Nyko’s Air Flo PC controller lets gamers experience sweat-free gaming sessions with this new self-cooling controller.
The Air Flo line of controllers have built in fans which suck air into the controller and push the air through the vents onto your hands. The basic shape of the pad is the same as a PlayStation 2 controller but a little thick in height. This is do to the placement of the fan being in the middle of the controller. Even with this extra thickness the controller is very comfortable and much lighter than you’d think. The fan is mounted in the back and the middle of the controller is where the air is sucked in and blown out through rubber panels on the insides and outsides of the handles. There is also some crosshatching across the rubber so it is easier to grip. In the center of the controller is a control switch for the fan. It has multiple speed settings from off, low, and high. In the off position no air flows through the controller at all. At low speed the fan blows a light breeze and is very quiet, high speed the fan moves a lot of air but it is also fairly loud. I found the best setting was the low speed, it kept my hands cool without making them cold as the high speed did.
Nyko kept the Air Flo Controller close to the Dual Shock 2 PS2 controller design. You have 13 fully assignable buttons, dual analog control sticks, and an 8 way directional D-pad. There are 4 top shoulder buttons, 4 buttons on the right side of the controller, 3 buttons in a small triangle in the middle of the controller and the 2 analog sticks are used as buttons also. The buttons all respond fast with no play. They are tight and are set a little high for my taste. The D-pad is a little less responsive and takes some more work to pull off some moves. The analog sticks are very accurate and effective with racing games. There where no dead spots that I could tell. Shoulder button placement was fine and where easy to reach.
Nyko’s Air Flo PC Controller draws all power from the USB port. When Using the pad with Windows XP it was immediately recognized. No need to install software or drivers; fast and easy. The other nice feature is the controller has the 10 foot cord which means you can sit back and play a game in comfort. This is really nice if you do not have any front USB plugs.
Final Verdict
Nyko’s Air Flo PC Controller’s cooling system works very well, sometimes too well. It is reasonably priced for PC controllers and it also offers a good value for the price. The controller is comfortable, but it may be a little fat for someone with small hands.
Score
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