Review by David Lee
Ever since Sony announced that rumble support would once again grace the innards of its official PlayStation 3 controller, gamers seem to have been waiting an age for the mighty DualShock 3 (DS3) to arrive – and, depending on where you live in the world, some gamers are still waiting. However, gaming and peripheral specialist NYKO Technologies has duly come to the rescue and beaten Sony at its own game by releasing the Zero PS3 wireless controller across all regions.
The NYKO Zero PS3 comes in three flavours (black, white and grey) and is supplied with a USB Bluetooth dongle, a rechargeable NiMH battery, an extremely long USB cable, and a useful AA battery compartment for the use of conventional batteries.
Introducing the wireless Zero to the PS3 is simply a case of plugging in the USB dongle to your PS3, pressing the button on the dongle, then pressing the ‘NYKO’ button on the controller – and from then on it’s gaming business as usual.
The immediate thing that will strike you when first grasping the oddly-shaped controller is its high quality aesthetic. Solid in construction and weighing in at 250g, it makes the official SIXAXIS PS3 controller feel rather cheap and nasty in comparison. The added weight can probably be attributed to the two large heat-dissipating aluminium plates attached to the top of the controller, plus the weight of the additional magical innards that create the controller’s rumbling feedback.
Although the control layout is similar to that of the SIXAXIS, there are some subtle yet notable differences between the two controllers. First off are the thumbsticks. Those on NYKO’s model are made from a transparent red plastic, which smartly display the analogue mechanisms inside the controller’s main housing. Also, the concave shaped thumb area of the sticks is coated in rubber and really does help provide that extra element of play grip – a standout feature not available via the standard convex thumbsticks offered on the SIXAXIS. Granted, the physical action of the NYKO thumbsticks does take a while to get used to, mainly due to the more rigid feel, but a few tweaks of any given game’s sensitivity settings soon solves that problem.
The four fire buttons on the controller are a lot smaller than the SIXAXIS and are also a lot closer together. As to whether or not this is an improvement over Sony’s controller is down to personal choice, however the Zero PS3 does provide optional backlit buttons that most will likely agree is a very useful addition. However, gone are the iconic colours of these buttons.
A large circular D-pad protruding from the controller replaces the usual four-button D-pad of the SIXAXIS. Unfortunately, NYKO’s D-pad is somewhat clumsily incorporated and, compared to the rest of the controls, appears out of place. Similarly, the standard SIXAXIS shoulder paddles have been replaced by rather ugly and cumbersome button alternatives; these are huge in comparison to the rest of the controller’s buttons and it’s a bit of a mystery as to why NYKO chose to make them quite so prominent.
On the upside, the triggers of the Zero PS3 are probably where the controller really offers vast improvement over the SIXAXIS – they just feel ‘right’ when squeezing them. Whether it’s their ergonomic, trigger-like shape or the reduction of the ‘dead zone’ area that makes them superior, NYKO’s triggers are definitely a dream to use when playing the latest driving game.
NYKO Technologies claims that the battery life of the Zero PS3 is around 25 hours and, considering the controller is burdened with the rumble feature’s additional power requirements, that certainly is a big improvement over the 20 or so hours offered by the SIXAXIS. However, the maximum usage range of the Zero PS3 doesn’t come close to that of Sony’s controller, providing only 30 feet compared to the 50-60 feet of the SIXAXIS – but then, who sits that far from the TV?
The NYKO Zero PS3 is one of these pieces of hardware that you’ll either love or hate. If you can get past its peculiar appearance, you may well find that you’ll prefer using the Zero to the SIXAXIS. That being said, it’s hard to state that definitively because the overall effectiveness of a game controller is often gauged by personal choice and the user’s specific gaming style, or what they’ve been used to in the past and what type of games they like to play. The addition of force feedback will, without doubt, add new life to those previous ‘rumble-free’ PS3 games, and the improved trigger buttons will certainly improve lap times while shredding rubber in driving games. However, the inconvenience of the dongle (which doesn’t even allow you to switch on the PS3) and the awful D-pad may force PlayStation 3 gamers to hold out until the official DualShock 3 is released in their particular region.
Verdict: 75%
USA
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