If the lack of physical buttons is hindering your progress in your favourite iPhone game, consider a game controller that turns your phone into a portable game console. Apart from physical control buttons that you can use to play supported games, these controllers, such as the Logitech Powershell (S$129), include battery packs that come in handy when you run out of juice.
Design
The Logitech Powershell feels comfortable to handle with plenty of space for your fingers to move about – unlike competitor models like the SteelSeries Stratus gaming controller, which packs all the buttons into a smaller space. Two grips carved into the back of the controller completes the ergonomically satisfying gaming experience.
The body is a well-built hybrid of sturdy plastic and soft rubber. The buttons, d-pad and shoulder triggers feel responsive too, with no wiggly parts threatening to pop loose.
Gamers can have full confidence that their phones will not drop out of the Powershell in most cases. My iPhone was so snugly enclosed in the controller that it did not wobble despite shaking the controller vigorously.
However, this snugness is a double-edged sword, as it makes the iPhone difficult to remove. I could only remove the phone by pushing it out through the camera cutout at the back of the controller. The angle at which the phone is released from the enclosure also increases the risk of breaking the Powershell’s dock connector.
Besides lacking a full gaming console layout (which I will discuss later), one of the Powershell’s greatest design flaws is that it is difficult to attach headphones. The controller has some sort of tunnel where you can thread your headphones through, or you can use the headphone extender that comes with the device. Still, the accessory would not be necessary if Logitech had simply designed the device better.
Performance
I tested the Powershell’s performance with three popular titles: Gameloft’s Asphalt 8: Airborne, Z2Live’s MetalStorm: Aces and Madfinger Game’s Dead Trigger 2.
Car Racing Performance – Gameloft’s Asphalt 8: Airborne
The Logitech Powershell delivers the precision required for high-speed showdowns in Asphalt 8. The Powershell’s d-pad offers superior control when steering my car, especially during drifts, as compared to standard gyroscopic steering. That said, the d-pad seemed to be a little unresponsive, with a split second lag between pressing the pad and the steering.
The controller also does a great job in freeing up precious screen estate. While braking and activating the nitro boost are normally done by tapping different parts of the screen — blocking your view in the process — the tasks are now performed with the controller’s action buttons and shoulder triggers.
Flight Simulation/Air Combat Performance – Z2Live’s MetalStorm: Aces
MetalStorm: Aces highlights the Powershell’s glaring flaw – the lack of analog sticks. With the d-pad pre-programmed to control the plane’s special maneuvers, the only way to control flight is to use the iPhone’s gyroscopic controls. It just seems silly that I have to fly the plane by rotating the iPhone as if the controller never exists. It is puzzling that Logitech chose to omit such an essential console feature, considering that competing models like the SteelSeries Stratus and Moga Ace Power Controller both sport analog sticks.
First Person Shooter Performance – Madfinger Game’s Dead Trigger 2
Dead Trigger 2 also highlights another problem of the Powershell – the lack of R2/L2 shoulder triggers.
While R2/L2 shoulder triggers have traditionally been the buttons for throwing grenades, doing so in Dead Trigger 2 requires experimenting with different action buttons (I’ll save you the trouble – it’s “X”). Like the Samsung Gamepad, it is puzzling that Logitech has omitted those triggers as well.
Similar to playing MetalStorm: Aces, the lack of analog sticks proved to be a huge burden when playing Dead Trigger 2. The only way I could aim was to use the touchscreen, like how the game should have been played without a controller.
Together with the d-pad controlling character movement, using the Powershell was a confusing experience of simultaneously manipulating the d-pad and touchscreen. Furthermore, the four-way d-pad did not provide the same level of control as compared with using the touch screen controls. One might be better off not using the Powershell at all for this game.
Verdict
The Logitech Powershell certainly has some merits. Its sleek and ergonomic design makes a comfortable and very portable gaming controller. Moreover, it doubles up as a portable charger capable of delivering almost a full charge.
The lack of analog sticks, however, makes this product a questionable choice. While it performs well on games that do not require analog sticks, gamers will feel frustrated when playing titles that do.
Also, the lack of R2/L2 triggers doesn’t do justice to the FPS experience, leaving the Powershell incompatible with future titles that may require those controls.
Considering that the SteelSeries Stratus and Moga Ace Power Controller both sport the full console layout at a similar price, I would much rather rely on them to enhance my mobile gaming experience.
Pros
– Well-designed layout
– Sturdy and well-built
– Encloses device snugly
– In-built battery gives almost one full charge
– 118 compatible games
Cons
– No analog sticks
– No R2/L2 trigger
– Difficult to attach headphones
– Difficult to remove iPhone from controller
– Slightly unresponsive d-pad
