Hardware Review: Orb Wireless PS3 Controller

You may have heard around the gaming community that Megarom, the local distributor for Activision, Codemasters, Blizzard and a whole pile of other publishing houses has now decided to dip it’s toe into the hardware market and has started distributing Orb peripherals.

The first item we’ve received that I’m going to review is the Orb Wireless PS3 controller because if there is one thing for certain in the gaming industry at the moment is that the PS3 Dualshock is stupidly expensive and really not a very nice controller to use.

So I cracked open the Orb box, groaned a little when I saw it came with a USB dongle that needs to be plugged in and set to work playing games and complaining about it… it’s a hard life really.

Getting the controller to connect was very simplistic, you plug the dongle into the PS3. Hit the synch button and wait for the light show to end and then you’re ready to rumble. Oh yes did I mention the Orb does also have rumble and a 3D motion sensor.

I’m not sure what the difference is between SIXAXIS and a 3D motion sensor but in reality I rarely use that feature so as long as it’s there for the obligatory gimmick stage in exclusive titles then all’s good.

The controller feels good in your hands with the outer casing being made of solid feeling plastic with 2 rubber inserts that do a great job of keeping the controller secured in your hands without feeling sticky.

The analogue sticks feel more solid than on the Dualshock which is a plus 1 in my book but the d-pad doesn’t feel as responsive as it could be. The 4 main buttons are nicely spaced and rounded and are solid to the touch and feel responsive enough.

The 2 bumpers feel perfect and are just in the right location for the dual finger gaming that you need for FIFA or to excel at BF3 and MW3.

So we’re doing well so far and then I hit the triggers… what a mess… they are flat (virtually), have very little run and basically feel like they’ve broken their spring. Granted it’s not as bad as the Dualshocks triggers but they aren’t even close to competing with the Xbox 360’s triggers.

Conclusion

So all in all we’ve got a handy second controller that is perfect for most games and for an excellent price, it’s R351 at TakeALot right now. However if you’re a FPS fan you may want to try those triggers out in store first. You may love them but for me I switch back to the Dualshock with Orb trigger enhancers if I’m playing a FPS

Pro’s: Cheap, feels great, easy to use, most buttons are good

Con’s: Triggers aren’t great, D-Pad doesn’t feel as good as it can be

Last Updated: December 14, 2011