Overall and Final Verdict
I’ve seen a few other controllers come out from PC hardware companies recently, Asus even has a high-end model. But the Cooler Master Storm Controller isn’t aiming to be a high-end controller like what Asus is targeting. They have kept things simple with a design that shares a lot with the always popular Xbox controller designs including its ability to be picked up in Windows as a xinput device aka an Xbox Controller. For PC use that functionality is huge in making the Storm Controller an easy plug-in-and-play device or if you want wireless you can connect through Bluetooth and everything just works. Having the option to be able to switch to dinput as well, the older directX controller API also means that older games aren’t left out which is really important for me. Unlike in the past when I have used a PlayStation controller there is no need to run any software at all.
While the color of the controller doesn’t affect performance at all, I do like the blacked-out controller with Cooler Masters's signature purple tied in. Especially the clear bubbled buttons. I’m surprised that they didn’t integrate lighting into those, but given the long battery life, I’m not upset that they didn’t. The familiar shape also means that the controller is comfortable to hold for those extended sessions. At 220 grams the Storm Controller is also noticeably lighter weight than a standard controller. For comparison, the Xbox Series X is 287 grams and the Xbox One is 279 grams. That lighter weight will help with overall comfort as well.
Really my complaints about the Storm Controller were limited. While I like pink, I wasn’t a fan of the shoulder buttons not matching the purple used on the rest of the controller was a bummer. My only other issue was with the status LEDs which I found hard to keep track of the current battery life.
As for the price, Cooler Master has the Storm Controller priced at an MSRP of $39.99 and if you are looking to use it with your phone the matching cradle is $14.99. There are of course a wide variety of Xbox knockoff controllers available for low prices, but I think Cooler Master hit the mark on their pricing with it being $20 less than an Xbox controller and with it being from a well known pc peripheral brand. The long battery life also helps as well as being able to run it with multiple devices. With Type-C charging it will be nice to have around to get out when we need a controller but it is cheap enough that I’m not too worried about it being damaged if it gets knocked around or if we take it to and from a LAN or two.
Live Pricing: HERE
