Do people play the Playstation 2 anymore? Of course they do! Afterall, it’s still one of the all time best selling console systems ever, not to mention developers are still putting out games for it like the hot Guitar Hero III and even Rock Band. While those systems age, the controllers seem to be the first casualties. So what’s one to do when it comes time to replace them?
Third party peripherals are something that’s usually avoided in the gaming world. I’m not saying that all of them are bad though. However, unless you want to shell out the big bucks for something very high quality, your results can really vary. Well, the good folks down at NYKO have come out with the Zero Wireless PS2 Controller, is it’s price worth it? Will it prove once and for all that third party peripherals aren’t as bad as everyone says?
What’s in the box?
Surprisingly…quite a bit! Inside the box, besides the controller, you’ll find a USB charge cable, a wireless receiver for your PS2, a NiMH battery pack and a battery holder that allows you to use two AA batteries in place of the battery pack so you can continue to game. Of course, you also get a manual so you can figure out how to work it.
First Impressions
Without hooking the new controller up, right out of the box I was only mildly impressed. I mean, I know the box says PS2 controller, but this new design reminded me of an Xbox 360 Controller. Sure the flat black paint and metal sidings were a nice touch, but it seemed like aesthetically, this is all the controller had to offer. Mind you this is coming from someone who has always been wary about buying third party peripherals for his console systems. Just from giving it my once over, the controller seemed bigger, heavier and altogether clumsier than the PS2’s first party controller. Why would I, and more importantly, you, want to shell out $40-$50 for a paper weight? Well, I guess we’re about to find out.
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Ergonomics
My first thought on gripping the controller was that they didn’t quite get the profile of the controller right. The angular design and added weight of the battery pack, threw me off a little, along with the L2 and R2 buttons being converted into trigger switches. This is the only area that I have serious issues with the controller. It just didn’t fit very nicely in my hand.
Unlike the PS2 or Xbox 360’s first party controllers, the ZERO felt like there is space between your hand and the controller where there shouldn’t be. You can get a good grip on it, but it puts your hand in an awkward position. While more space was made on the grip, it felt like all the buttons along with the D-pad were all pushed up a little too much and squashed together. For the gamers with large hands, and even longer fingers this slight change in controls could be quite frustrating
What I found nice about the metal covers was that it didn’t just make the controller look oh so sleek and stylish. The cool feel from these metal covers also kept the heat down and your hands from sweating profusely. Afterall, slippery hands can mean lower scores and an Epic Fail.
Battery Life and everything in between
A wireless controller is only as good as the battery pack supporting it. I found that after my first gaming session with it, I had to start charging the batter more and more. After taking a peek into the manual, and reading that the LED blinker should stop blinking when the battery is charged after about thirty minutes, I plugged the controller into my PS2, and left it on for the night. Low and behold in the morning, the LED blinker was still blinking, and the controller was in fact hardly charged. Hmm…
The small LED indicator light to show when the battery is starting to die is a nice touch. What’s even nicer is the included AA battery holder that lets you substitute in regular batteries to keep the game going. I did find it strange that nowhere in the instruction manual does it explain what the mode button does. After perusing the NYKO site and going over the manual several times, I had to resort to just pushing it to see if it did anything to the operation of the controller. Sadly, it didn’t seem to do anything. Along with the mysterious MODE button i found that the D-Pad NYKO chose to use for this controller, just didn’t feel right. Call me old school, but I liked the old D-Pad more, with its individual buttons. This new one just feels cheap, and it doesn’t help that this new singular D-pad button can rotate a bit off to the side for no reason.
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It’s All Good
The controller has a good solid feel, a bit hefty but this hardly offsets the usability of it. The controls are quite responsive, even playing from another room with a wall in between me and the system. The receiver also detected the controller with next to no difficulty. I found the back-lights on the buttons, along with the LED Battery indicator very handy for those long gaming sessions. So whether you love to play through the night, or just lock yourself in a dark room for hours on ends, the illumination is a nice touch. Set up is insanely easy; just plug in the receiver, click the receiver’s button, click the link button on the controller and you’re off and running. The receiver glows red telling you that it has detected the controller at the same time that a link indicator on the controller confirms the connection. That’s all it takes to get up and running wirelessly.
Final Thoughts
Nyko’s Zero Wireless PS2 Controller is a nice change from the overly-saturated poorly made market of third party gaming peripherals. Again, I’ve always been a bit wary when buying any sort of third party products, especially when it came to my gaming but it’s good to see that there are still good folks like those down at NYKO who are still digging their nails in and making good quality products for today’s gamer.
Overall, the controller performed quite well; it’s battery lasting through a lengthy seven hour gaming session of Final Fantasy XII but began to falter thereafter. If you need to play longer, you’ve got that option to use regular AA’s. The fact that it’s wireless immediately gave this products props, considering the last time I’d used a wireless controller was way back on the Gamecube. However, nowadays, everything is wireless. My only last gripe, is that with a weaker battery, the receiver has a harder time detecting the controller. In some cases, it would stop detecting it in the middle of a pivotal gaming moment.
If you’re looking for a good replacement controller for that PS2 system, and want a little bit more oomph, this is good one to pick up. While only being slightly clunky with a few minor quirks, it’s worth your $50 or less. If you’re into the Playstation 3 already, well, they also make the ZERO for the Playstation 3 for around the same price.
Pros
- very sleek and sexy design
- Easy to set-up
- LED battery indicator light is very handy
- It’s wireless
- You’ve got AA’s as a backup in case you’re out of juice
Cons
- Controls feel a bit too cramped
- Minor battery charging issues
- D-Pad feels a little cheap
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