Gadgetory

(dramatic music) - Today we're taking a look at a controller that you can't normally get in the US, and that's the HORI wireless mini game pad controller for the PS4. There is a wired version of this that's been available in the US for some time now. But the wireless option is actually a Japanese exclusive that we had to import. And we were actually able to get it for only $36 off Play Asia. It can be a little more money depending on where you look. But that puts it at about half the price of the MSRP of a brand new Dual Shock Four. What's really intriguing about this is that we've talked about a lot of different third party wireless options for things like the Switch, or the Xbox, but when it comes to PlayStation, they don't really license out their controllers very much. At least this generation. There's a lot of stuff for the PS3, but on the PS4, there's mostly nice, expensive, pro controller options. And that's about it. The wired version of this is one of the few options officially licensed in the US. So finding something that's still an affordable price and wireless and officially licensed is actually kind of rare. So we're gonna compare what's different about this compared to the wired version, aside from obviously the fact that it's wireless, and then we're gonna really put it through some heavy tests to really see if this is something worth picking up as a cheaper alternative. First, let's take a look at what's changed in the wireless model, from the wired. There's actually been a lot of different little minute changes that overall make for some cool little minor improvements. First off, the biggest of which is the sticks. The original wired version of this controller had these sticks that were made of a very hard plastic and had these little nubs on the side that, it did do a good job of keeping your thumbs on the sticks, but they just weren't very comfortable. The wireless version on the other hand makes use of stick heads that are just like on the actual Dual Shock Four controller, which feels just like home. Another more noticeable change to the body design right away is they actually rearranged some of the buttons in the center area. Instead of having the touch pad button up top with these buttons below, and then a turbo button on the very bottom, they've all been removed a little bit to now be a cross shape on the top, which I find to be a little more natural to reach for especially for the turbo button. Because you're normally used to going for middle buttons by reaching up not down below between the sticks. Aside from those two major changes, everything else is pretty minor but still works out in the wireless controllers favor. I think the D pad is just a little crisper, feels a little nicer to use versus the one on the wired controller. There's also a change to the grip design. It's the same shape. But there's now this kind of cross hatch texturing to it that is not present on the wired one, which helps to make it just a little grippier. I also really appreciate the change in just visual design. While they both look very similar, the US wired ones all use just flat, solid colors. Whereas the wireless one features this transparent look, which is think is a great call back to older style controllers, especially from the PS2 era. And I just think it makes for a much better looking controller. Let's actually put this one through the ringer a little bit and really see how it stands as a controller on its own both kids and adults. So we're gonna test a couple different recent games. I'm gonna start with Kingdom Hearts III because I think that's a good balance of something that's a fun, action game. You need to hit a lot of buttons quickly and stuff. And if you're playing on higher difficulties it's important to have good control. But at the same time, it's not anything that's super precision heavy. So we're gonna see how comfortable this is for that. This controller actually does have a light as well under the touch pad, which the wired version does not. And just like the Dual Shock Four, it does have all the different colors for different things depending on the game you're playing. So right now it's glowing blue. That's a nice touch. Okay, so just starting out, I'm not actually having to hit too many buttons yet. But like I've kind of noted before with the wired version, the grip design on this is very much like an old school controller, which for me there's that nostalgia feel to it, but I could definitely see someone used to a modern controller thinking it's a little more uncomfortable. It's also definitely something designed a little better for smaller hands. Anyone that has big hands that already finds like a Dual Shock Four to not be comfortable is not gonna like this. So the sticks on this are definitely an upgrade over the ones on the original wired one. They are still a little close together which feels different from a Dual Shock Four. But the different stick heads are much more comfortable. The front facing buttons on this one feels good too. You rely on these buttons a lot more on something like Kingdom Hearts and other action games like Dove May Cry coming out soon. And they're snappy. They're not like the highest quality out there. But once again, $30 controller. You know, I have to say, so far at least for something like Kingdom Hearts, this works really well. I think I would still personally prefer to use a Dual Shock Four. But if I'm just looking for a cheaper option to use, if I need to replace one, or again like with the wired ones, these are something for kids, this is getting the job done really well. So let's try it on something a little, little harder. Next we're gonna test this out on Resident Evil 2, which is definitely a different kind of experience from Kingdom Hearts. The really big test on this one is gonna be the shoulder buttons, which is honestly one of the parts of this controller that worries me a little bit more because it's not like you have a proper trigger or anything. It's just these small older school shoulders. Which might not work as well. Also, while we still use the sticks in Kingdom Hearts, that's a lot more faster pace than just running around, whereas in this game it's a bit more about precision and aiming. So we'll see how this works out. Okay, sticks feel fine. It actually is a lot like the same experience as using a Dual Shock Four. My thumbs are maybe reaching in a little more because they're placed closer to the center of the controller. As far as how the game is reading and everything it's basically the same experience so that's good. Yeah, I mean the buttons work. It doesn't feel quite as satisfying. You're not really getting that trigger pull feeling that you get used to. And obviously these aren't analog so there's not any kind of degrees of pressing down. It's just push or don't push. I don't think I would recommend necessarily buying this controller for FPS games, especially if you're doing anything competitive. Now one more test I wanna do is trying this out on retro games because when I see a controller shaped like this where it's very much sort of old school SNES style, I think, maybe it'd be awesome for retro. So, I'm gonna test it out on one of my favorite recent indie titles, Blood Stained Curve of the Moon. If you have not played it yet, it is some amazing old school Castlevania fun. One of the things that felt a little different about this controller versus the old wired one is that the D pad felt like a bit of an improvement, a little snappier. And now that I'm actually playing a game where I'm focused on using it, that's definitely the case. It feels a lot more like I'm using an old school SNES pad. It definitely feels naturally when playing a game like this. It's not uncomfortable at all. And again, all of the front facing buttons on this one feel pretty nicely crisp. I've definitely used better ones on like pro controllers, but for an affordable option that's, you know, just meant to be kind of comparable to a Dual Shock Four, it feels really good. Honestly the only buttons I've been hitting so far that bother me are all of the kind of extra options buttons. Options, share, the home button. They're not particularly great. They kind of have this awkward softness to them. They feel cheap. But considering none of these are important for actual game play, it's pretty forgivable. I gotta say, this controller surprises me. I went in really thinking that, yep, it's a cheaper alternative controller. It's probably not gonna be that great. It'll be okay for the money. It's actually really good. I like the sticks on it a lot. I like the front facing buttons. The D pad is solid. The only real two things about it that are marks against it versus say, a Dual Shock Four, is the lack of a more modern grip design. It's just not super comfortable. If you like that retro vibe, where it's something like an older school controller, it works for that. But if you just want comfort, not so much. And the lack of triggers is kind of a bummer. It still worked for things like FPS but it's definitely not optimal. So depending on the kinds of games you wanna play, this thing can work pretty well. There is one other thing though about it that does bother me a little bit, and this is just more of a pet peeve thing, it didn't come with a cable. Overall, this is a great little pick up. If you just want an alternative wireless controller to have for your PS4 either as a backup in case something goes wrong with your Dual Shock or you need a replacement and you don't wanna spend that much money, you want something for a kid to use but you don't want a cable leading into the system, this is an awesome import.