I am thinking about getting a mifi controller for my iPad (mini-2), and I am not really up on what games support controllers and if games that do 'support' controllers actually play 'better' with them. http://www.bestbuy.com/site/steelseries-nimbus-wireless-controller-black/4860800.p?id=bb4860800&skuId=4860800&ref=212&loc=1&ksid=eac49e43-0fe7-4008-9fbe-d907eeb55ba4&ksprof_id=16&ksaffcode=pg49085&ksdevice=c&gclid=Cj0KEQjwid63BRCswIGqyOubtrUBEiQAvTol0TpX3FXh3SzTfKuD7hf8qG6GdMMa7cebh70ck9mbaY8aAjIS8P8HAQ This is the controller I am thinking about getting. Are there better ones available, or is that a great one as it is? Also, how does one determine what games can be played with controllers? It's not listed in an app description, is it (as a hardware feature)? Is there a website or app that keeps an updated list of compatible games? Will all games work with a controller? ..or just some? Example, Terraria.. While I want to like this game, I consider it to be unplayable on iPad due to the controls.. Every time I play this game, I end up rage deleting.. Ok, so I am mainly just brainstorming - but any tips would be awesome..
If you're looking at steel series they have an app that has a pretty good listing of games with controller support. I like to to use a website afterpad.com that is regularly update with the new releases and also has a review section for controls and a list of Apple TV apps. Btw, that's the controller I have and it's great. Very well made very smooth dual sticks. There's a review on afterpad you can check out. It's what convinced me to get it. And it's one of the few controllers Apple sells in the Apple Store.
I've heard from different sources that the Nimbus is the better MFI controller till now. Not all games support mfi, but there's alot to choose from. I have the Steelseries Stratus XL and I really love play games like CounterSpy, Wayward Souls, Space Marshals, Horizon Chase and Geometry Wars 3, etc with it!
I'm very happy with my Gamevice, but I'm on iPhone 6s Plus. There is an app, too. It's not cheap, but quality is high.
The state is pretty good. We're almost past 1000 games with controller support on iOS (adding Apple TV and we have many more) The SteelSeries Nimbus, PXN Speedy, and Horipad Ultimate are excellent bluetooth controllers, and all are available for about $49 each. Ignore the older bluetooth controllers. The Gamevice is outstanding for iPad Mini, but the iPhone model was disappointing.
I have a Nimbus too (actually a pair of them). I've only used them with my Apple TV so far, but they're great controllers and have worked well in all the games I've tried (Disney Infinity, Sonic, Rayman, and a few others). I assume I'll use them with iPad at some point.
I haven't gotten around to trying anything besides the Logitech Powershell and the Moga Ace Power. The latter is...uh, well it isn't exactly working and I don't know how to fix it. So I would stay away from it since there's a chance it goes bad. But the nimbus sounds pretty damn nice, and if you need to know what games are supported I found a site called afterpad you can use to figure out what games have support EDIT: So I'm testing it more. For future readers of the thread, I don't experience the controller stopping in the middle of Stranger's Wrath. This does it a ton in San Andreas however
I'm totally agree with you about DAC: 100% garbage. I'm partially agree with you about sticks: I was expecting for premium sticks (like XO ones) and I had these tiny and cheap... things. I thought my Gamevice was defective, where were my sticks? But they work fine and I don't feel they are uncomfortable. I'm partially agree with you about ABXY Buttons and handles, too: I could play literally hours without problems. BUT I have small hands (I couldn't even use original Xbox pad... ) so I understand your objections.
Hey Kevin, I think this is the first time I've run into you on TouchArcade. I absolutely love Afterpad. I've been using it for over a year now (even when I didn't have a controller for my new iPhone) and it's really awesome what you've done there. If you missed it above, I stated your review is what convinced me to get the Nimbus and I love it. It feels like a "real" console controller. Thanks for that. Everybody, this guy IS Afterpad. If you have questions about MFI controllers he's the one to ask.
You can't really go wrong with any of those three. I have the Nimbus and the Speedy and I love both of them. I prefer the Speedy since I prefer the D-pad on it to the Nimbus, but as an Apple TV controller, the Nimbus is better since its cross-shaped D-pad makes it perfect for navigating tvOS. And there are now plenty of games for MFI controllers to use and developers seem to be embracing those APIs (probably doesn't hurt that controllers are now more available than they used to be).
I would guess it would be easier to move diagonally with the dpad on the speedy. How is it with the Nimbus? I haven't used a 4 way dpad like on the nimbus in a long time.
Hey, Thanks, happy to help! I've been on TouchArcade for ages. It's the best place out there for iOS discussion, and I still try to come back and participate, even though I have my own site now The DAC is such a mess... I told them about it when I was beta testing the iPad Mini Gamevice, and I'm shocked the iPhone model shipped without fixing it. At least the new iPad Pro model doesn't include a DAC, so they can't screw it up! It's too big. If you're making a plus-style d-pad, the secret is to make it small enough that your thumb can easily pull off diagonals by pressing two directions at once. The Nimbus screwed that up. The new Horipad Ultimate has a much better d-pad, and is a textbook example of how to do a great job of it.
