Review: An adjustable option for Xbox gamers that’s hard to hate, but the Onza isn't without flaws.
We first picked up – and more or less fell in love with – the Onza Tournament Edition Xbox controller last year, at Gamescom in Germany. It was love at first site.
Now, after a long separation, we are together again... but the relationship seems to have changed. Maybe it’s us, maybe it’s the controller; who can say in these strange, long-distance relationships. Maybe it’s the harsh reality of casual flirting compared to actual hardcore gaming together. Regardless, we have to work at our love, now – it’s no longer something that can be taken for granted.
On paper, everything’s great about the controller. Two programmable buttons, that sit with the shoulder buttons? Yes please, we can at last make meleeing in Halo a lot easier, at least with our small hands. Adjustable thumb-sticks, thanks to a very clever dial that stiffens the sticks’ resistance? Awesome, and this is one part of the Onza (note: only the Tournament Edition features this functionality) that does stand up to that first flush of excitement. Huge cord, that also features a quick release for those time clumsy flatmates/pets/stoners walk into the cable? About time.
Like we said – there’s still a lot of affection for the Onza. But, also, there’s an understanding that love on paper and in the real world are two different things, and the harsh reality of actual use has dimmed our appreciation somewhat. It sits wonderfully on the hand, the long cord is awesome, and the programmable buttons are the biz. But... man, for some reason, Razer’s chosen to make the thumbsticks out of the slipperiest material known to gaming humanity.
Maybe we sweat a lot. Maybe we exude some kind of greasy man-dew. Regardless, we found our thumbs slipping all over the place, making driving, fighting, walking or just about anything to do with camera movement or locomotion under stress an extreme chore, especially in action games. You can get around it be careful thumb positioning, but it’s going to take a lot of effort and swearing. The adjustable tension, though, is fantastic.
It leaves the Onza in a hard spot. We had issues with it, but we still love it, and we just know that there are those out there who are not made of some fiction-free material like us. It’s worth buying, in our judgement, but it’s also worth testing out beforehand.
Issue: 137 | June, 2012