PS3 Slim - Radium Wireless Controller

Customer Ratings:
List Price: $34.99
Sale Price: $15.49
Today's Bonus: 56% Off

I have to say right off the bat that the only reason that I purchased this controller is that my DS3 died and I needed a replacement controller quick and cheap. I got what I wanted in the Radium Wireless, but not much else.

OVERVIEW

It works. If you need a replacement controller for a cheap price this will suffice in the short term. The buttons are responsive (if a little loose) and the analog sticks feel solid. There is a massive dead zone in them, however, so if you're a FPS junkie, look elsewehere. EDIT: After more use, the analog sticks don't always move smoothly, there is some periodic friction/scraping with both sticks at random times, sometimes even sticking. This is a killer, and I'm changing my score accordingly. The D-Pad is really loose and feels very cheap, there's no way to sugar coat this. The face buttons are rounded at the top, more rounded than even the Xbox 360's face buttons. LI & R1 are so loose in the casing that they rattle when the controller moves and/or vibrates. The triggers (L2 & R2, which have the exact same design as the DS3) are really stiff and don't have a great range of give, so they feel more like the DS2, where if it's pushed in at all it goes all the way -there is a small level of analog sensitivity, don't get me wrong, but it's so minor that it forces you to make adjustments in games that depend on their sensitivity, such as racing games. The force feedback is pretty standard, I can neither rave nor complain about it. Sixaxis control is functional for games that use it, albeit with a minor dead zone that is obvious in games such as Flower or Flow. But it's there, which is nice.

INTANGIBLES

It takes 3 AAA batteries. I haven't used it long enough to gauge battery life. There is a turbo feature that works well if you ever need it. I can't see where this is going to help, but hey, it's there and it funtions. PS3/XMB buttons works fine. There is an on/off switch on the back, behind the left analog stick. The dongle is the same color as the controller, and goes into a USB port in the front of the system, and connects easily. The color scheme is metallic blue, but you can't see the metallic specs of paint unless you hold it up to a light, it looks solid dark blue in a regular setting. Please note that quitting certain games from the XMB will turn the controller off and force you to re-sync it; I've yet to narrow down the cause but it seems that Sixaxis intensive games did this (Flower, Flow, Rag Doll Kung Fu).

OVERALL

The Dream Gear Radium Wireless Controller w/ Sixaxis is a stopgap controller. It has all the functionality (and more) of the DS3 for a bargain basement price. I got it for less than $23 here on Amazon, which is a good savings compared to the official controller. You get what you pay for. It'll hold you over until you can get a DS3, or will serve well as a second controller for friends. This is very reminiscent of the old Inter-Act line of products from the mid-to-late 90's in terms of worksmanship -it functions, but it feels very cheap in your hands, and you wish you were holding the real thing. In the end, it does offer more than your average third-party peripheral -it does both rumble AND Sixaxis, which most secondary controllers don't offer, and the price is right. Just be sure not to expect something remotely comparable to the DualShock 3.

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I was mediocrely impressed with this controller. It is not the best made and it broke approximately 3 months after I bought it. Had excellent useage before it broke however so perhaps those without kids can keep limping it along longer.

Buy PS3 Slim - Radium Wireless Controller Now

First of all I want to make it know that my purchase of this product was not on Amazon, but due to the poor quality of this item, and only one other review at current time, I would like to add my opinion for potential buyers. Just spend the extra money on a Sony controller or even a wired controller from a better manufacturer.

-This controller takes 3 AAA batteries, which will cost quite a bit in the long run (I just bought re-chargeable ones), but that means you need a charger (luckily I already had a universal one).

-The trigger and face buttons are actually really nice, but the analog sticks are terrible. Totally unreliable for slight directional movements, it's either "push fully in one direction" or nothing happens on screen, there is a huge dead-zone. Forget FPS or games relying on precise jumps and stealth movement.

-The USB dongle for wireless works great

-The rumble is a bit weak

-There is Sixaxis capability

The analog sticks really kill this product, so just purchase Sony or Logitech.

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The controller fits snug into your palm and the buttons work fine, but there are a couple downfalls/cons to this controller, like how you have to have a little flash-drive thingy plugged into your PS3 to make the controller work, and the buttons just feel annoying (which, of course is just an opinion), and are not close and easy to switch from joystick to button if you are playing a quick-paced game like COD.

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I love this PS3 wireless controller. It works great! & I love the color. I played Resident evil all the way through 3 times & even forgot to turn the controller off a couple of times before I had to charge it.