batteries, or can be used as a plug and play via USB cable. Besides sporting a really unique look with a nice smooth finish, this control is really comfortable, even for those with larger hands. If you are looking for something to squeeze and can’t afford the vibrating first party peripherals, or if you just need everything in your house to be camouflaged, the HF-2 is for you.
Eleventy-one/10
Last Updated: July 19, 2012
