Get used to losing, Logitech cordless controller for Xbox
Written: Mar 03 '04 (Updated Jan 30 '07)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Solid feel, fits large hands, Wireless.
Cons: Analog stick is not aligned right, can not turn off rumble, price.
The Bottom Line: Although the body feels solid, internally there are problems. Not what I look for in a quality controller.
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| yakkowarner's Full Review: |
Why I got it
I have a big screen tv so I sit at the other side of the room to play games. I am forced to use a cable extension, move the Xbox to the middle of the room, or use a wireless controller. I have been using the Gamecube Wavebird for several years now and I am very happy, but the same cannot be said for this product.
Setup
Setup was a breeze. Just plug in the receiver, put the batteries that came with the unit in the controller (4AA), and play. And did I mention how good it looks?
The feel
I love the feel of this controller. It is solid, the major button placements feel good, and my larger hands feel comfortable holding it. I have not experienced any discomfort with playing for extended periods of time (3 hours max) like I have with the Playstation controllers. Part of this reason is because it is larger and my fingers do not feel as cramped.
The button setup
I hate the setup. It is the worst part because you have to adjust to a different button placement. The placement is not necessarily bad, it just is not the same as the Xbox controller. The black and white buttons should have been placed else where. The start and select buttons are also difficult to get to.
I assume the reason for this is because of copyright or patent issues. Seems wrong to me.
The expansion port (for microphone)
The 2 expansion ports are located in the receiver that is connected to the Xbox. This is where your memory card would go. Also this is where your microphone would go. So if you play x-box live, you cannot plug in the microphone into the controller, only the receiver has the port. I do not understand the point of buying a wireless product if you have to still be wired in by your accessories. This really needs to be changed and it would not require a significant change to the hardware either (probably cost 10-20 dollars more though.)
Battery life
The battery life is approximately 50 hours. If you use rechargeables then this will be about 35 hours. Not a very long life for 4 AA batteries.
One of the reasons for the short battery life is that the rumble feature is always on. This reduces battery life. We really should be given the option of turning it off.
My other wireless controller, the pelican, last for 25 hours on 2 AA batteries. Basically the same life. So do not be fooled into thinking the Logitech lasts twice as long.
How it conserves juice
The controller automatically shuts down if you are not using it. So you do need to wake it up from its sleep mode from time to time (about half a second.) This does change battery life depending on how often it goes into sleep mode.
When I was playing Morrow wind, I pushed the control stick and held it for about 5 minutes (so my character can swim and earn experience), then I let go of the controller and my character was still swimming even though the control stick was not being pushed. So it shuts off no matter it a button is pressed or not.
The sleep mode appears to kick in at the five minute mark.
Wireless range
I have not had any issues with range. My guess is you have a good 100 feet of range. I have been to the back of my house and pressed a memorized button pattern from there (to skip the title screens) and that was 45 feet away from the receiver.
The range of any wireless device is increased by how high the transmitter or receiver is from its mate. So your range will be diminished if the transmitter is on the floor
Interference
I have not experienced any interference. I never had to keep pressing the buttons and all the transmissions appeared to have been received from the controller. The transmitter works beautifully. (the same cannot be said for the pelican).
The problems
And the biggest complaint is my main analog stick got misaligned. When I was playing Morrow Wind: Elder Scrolls, the sub-screen menu curser was automatically scrolling down every once in a while. Within 2 days of my first becoming aware of it (1 week after having the product) it was so bad that I couldn’t play. At that time my character was also walking backwards on it’s own. By the time I returned it to Best Buy (with no hassles I might add) all of my games were having the same problem. I exchanged it for a second one and got the extended warranty. Within a week, I was having the same problem. Needless to say, this controller is being returned also.
Overall:
When I look for controllers I look for controllers that give me the competitive edge over my friends. This controller fails to do that. I don’t know if the analog stick is made with cheap parts or if the design is bad, but Logitech needs to fix it. I have bought their products before and never had a problem, but now I will think twice before buying another Logitech device again.
If you do buy this controller, make sure you get an extended warranty. I did and I’m using it.
If you are reading this and it’s the year 2005, Logitech may have fixed the problem, but I’m sure there will be better wireless controllers out there by then anyways.
Wish list:
- The black and white buttons should have been placed else where.
- All the controllers should us the same channel to communicate with.
- Expansion ports on the controller as well as the receiver.
Dimensions and weight At their longest points.
Weight (without batteries): 9.75 ounces.
Length:6.25 inches.
Width:7 inches.
Height:2.15 inches.
About price and the future of Logitech
The price continues to go down and they may have fixed the problem I had, I do not know since I am unwilling to spend my money to test another controller and I can't see Logitech willing to give me one to test. But Logitech is coming out with a new controller with a 300 hour battery life which is exciting. So you may want to wait until August 2005 for them to roll that out instead of this model. I will probably get it and review it but only from a store that does not have an extremely limiting hardware return policy (like EB).
Other wireless controller reviews
Nintendo Wii game console
Pelican wireless Xbox controller
Intec Jedi Hunter Wireless Xbox controller
Nintendo Wavebird wireless controller.
Recommended:
No
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