PowerA Moga XP-Ultra Wireless Controller review

These are the Moga XP-Extremely wi-fi controller specs:

Whereas the XP-Extremely is way from the most cost effective controller round you actually can’t fault its function set. Chief amongst them is its cross-platform compatibility (being “the primary licensed wi-fi controller for Xbox Collection X|S and Xbox One,” in response to PowerA), enabling it for use on Xbox, PC, Android, and appropriate sensible TVs. To this finish, it additionally features a one-month trial to Recreation Go Final.

Versatility actually is the XP-Extremely’s calling card, as it may be bodily configured in 4 other ways. Firstly, you may mount or dismount the included Gaming Clip that makes it attainable to connect your cellphone (for handheld cloud gaming or, for those who’re feeling frisky, some in-your-face streaming).

You may also take away the hand grip – the “handles” of the controller that sit in your palms – for a dealing with expertise extra like 16-bit controllers discovered on the SNES and Genesis. You’ll nonetheless retain rumble options both manner, as twin rumble motors are current in each the grip part and the mini-pad.

The grip additionally possesses a pair of mappable buttons, AGL and AGR, located on the rear the place they are often activated by your center or ring fingers. The principle pad, in the meantime, features a Share button in addition to a battery standing button – the latter with 4 LEDs so you may immediately see how a lot juice is left in your pad so that you’re by no means caught quick mid-game.

Excessive reward has to go to the general modularity of this controller. Quite a lot of thought has gone into the design and, general, the thought has been good. We love the truth that you may shrink the pad down for various use instances, particularly because you don’t lose rumble once you achieve this.

The XP-Extremely feels satisfyingly chunky with out straying into Duke territory, although it undoubtedly packs extra heft than a typical Xbox pad. And whereas most inputs are the place you’d count on them on a Microsoft pad, the View and Menu buttons are positioned abnormally excessive whereas the Xbox button is unusually low (in reality, their relative positions are successfully swapped).

The highest of the analog sticks are pleasingly deep and textured, and the plate-like D-Pad is flatter and extra input-accurate. Nonetheless, like all of the inputs on the controller, it has a lot much less journey – which, relying on what you’re urgent and what you’re taking part in, can drastically have an effect on issues each positively and negatively (extra on this beneath).

The Gaming Clip to mount your cellphone could be very sturdy, in contrast to among the cheaper and flimsier equipment you discover on third-party controllers, and fortunately sits a smartphone with out worry of something coming free. Clearly, this top-heaviness will have an effect on the steadiness, however you may angle your cellphone to attenuate this.

If you’d like a controller that duplicates the expertise of a first-party pad, this isn’t it. The XP-Extremely does some issues that we want Microsoft pads may do but in addition does others that we’re glad they don’t.

Having the ability to detach the grip and play with the smaller mini-pad appears and feels unusual at first, however can come into its personal relying on what you’re utilizing the controller for. Children with smaller palms, for instance, might get on nice with the mini-pad. And anybody who grew up utilizing NES or SNES controllers will really feel proper at dwelling after a half hour or so. And for those who’re somebody who typically makes use of the Xbox controller as a distant for issues like Netflix, you’ll be glad for a flatter system that doesn’t slip and nudge the shoulder buttons when you’re watching one thing.

On the identical time, the Xbox controller is thought to be the best of all time as a result of the ergonomics are near-perfect. So eradicating the grip feels actually bizarre. And irrespective of how used to taking part in with out them you get, sooner or later (normally once you miss a buzzer beater in NBA 2K or a headshot in Halo) you may’t assist however really feel it’s as a result of your palms had been making micro-adjustments for the grip not being the place it’s purported to be.

The D-Pad is superior for some issues, and terrible for others. As huge Tetris followers, that is our go-to controller for Tetris Impact as a result of it is rather trustworthy – no unintended diagonal slides right here. Nonetheless, the dearth of journey makes it really feel too stiff for just about anything – and that lack of journey is mirrored within the analog sticks and face buttons, making refined inputs really feel very totally different than they do on commonplace pads.

The inverted placement of the View / Menu and Xbox buttons is an actual head-scratcher, too. Whereas we’re glad that there’s no large glowing “X” blinding us once we play in the dead of night (changed by a small, separate LED to point connection), the variety of instances we hit the Share button and took a screenshot as a substitute of going dwelling was a little bit annoying. As was lifting a thumb to leap right into a menu and shedding treasured moments whereas having to seek for it.

A minor frustration we seen is that it takes about two seconds after the controller wakes up and connects (with a stable LED indicating a handshake) for inputs to really register. That is notably noticeable utilizing apps like YouTube when your pad has gone to sleep and also you attempt to wake it up earlier than the following video auto-plays!

• Sure: If you’d like a controller that works throughout totally different platforms
• Sure: If you’d like a wi-fi controller with an extended battery life
• No: The controls aren’t as seamless as with the official Xbox controller

We actually just like the modularity supplied by the XP-Extremely. Taking part in retro video games with the mini-pad is a blast, and having a sturdy technique to mount a cellphone for cloud gaming (and even watching a TV present whereas taking part in one thing sluggish) is sensible. The battery life is nice and, for some video games, we love the D-Pad.

For others, nevertheless, the D-Pad is a ache – and between the dearth of journey and the unnatural positioning of secondary buttons, this can be a controller that may take your palms a little bit time to adapt to. After they do, this can be a very highly effective and versatile pad – however it by no means feels fairly pretty much as good as a first-party one.

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