In the event you want a gamepad with a removable USB-C cable, two rear buttons, in an ordinary Xbox kind issue, and solely wish to spend about 40 bucks, you need to contemplate the Turtle Seaside React-R.
The React-R is slightly hole feeling and light-weight, which makes it really feel like essentially the most “price range” of “price range” units right here. It additionally means this controller is quite loud. Button presses and thumbstick actions reverberate at a really audible stage. The USB-C jack may also give bigger cables an issue as they danger not becoming into the housing. Both use the supplied cable (not pictured) or stick with slim USB-C cables. However don’t dismiss this one simply but.
The buttons and triggers all really feel responsive sufficient, if not as fast and snappy as costlier controllers (and even some which might be on this record, actually). They roughly have the identical really feel and sound comparable to one another when being pressed. Vibration will be hit and miss on PC although, because it wouldn’t all the time work with some video games. When it did although, this factor positively rumbles.
The 2 assignable rear buttons are kind of formed like large, the wrong way up Ls, that means you possibly can press them by squeezing the grip in your center finger towards your palms, or you possibly can push your fingers up into the controller to actuate them.
The d-pad “satellite tv for pc dish” that’s normal on trendy Xbox controllers is a bit spongy, nevertheless it doesn’t float round in its slot or something. The gamepad additionally has quite a lot of textured surfaces that really feel slightly prickly at first, however these will doubtless put on down over time. Given its additional options, significantly the rear buttons, this can be a good worth when you simply need that easy backup controller, one thing you fish out of a drawer a number of instances a month. It additionally makes use of a USB-C cable, so that you gained’t have to preserve monitor of a special or proprietary cable if most of your peripherals have moved on to the newer normal.
However actually the most effective a part of this controller is the low-cost of entry to begin getting used to professional setups with assignable rear buttons. Rear buttons aren’t for everybody, and arguably they largely profit aggressive video games (significantly shooters). However contemplate the Turtle Seaside React-R (and even a few of the different controllers on this record) as an inexpensive method to do this characteristic out when you haven’t but. Consider it as a “coach” and develop a little bit of muscle reminiscence for rear buttons earlier than spending two or thrice on an Xbox Elite or Scuf controller. You would possibly discover you don’t use them, after which can both grasp on to this controller or improve to one thing like an everyday Xbox Core gamepad down the road, and save your self the cash of getting a tricked out professional controller whenever you possibly don’t want or don’t use these options.
Happily, mapping the rear buttons on this controller is a breeze. Double faucet the middle button, then faucet the rear button you wish to assign, adopted by the button you wish to assign to it and there you go. Fast sufficient even to reset it throughout a respawn counter if you wish to check out some completely different setups.
Determining find out how to reap the benefits of rear buttons would possibly contain some trial and error when you’re new. That’s why it’s typically higher to clock these coaching hours in on one thing extra inexpensive, than it’s to place mileage on a costlier system whenever you’re simply studying the ropes. Mainly, whenever you’re prepared to maneuver on from this controller as a result of it runs its course otherwise you’re occupied with a extra premium system, the React-R goes to inform you whether or not you wish to prioritize rear-assignable buttons or not. For that, I feel this can be a strong worth.
The React-R additionally has a novel characteristic known as “Superhuman Listening to.” You hit a button within the middle space and, when you’ve got headphones linked to the three.5mm braveness jack on the underside, the audio of the sport shall be processed in a different way. I’m hesitant to name this a gimmick, however I actually can’t consider a state of affairs the place this is able to actually be helpful to me, even in a sport the place extra perceptive listening to is important like, say, Siege (and I wouldn’t be caught lifeless enjoying that sport on a controller anyway). So, yeah, I feel it’s sort of a gimmick.
However what does this even do? Effectively, I ran a fast EQ check on the output of the audio when this mode is turned on, and I’ve deduced that it should be operating the sport’s audio by way of some sort of mild low-pass filter and/or it’s most likely boosting some mids and highs on the EQ spectrum. In lay phrases, it mainly means the controller juices the sport quantity and better frequencies, so clicky, clacky, sharp feels like reloading, and footsteps, are theoretically louder. It’s remixing the sport audio to intensify the areas the place these sounds are most clearly outlined. That does make a sort of sense, however I don’t see this catching on the best way assignable rear buttons have.
Listening to this mode at full quantity over a major time period is more likely to get exhausting, if not doubtlessly damaging to your listening to. Turtle Seaside intends for this to be a fast factor you activate within the second to get a sonic edge on sneaky opposition, however I’m both not enjoying the precise video games or am not satisfied of this. It’s a neat characteristic, however I by no means used it outdoors of operating some audio checks on it to determine what it’s doing.
The Turtle Seaside React-R additionally has a barely costlier sibling which is able to typically come up in search outcomes whenever you’re on the lookout for this one: The Recon. Although it’s typically on sale for under its $60 price ticket, its record worth does put it in competitors with the Xbox Core controller greater than the rest on this record. For that purpose, the Recon shall be a subject for an additional day…however when you can snag one on sale for about the identical worth because the React-R, it’s a extra premium system and has the identical options—together with the foolish listening to mode one.
