Tag: SteelSeries »

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Today’s guide centers around iOS gamers. These are the folks who love their portable games and spend most of their morning commute matching pieces of candy or fighting immortal titans. If you’d like to make the gamer(s) in your life have an overall more pleasant and convenient gaming experience, or simply get them some really cool stuff to play, check out our list below for some ideas.

Gaming peripheral company SteelSeries has announced that its full-sized controller for iOS, the Stratus XL, is now available for sale in Apple's brick and mortar Stores.

Introduced earlier this year, its little brother the Stratus was one of the first wireless iOS controller to come to market, with the Stratus XL brought in to give players the option to use a controller more similar to the size and layout of console controllers. The Stratus XL features a pressure-sensitive D-pad, four pressure-sensitive buttons, and four shoulder buttons.

The SteelSeries Stratus XL controller is available at Apple stores and on Apple.com now for $69.99.

The E3 show floor was awash with games, as you'd expect, but there were also a fair number of iOS controllers on display. Three in particular stood out, including a couple of big names as well as a third entry that seemed to come out of nowhere. Curious to know more? Well then read on!

SteelSeries Stratus XL

Imagine a much larger console-style rendition of the Stratus with pressure-sensitive left and right bumpers, a decent heft, comfy fit, a Quick Pair button that makes pairing with an iOS device much easier, and rubber on the analog sticks for a better grip. That's the Stratus XL.

This new full-sized controller ships with (and uses) two AA batteries and holds a charge for up to 40 hours of start/stop play, and will auto sleep after two minutes of inactivity just in case you forget to shut it off. It also features the same compatibility list as the original Stratus.

The Stratus XL should be available for purchase in September or October of this year. No concrete price has been announced yet, but I've been told it will sell for less than the classic model ($79.99).

Razer Junglecat

Then there's the Junglecat from Razer.

What makes the Junglecat interesting is the way it's been designed to act as both an iPhone case and a controller. The control portion actually slides out from the side, turning it into something that's about the size of most handheld gaming devices. Once you're finished with it you just slide it back and go back to using your phone as usual. It was designed with to be a more convenient portable solution to iOS gaming controllers, and it definitely shows.

The Junglecat is available in white or black for $99.99.

PhoneJoy

The PhoneJoy was tucked away in a corner towards the back of the expo hall, but I'm glad I had the chance to check it out because it's actually pretty neat.

It's certainly similar to the MOGA Ace Power Gamepad in the way it expands and cradles an iPhone, but make no mistake: this is a totally different beast. When collapsed, the Phonejoy takes up very little room - maybe about the size of a wallet - and can easily fit into a pocket, yet it can expand far enough to house a tablet in portrait orientation. Oh, yeah, it can be used with tablets. It also connects to iOS devices via bluetooth.

There are three packages available for the Phonejoy: Basic for $69.90, which is just the controller and a one year warranty; Advanced for $79.90, which includes the controller and warranty, a soft pouch, and a set of specially-designed adapters that will allow you to plug in headphones (because it covers the iPhone's jack) and act as a backup power source; and the Pro Gamer for $89.90, which includes all of the above plus a tablet kickstand and travel case.

SteelSeries revealed their Stratus XL today: a sleek, full-sized, console-style gaming controller designed for iPad, iPhone, and iPod Touch. Ever since SteelSeries brought us their quality mini controller in 2012, fans have been asking for a full-sized model.

As with most controllers, the Stratus XL features a D-pad, 4 action buttons, 4 shoulder buttons, and dual analog sticks. It will also have a pairing button to connect to iOS devices via Bluetooth and a convenient on/off switch to conserve battery. The Stratus XL will deliver an estimated 40 hours of gameplay with two standard AA batteries. The controller will be able to interface with many gaming apps such as Leo's Fortune, Bastion, and GTA: San Andreas.

You can expect to see the Stratus XL to be available for purchase later this year.

So it looks like the MOGA Ace Power MFi controller has had a price drop. The collapsable iOS controller has gone from $99.99 down to $79.99 - possibly due to some rather stiff competition, hmm?

Well regardless of the reason, you can now get your hands on the MOGA Ace Power for $20 less than you could before. So if you've been wrestling with the idea of buying one for yourself now might be the time to reconsider.

Looks like there's been a change in the SteelSeries Stratus wireless game controller's price recently. The MFi controller is still in its preorder phase, but the price has officially been dropped by $20. So instead of paying $99 for the wireless bluetooth iOS controller, you'll be able to get it for $79. People who have already preordered the controller need not fret however; SteelSeries has stated that they will be honoring the $79 launch price on all preorders, regardless of whether or not they were placed before the price drop.

If you liked what you've read in Jeff Scott's review, or if the new price tag makes it hard to resist, you can head on over to the official SteelSeries store page and preorder a Stratus controller of your own.