Product: PlayStation 3 Zero Wireless Controller
Manufacturer: Nyko
MSRP: $59.99
Street: $15

The Zero came out a few weeks before the official DualShock 3 controller for the Playstation 3. On paper it is a very tempting piece of hardware made even more tempting by the current street price of only $15, and the larger grips for our large adult hands. Including Sixaxis motion control, rumble, and wireless play makes it look like a better deal than the official Sony offers. Is it the right controller for you? Read on to find out.

I will admit, I do not like the Playstation SixAxis or DualShock controllers. PS1/2/3 all use the same design - the DualShock design. I don't like using them, they are too small and to light. My favorite controller is the Dreamcast controller, of the current generation it would be the XBox360 controller. That is why I jumped at the chance to try out the Zero from Nyko. From the pictures I had seen of it, it looked great. The form-factor was more in line with the XBox 360 and not much at all like the DualShock (except of course the button layout itself).

When I first opened the package I was very happy. The box was nice and heavy, a good sign. I pulled the controller out and was very impressed. The thing is heavy, looks great and feels like it is made of high-quality materials. The top of the controller is covered in a colored (enameled) aluminum which is smooth and cool to the touch. The main body of the controller is dark grey/black plastic. The long grips (I call them wings, but whatever) are extremely comfortable. My hands fit right over them and naturally flow into the channels that are meant to cradle my fingers. What a refreshing change from the wings of the DualShock and SixAxis. The controller is almost as comfortable as my 360 controller, and would be perfect except for the hard edges. Seems they went for style over comfort when deciding to leave squared-off edges rather than rounding them like the 360 controller.

How the controller feels in my hand is great and all, but what about how it will play? The backlit (!) buttons have a nice metallic sheen to them and I really like the tactile feel when they are depressed. I suppose that is related to the spring underneath which feels stiffer then the one on the SixAxis. Trigger and shoulder buttons feel solid and have a rough texture to them which is another nice feature. One of my favorite features of the Zero is the analog sticks. The top of the stick is indented which means that my thumbs don't slip off. What a concept! The one downside to the design is that the D-Pad seem rickety. The up/down/left/right seems to work well and has nice feedback - but there is play in the D-Pad control itself. It sort of spins left and right a little bit. That is somewhat disconcerting to me. Overall I was very pleased with the look and feel of the Zero. I've always hated the cheap/light feeling of the SixAxis, the Zero feels like quality.

After spending some time fondling the controller, I figured it was a good idea to see what else came in the box. Perhaps even read the manual (nah!). Packaged with the controller is the USB Wireless Dongle. Yes, it uses a dongle. Welcome to 2001. That is regrettable, however there is more good news. The battery pack is replaceable and interchangeable. You can use 2 AA batteries of your choice, or use the rechargeable battery that comes packaged with it. Hmm....another similarity to the XBox 360 controller. There is also a nice 6' long USB cable that can be used to recharge the controller at the same time you are playing - usually this would be considered something extra and perhaps be labeled as a "play and charge kit" *cough* 360 *cough*. Of course, there are instructions in English and a bunch of other languages I don't care about.

Setup was simple enough. I slapped 2 AA batteries in the battery pack and snapped the pack onto the controller. Then I put the dongle in the USB port on my PS3. On the dongle there is a button (which looks like a logo which confused me at first). I pressed the button on the dongle and the corresponding button on the controller. The controller synced quickly and easily. It's now PLAY TIME!

I figured Little Big Planet would be a good test of the controller. This ultimate platformer will let me test out response times and button presses. Started the game up and everything looked like it was working fine. I went into the "create your own world" mode of LBP. Opened up my "popit" (control menu). No sooner had I opened it then it closed again. What? I opened it again, it closed again. I tried this over and over with the same result. Finally I got fed up with that and though I'd just try running. The game paused. Then it un-paused. Then it paused again.

The issue seemed to be that the controller was triggering the buttons all on it's own (most often the O button). What? Why? Seeing as how this was a 3rd Party controller, I figured it was a QA issue and sent off for a new one. Fast forward 2 weeks later and I finally receive the new controller. This time the issue was not *as* bad, but I was having the same issue. It seems to me that the reason I have this issue is not the controller itself but the connection between the controller and the PS3. Yes, the dongle. Because it is a wireless protocol that is not Bluetooth, it is more prone to interference in my house. We have 2 PS3, 2 NDS, 2 XBOX360, cell phones, wireless router, Wii, wireless mice and keyboards. All these things add up to lots of 1s and 0s floating through the air. Apparently the Zero just can't handle the filtering of these other devices' signals. I am planning to test it again somewhere less 'wireless' than my house, but really where would that be? So many people these days have so many wireless items that I can easily see this being an issue almost anywhere.

Overall the controller itself is outstanding as far as look and feel. Unfortunately I was unable to play much with it because of the wireless issues. I would love to see/feel/play with a bluetooth version of this controller. Until I can get it to work correctly, I will not be able to recommend this item wholeheartedly.

The Review:

Design:

The overall design is amazing. The hard edges and materials look great and feel great. Weighing in at a hefty 9.6 oz it has some substance to it which is wonderful. My hands fit naturally around the grips which were neither too long or short, a very comfortable controller to hold. Buttons are backlit and feel nice when pressed and released. The triggers are decent, and the analog stick's concave design is a pleasure to use. The d-pad has issue with the loose-fitting cover that moves under your thumb and can cause inaccurate direction signals (for example sending diagonal when you wanted to send right).

Cost:

$60 MSRP, you must be joking...right? Well yes, the MSRP is high. However, it is very rare that you will find this controller for that much. It is currently selling on Amazon.com for around $15 and I've seen it as low as $5. Be careful though, Best Buy still sells it for the high MSRP online and probably $5 over MSRP in the stores (typical Best Buy surcharge).

Functionality:

The jury is still out on this one. Due to the wireless interference I was getting, I was unable to fully test the functionality of the unit. Based on build quality, the controller should work great (except perhaps the d-pad). However, because of the wireless dongle technology there are interference issues at my house and possibly at yours too.

The Good:

High quality construction, great feel, backlit buttons, battery options.

The Bad:

Loose and possibly inaccurate D-Pad.

The Ugly:

Wireless USB dongle which is prone to interference and misinterpreted signals.

Final Vote: The Bronze Bathseat