Powera Enhanced Wireless Controller for Nintendo Switch Review

RGB lighting is a mutual sight for gaming gear, such every bit mice, keyboards, and computers. They're rare among controllers, though, and that makes the PowerA Spectra Infinity Enhanced Wired Controller for Xbox 10/S unique. This $44.99 gamepad features iii, Tron-like lighting zones that enable hundreds of color combinations. Physically, it feels well-nigh the same as the standard Xbox controller, and works with PCs and current- and final-gen Xbox consoles. It also has programmable rear buttons, which is always prissy to find in a third-party gamepad. That said, it's a scrap awkward to customize without an app.

Feels Like a Kickoff-Party Controller

The Spectra feels almost identical to the standard Xbox Wireless Controller, and it shares the same contours. The front panel is smooth, matte blackness plastic, while the dorsum panel is textured, slightly glossier black plastic. The command layout, of class, is standard Xbox: dual analog sticks offset from each other; four face buttons; a direction pad; Menu, View, and Capture buttons; bumper/trigger pairs along the top; and a 3.5mm headset jack on the bottom. The direction pad is plus-shaped similar on the Xbox One gamepad rather than the directional disc on the Xbox Serial 10/Series Due south gamepad. Still, it feels familiar. Information technology's a comfortable gamepad that y'all could easily mistake for the get-go-political party Xbox controller, until you feel the two, flat Advanced Gaming Buttons on the back, right where your middle fingers naturally residual.

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(Volition Greenwald)

Farther exploration of the gamepad reveals the significant differences between the Spectra and the Xbox Wireless Controller. To start, there's a backlit volume rocker for the headset jack between the direction pad and the right analog stick. Likewise the Advanced Gaming Buttons, the gamepad's dorsum holds 3-way trigger lock levers with Program and LED buttons between them. In that location's too no battery compartment door, considering this is a purely wired controller; a recessed, micro-USB port on the top border connects to a 10-foot fabric-covered cablevision with a breakaway joint and a USB-A plug at the end.

Add Some Colored Lights

Then there'due south the Spectra'south chief gimmick, visible only as translucent greyness borders around the analog sticks, direction pad, and face buttons, along with a similar translucent band that runs forth the border of the gamepad itself. Plug the controller in and these borders calorie-free up with a Tron-like event. This effect is customizable with iii zones and four colors, each with 5 shades and multiple levels of brightness.

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The calorie-free effect is heart-catching, and the color diversity lets you personalize the gamepad's look. The light piping effectually the controller's border is a scrap dimmer than the lights around the analog sticks, management pad, and face buttons, simply it withal looks nice. Customizing those lights is a bit awkward, nevertheless.

PowerA doesn't offering an app for programming the Advanced Gaming Buttons or customizing the lights. Programming the buttons is easy enough: Press and hold the Programme button on the back until the status light flashes, press the input y'all desire to assign to a rear push, then press your rear button of choice. That'due south it.

The light bear witness is a different story. First, you press and agree the LED button until the lights blink on the controller'southward top. Press right on the direction pad to select 1 of the iii zones (the low-cal strip effectually the gamepad, the left analog stick and face buttons, or the right analog stick and management pad). Press one of the confront buttons to choose red, greenish, blue, or xanthous, then keep pressing the button to select one of 5 unlike shades of that color. Printing left on the direction pad to switch between solid lighting or a animate effect, and press up or downwards on the direction pad to adjust effulgence. Finally, you press and hold the LED button until all the colored lights flash to betoken that you lot've exited programming mode.

The process offers numerous options, only it'south not at all intuitive. You practically need to continue the instructions around for reference. An app for setting and uploading gamepad configurations would accept been a much better option.

(Volition Greenwald)

Responsive Gameplay

The Spectra works with Windows x PCs, whatever Xbox One, and the Xbox Serial X/South. Because it'south a wired gamepad, just plug it into a USB port and outset playing. I tested the Spectra primarily with an Xbox Series Ten.

The Spectra'south controls experience close to the Xbox Wireless Gamepad'south, and I noticed little if any difference in analog stick tension, face push button stiffness, or direction pad accuracy (though the plus-shaped pad is dissimilar from the eight-management disc on the current Xbox gamepad). It simply feels like an Xbox controller, which is a good start. The triggers too work well, though the trigger stops are a chip more subtle than the trigger stops I've felt on other gamepads; the pull distance with the stops at the shallowest setting isn't that much more than shallow than the pull altitude without the stops. The motility is all the same a bit shorter, simply information technology isn't very significant.

Hollow Knight felt very responsive with the Spectra. Although the glossy direction pad feels slightly slippery compared with the matte management pad on the get-go-party Xbox controller, the directional inputs all worked perfectly, and I had no problems bouncing on spikes with timed attacks or beating some of the game'southward early bosses.

Tony Hawk's Pro Skater one+two also felt good on the Spectra. The analog sticks were just equally responsive as the direction pad when playing Hollow Knight, and the springy face buttons and triggers let me nail adequately circuitous combos with manuals, reverts, wall rides, and wall kicks.

Mode Over Wireless Convenience

The PowerA Spectra Infinity is a reliable, wired PC and Xbox gamepad with an attractive light show gimmick. If you don't mind dealing with a cable, that's pretty appealing. It's a bit pricey at $45 considering information technology'due south wired, peculiarly since it lacks any sort of app-based control and requires you to manually program the rear buttons and lighting effects. Still, it feels near as good equally a standard the $59.99 Xbox Wireless Controller, and that'southward high praise for whatever third-party gamepad.

If y'all want to stay wireless, the Xbox Wireless Controller is still a reliable standard fifty-fifty without programmable rear buttons. If you're willing to splurge, the $179 Xbox Aristocracy Wireless Controller is i of the best gamepads for Xbox and PC. Meanwhile, if you have smaller hands, the $49.99 Nacon Pro Compact might exist the best fit for you, though it's also wired and lacks rear buttons.

PowerA Spectra Infinity Enhanced Wired Controller for Xbox Series 10|Southward

Cons

The Bottom Line

The PowerA Spectra Infinity gamepad feels only like a standard Xbox controller, but it trades wireless connectivity for a three-zone RGB light show and programmable rear buttons.

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Source: https://www.pcmag.com/reviews/powera-spectra-infinity-enhanced-wired-controller-for-xbox-series-xs

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