Steelseries Stratus Bluetooth iOS Mobile Gaming Controller

Final Thoughts

Price

I do think price is of the Stratus is unreasonable, at £59.95 in the Apple store it’s priced more expensive than most console controllers, but doesn’t really offer much more than they do other than it being more compact. The only advantage I see is that this is a premium brand name and the build quality is very high, but should you want to play two player games, investing in a pair of these is going to seriously hurt your wallet.

Overview

I do like this controller, it’s pretty neat and tidy in terms of design and it’s clear that Steelseries have worked hard to create something that is compact and stylish. In terms of functionality it does exactly what it says on the box, and it offers a more engaging way to enjoy games that would otherwise be a pain in the butt to play using a touch screen.

There are a lot of great games on mobile devices these days, but actually playing them can often be hit and miss, so having something with real analogue controls, pressure sensitive buttons, wireless functionality, multi controller support and more certainly has its advantages. Playing games like Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, Bastion and Real Racing 3 saw tangible improvements. Of course it also helps to combine your iPhone, iPad or similar device with a stand, as you won’t find much joy in trying to balance it on your knee while trying to hold the controller.

In respect to the price, it really is a matter of how badly you need a good quality controller, or more importantly how portable you need that controller to be. There are other options on the market, but they’re often bulkier or not as well made as the Stratus. Those on a tighter budget or not requiring anything so compact could always look at Jailbreaking their device so it can use PlayStation 3 Dual-Shock controllers.

Pros

• Compact and lightweight
• Great overall build quality
• Responsive analogue sticks
• Pressure sensitive buttons
• Trusted brand name
• Compatible with all major iDevices
• Easy to set up
• Multi controller support
• Wireless

Cons

• High price tag
• Clam-shell case prone to falling off when mounted on bottom of controller
• Not a huge amount of compatible games

“Overall this is a pretty decent controller, and should you purchase one I’m sure you will be very happy with its performance. Unfortunately its high price tag doesn’t match up to the less than vast array of games that it is suitable for”

Thank you Steelseries for providing us with this samples.