It was like opening an early birthday present when I received this controller today. I was anticipating it and looking forward to it greatly. I'm going to say straight ahead this is completely my fault. So I went into Bestbuy two days ago wanting to price match a ps4 controller that I could use to play Fortnite on my Mac only to have two of the employees tell me "the wireless ps4 controller doesn't work on older versions of mac" which is a complete LIE I believed. I bought this controller desperately not even bothering to see if it's compatible with Fornite I just cared that it was compatible with Mac as apparently most controllers don't seem to work with mac (according to the Google.) Like I stated earlier I got the controller delivered to me today and I opened that package up quick and immediately hopped onto my mac and launched Fortnite to test out this bad boy. As eager as I was I quickly found that Fortnite only recognized the analog stick on this controller and not the D-pad despite me switching the controls to X-box 360 in hopes that would solve the issue as the controllers are similar. I was a dummy. Clearly, Fortnite allows for x-box or ps4 controllers ONLY yet I kept pushing for it to happen to work ever so desperately. I've been craving Fortnite for days and wanted to play "like a pro" with a controller. I stupidly spent $5 downloading the joystick mapper app from the app store trying to set this controller up to work with Fortnite. I spent time researching something that couldn't happen despite Google telling me it couldn't work I was so blind in wanting a way. I then realized it wasn't the controller itself it was the game itself and it was me, I ended up spending more money than I should've just to play Fortnite how embarrassing. I have peaked the lowest humanity can go. So I decided to go to my local video game store and before he could finish saying "or new" I blurted out "USED" and purchased a used Ps4 controller named The D (according to Bluetooth), (because bish I'm broke and trying to save SOME coins) I didn't even bother to confirm whether it would work or not with a Mac this time, I didn't care one bit. I used an android charger that I surprisingly had laying around because, I don't own a PS4 and didn't even think about buying a charger earlier that day for it, and I connected that puppy to my Mac and BAM my dream of playing Fortnite became a reality. Who says PS4 controllers don't work on older macs now huh? I have the late 2013 MacBook pro retina 15'' in case ya'll were wondering. Ok back to the nimbus controller itself. I like it honestly but I just wanted a controller in order to just play fornite so I will be returning this sadly otherwise it will just be collecting dust. It's easy to connect as well. I tried it out on my iPhone as and it works with Minecraft woo! (even though I don't play it any more thought I'd test it out.) This nimbus controller is only compatible with so many games to be careful to research what it's compatible with before purchasing and avoid being that dummy (me). It's not the controller's fault, in the end, it's the games fault for not offering compatibility with different controllers besides Xbox and PS4. I will also tell you that this Nimbus controller wouldn't work with Fortnite mobile either. I can't tell you much about this controller such as battery life because I only used it for so much time trying to set it up to work fully with Fortnite but I can tell you that it's light and slim (I have long skinny fingers lol.) So long nimbus controller it was fun while I had it but it just wasn't for me. 5 stars for shipping and the product being as advertised.

With the release of iOS 13 and the push for compatibility with iOS and PS4 or XB1 controllers, I thought I'd return to my review for the Nimbus and give my impressions after using the PS4 controller with my iPad.

I actually PREFER using the Nimbus.

Yes, the R3/L3 buttons don't work on the Nimbus, but so far that hasn't been an issue. The positives here are a VERY premium feel, more or less rock solid performance, and great battery life. On top of that, using a PS4 controller requires you to drag another micro-USB cable along with you (the Nimbus charges over lightning). With Apple pushing controllers, and more and more indie PC games making their way to iOS, now is definitely the time for a dedicated gaming controller.

And sure, this thing is expensive (I was lucky enough to get an Amazon Warehouse deal). If you already have a PS4 or XB1 controller lying around, then use what you've got handy. Otherwise, you can't go wrong with the Nimbus!

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Not sure why Apple has never made a bigger deal out of MFI.

I started playing Stardew Vallew on iOS, and grew increasingly frustrated with the clumsy touch controls, which led me to researching bluetooth controllers that worked with iOS.

The Nimbus has the same feel and quality as a Playstation or XBOX controller, with all of the buttons, triggers, and analog sticks that you will ever need for iOS/OSX gaming (aside from the L3/R3 inputs found in PS/XB). The controller works perfectly with any game designed to accept MFI inputs, which is really the only problem with this controller -- the games/apps have to be PROGRAMMED to work with MFI. There are several websites that will tell you which games DO work, but you have to go into this knowing that a vast majority of iOS titles will NOT function with this, or any, controller.

Like other Apple products (ex AirPods), the Nimbus can seamlessly switch between all of your iOS or OSX devices and works perfectly well for Mac gaming. Definitely recommend!

I am an 80's old school gamer, so I have never been a fan of these game pads. But, it's better for Apple TV games than using the remote.

This controller works well, though none of the games I have make use of all the extra buttons, and Steel support was not able to suggest any apps I could try that did.

I knock off one star because it does not have any tilt controls, so many games (that play well using the Apple Remote or iOS app) using tilt have to be played using buttons. It's much hardware to steer racing games using the tiny analog thumb stick versus tilting. And far less realistic.

It has a built-in rechargeable battery that you charge up using a lightning cable, the same way you charge up the Apple TV remote. This is very convenient.

It also claims to work with iOS games, but I have yet to test that. If I do, I will update this review.

I like it. I saw the white version at the local Apple Store (an exclusive color for them), but thought a black controller would not show dirt as easily.

I have a hard time writing reviews but this controller has been amazing! It is the perfect size so it is not big and bulky but it also isn't super small and hard to press buttons. When I first picked it up I could tell it was sturdy and well made. All of the buttons look and feel like an Xbox controller and it links seamlessly and is smooth and fast in connection. The only complaint I have is not with the controller but the game developers. Some of the button layouts make no sense for some of the games, and some games you have to both touch the screen of your phone and use the controller. It doesn't make much sense. The controller itself however works perfectly and makes games that with good layouts so much more fun. I highly recommend it as it has turned my iPhone 6 into a traveling game console.

Good Games for the controller (That I have played)

Minecraft

Grand Theft Auto San Andreas

Gangstar 4

Storm Raiders

Asphault 8

Games that didn't work as well:

Call of Duty Strike Team (It is fun but you still have to touch the screen at some points)

Trial Xtreme were not as functional

All in all it was a worth it purchase as it is not specific to iPhone or iPad but works with all. I bought a Moga controller in the past that I could only use with my iPhone 5, so this was a must fro me. Enjoy!

I normally don't write reviews, but I was so blown away with this product that I just had to.

The body of the controller is made of a hard plastic, and the 2 center joysticks are both a rubber-like material. It has a rechargeable battery, but can only be charged with an Apple Lightening adapter. It works with almost every Apple device (almost all that were released in the past 5 years). At the moment, I have mine BTed to my Apple TV (4th Gen, I believe) and my iPhone 5c.

PROS:

-Comfortable to hold

-Pressure sensitive buttons/joysticks (This allows you to do things like control speed in a game; it is not just 0% or 100%)

-Easy setup

-LED display for battery level, BT device pairing, etc.

-Menu button for pausing a game or going home on an Apple TV

-Letter buttons are clear with a 3D colored letter inside them

-Charges quick

-Compatible with lots of games, but certainly not all

-Works seamlessly on almost any Apple device

-Every once in a while you discover a game optimized for this controller (Minecraft PE, Apple TV AG Drive, etc.)

-Free prime 1-Day was insanely fast- Ordered at 3:00 pm on Saturday, at my house by 10:00 am on Sunday

-Product box was nice. It had foam on the inside to prevent it from breaking.

CONS:

-Sometimes BT does not automatically pair with my phone. Solved by going into BT settings and manually connecting (which quickly gets annoying).

-No lightening cord or wall brick included, but must be charged with them

-Not sure why, but the ON/OFF switch is labeled "HOLD." Not really a con, just interesting.

All in all, this was a great purchase. I will definitely buy more products from SteelSeries in the future.

quite a fantastic controller it looks good it's durable everything you see is ok things like limited button setups are not the controllers fault ok let's see why I've turned this 5 star controller into a 3 star review and looking at the competition.

I play modern combat 5. The schematic I use in order to use the knife as 'A' button requires me to shoot with r1. And throw a grenade with r2.

The way the controller fits allows your finger to barely hit the corner of r1 and lately I've been misfiring grenades because I keep accidentally hitting r2.

Some people would know what I'm talking about. Some may take it has an advantage. To me it feels a bit too compact and the design in the back could be done better with the angles and I think a stiffer r2 would make it more realistically luxurious and believable.

I am nitpicking to some degree but there are at least two other controllers out there besides the steel series xl which has poor to average reviews. I like what I see with the steel series xl and might just try it despite 3 stars on Amazon.

I will probably put this in a droor and try the madkatz or the other one I forget the name of that also allows a phone to port.

Since Amazon combines both the nimbus and Stratus Duo reviews, I have to put both those reviews here.

Nimbus Review:

Because I saw that someone had posted on YouTube that this controller does not work with OpenEmu, I thought that I would clarify that at the time of this review (Feb 19, 2017), it does work. It connects just fine to the Mac via bluetooth, and there is no button that does not get detected and function just fine (including the joysticks).

Don't be fooled though, outside of OpenEmu, there was no game on my Mac that worked with it. Obviously it works great with iOS though and I definitely preferred it for that over other MFI controllers that I found.

Edit: I wanted to add that I have further tested this controller and it also works with the "Dolphin" Emulator (which runs GameCube games), except that it doesn't sense the start button. In case you're wondering, this doesn't work at all with the "Boxer" emulator (that's a DOS emulator for Mac).

Also, although this controller doesn't work with most regular Mac Games (including Steam games), you can make it work with many games by using a program called Joystick Mapper or something similar. If you go that route, you can remap the inputs to read as keyboard inputs inside of your games, which still doesn't work in every game (plus the D-Pad and Start Button aren't picked up at all by that program), but it certainly extends the usefulness and capabilities of this controller.

Stratus Duo Review

Summary

The Stratus Duo feels just like the Nimbus Controller for iOS, except for small improvements to the triggers and D-Pad. The Wi-Fi connection dongle has an amazing range and was fairly reliable on windows. The Bluetooth is essentially useless for anything but an android phone. Battery life seems great as long as you use the dongle and not Bluetooth.

The Details

Look and Feel

This controller looks and feels almost identical to the Nimbus controller. I was a big fan of the Nimbus, so having one that works natively on PC is awesome. The things that are different are the triggers, D-Pad, and front LED’s. The triggers have a shorter range, and are slightly more ergonomic/curved. I would say that they’re better than the Nimbus in that regard. The front LED’s are a step down in the sense that they’re white instead of red. This makes them a lot more distracting in dark environments compared to the Nimbus’ red lights. They also seem brighter. So they constitute a strange design change in my opinion. The D-Pad is bigger than the Nimbus, the surface is different. It feels better to me than the Nimbus but is definitely more stiff than the PS4 controller.

Wi-Fi Dongle

When you plug in the dongle to a PC, it’s basically is plug and play, and the range is incredible. I was planning on using the Bluetooth setting to connect to my Steam link a couple rooms away, but the connection is so good using the included dongle, that I was able to play on my Steam link while still connected directly to my PC. That means that the connection has a greater range than even my Xbox One Controller when I connect it to my PC through Microsoft’s proprietary USB dongle. It’s also substantially better than the Bluetooth range on my PS4 controller, which cuts out before even reaching my living room (where the steam link is). As far as negatives go… This does not work at all with an Xbox One. I tried it, and it doesn’t even detect that something is plugged in. It also has a strange issue on PC, where if you turn the controller off, it will often connect as the second player controller when you turn it on again, which means that you can’t play any one player games because of being considered a second player. You have to restart your PC to fix that issue. Windows is fairly buggy with controllers sometimes, and this could very well be their issue and not the this controller’s issue. However, I haven’t had that problem with my Xbox One controller or my PS4 controller.

Bluetooth

By far the biggest failing with this controller is its extremely bad Bluetooth. I guess when they say that it works with Android and VR, they really just mean those two and nothing else. It connected with the Steam link, but had a bug where the left joystick moves the mouse slightly, while also moving the joystick at the same time. No other controller has that issue on my Steam Link. iOS 13 brought xinput and direct input controller support with it and I can confirm that both the Xbox One and PS4 controllers connect and work just fine. This controller… not so much. iOS can’t even see this controller in the Bluetooth connection menu. I tested that on multiple iOS devices. So don’t plan on using this with iOS. My MacBook was able to see it and connect to it, but then I couldn’t use it in any way, not even in OpenEmu, which is something that even the Nimbus can be used with. The lights also indicated that the connection was unstable or something, since they went back and forth from showing the looking-for-a-connection pattern to the now-connecting pattern. So don’t count on using the Bluetooth for anything but Android.

Durability

The controller’s durability has yet to be evaluated, so I might update this review with that in the future. I will say that the Nimbus had a design flaw that caused the triggers to become sticky within a fairly short time. iFixit has a page about how to fix that issue, and they also explain what causes it. This controller feels very similar to the nimbus as far as the triggers go, so I wouldn’t be surprised if it has the same flaw.

The Apple TV (4th Gen) is the first real game console our family has had. Aside from games on computers and iDevices, we've never bothered with a game system like those Xstations, Playboxes, Nintari Wheeze, etc. (Why are you looking at me like that?) Anyway, we learned quickly that the Apple TV Touch Remote is HORRIBLE as a game controller:

* Too often "Voice Over On" comes on because enough pressure is placed on an adjacent button to trigger it.

* It's easy to hit other buttons like Pause and Menu, disrupting game play.

* It's hard to find: It's so thin it's easy to loose between cushions or other odd places.

The Nimbus offers great control and a rechargeable, long-lasting battery. It feels good to hold and overall control is great. What it lacks is the accelerometer found in the ATV remote. Playing games like Asphalt 8 (driving/racing) is actually better with the ATV remote, usually, because of the feel of holding the remote like a steering wheel (bar), akin to the Nintendo Wii. The Nimbus has dual joysticks and a variety of buttons. Once you acclimate to it, it's fine. The build is solid without being too heavy, causing hands to tire out too soon.

It also lacks customization features (so far as I can tell). An iOS/Apple TV app to let the user override control mappings with apps could be useful. Some similar games have very different control schemes and it's quite counterintuitive. But that's more a function of app developers, not a shortcoming.

I'd give it 4.5 stars, taking some off for a lack of accelerometer and a few other nuances mentioned in other reviews, but for this price and construction this is EASY to recommend.

I don’t normally write product reviews but felt I had to for this brilliant game pad. It works perfectly when linked to my iPhone 8 and the buttons etc are very responsive. The ergonomic design also fits comfortably in your hands and allows for hours of great game play. I would definitely recommend playing Grid Race Driver with it - it gives the game a whole new experience. Well worth the money but I would recommend buying a phone clip with the pad which are also available on Amazon.

Great controller, works as described, delivered on time and without any problems.

i just got this controller today, and right away i just love the quality and feel of it! very easy to pair up to my apple tv and my other devices! makes gaming on my apple tv a lot more enjoyable! the performance is fantastic with no response delay! love the led display which easily informs me about my battery status with the controller! if you have apple products, then this is the controller for you!

Je n'ai jamais trouvé une manette aussi pratique et qualitative que celle-là!

Celles que j'ai essayé avant, je les abandonnais au bout de quelques heures de jeu.

Elle est bien finie, les matériaux sont de qualité, la prise en main excellente. On dirait une fusion entre une manette PS4 et une Xbox One.

On ne transpire pas avec so plastique et elle ne fatigue pas les doigts, tous les boutons ont une position impeccable.

Elle est légère, la charge est rapide, l'autonomie est bonne.

Elle est compatible IOS et Mac OS, se recharge avec un câble lightning standard d'iPhone, ce qui fait un câble de moins à trimballer!

Elle supporte beaucoup de jeux, du coup je me suis remis à jouer sur iPad.

Pour exemple Oddworld est un régal avec cette manette.

Très content de cet achat.

got it in one day and its basically just plug and play like a dream with my iPhone 7plus ..... connects to my macbook pro 13 inch retina as well though i haven't yet tried to play game on the mac yet ....