MSI Force GC30 V2 White Multi-Format Controller Review

How Much Does it Cost?

The MSI FORCE GC30 V2 White Wireless Pro Gaming Controller for PC and Android is available on Amazon UK right now for a very reasonable £39.99. I couldn’t see stock in the US, but I’m sure it’ll find its way there soon enough, so keep an eye out. Sadly MSI hasn’t lowered the price of the much older model yet, but I hope they do so, as that would make a killer option for around £25 in my opinion.

Overview

MSI is one of the best brands for high-end gaming products, with many award-winning graphics cards, motherboards, monitors, systems, gaming chairs and much more beyond. However, they’ve also proven time and time again that they’re still very competitive with their more affordable products. At this price range, I was expecting this to look and feel a bit cheaper, but it couldn’t be any further from that. This is a serious contender for those wanting a cheaper controller, but I’d say it either matches or excels on the quality of the Xbox One controller, and that’s high praise.

So, how has MSI kept the costs down? Well, they’ve broadly leveraged a much older design of their own. However, I do appreciate they’ve tweaked it a bit, leading to some drastically improved aesthetics. There’s no actual Xbox or PlayStation support, it’s really only for PC or Android, however, any device that’ll take an OTG DirectInput controller will do just fine with it. There’s no haptic triggers or headphone port, and while the battery is internal, it’s not massive. So while all these things do bring the price down, for me, they’re all compromises I can comfortably live with.

MSI hasn’t just stripped this down to save money though, they’ve added some things too. The durable buttons do feel a little stiffer and more robust, and I like the way they feel. The sticks have a tighter and smoother feel to them, and the triggers have a nice grip and extended range, offering 256 levels of input. Plus, you get those two D-PAD top covers, which are really cool. There are two USB cables included too, for mobile and desktop use. Finally, you get the USB dongle included, while for PC users, Microsoft actually sells that as a separate item!

Should I Buy One?

Honestly, this one is pretty hard to beat. For everything from fighting games to driving games, I found it felt really solid and I’m very happy with it. I do miss the haptic triggers an Xbox controller offers on games like Forza. However, given the money you save, I feel like MSIs level of features on offer here is pretty solid and the price is very reasonable. The old GC30 was a good controller, but the new design and tweaked features take a dated design to the next level; highly recommended.