23.11.2014

As many others have stated here this feels like an xbox 360 controller. If you have ever used one, than you know what to expect here. The size, weight, and button layout are all very very similar. The only difference is you can't depress the thumbsticks. The tension of the sticks and and responsiveness buttons are all similar. The bumpers on this gamepad as slightly different from x360 in feel. However, in some ways I prefer the bumper buttons on this controller they are tad more broad so they are easier to to push (you would have to have it in hand to know what I mean, but it's good.)The part I loved immediately about this gamepad was the iPhone grip bracket.It is spring loaded and automatically adjusts to the size of your iPhone. Best of all if you have a case on your iPhone like me, you can still use the holder. I myself (at time of writing this) am using a iPhone 5S. However, next year I will be upgrading to the iPhone 6+S (or whatever the upgraded version of 6+ will be called). I can confirm there is videos online of people using this product with their iPhone 6 Plus with no issues. The gripper is just big enough to accommodate the newer bigger phones.. although not sure how it handles 6+ that has a case too. I suppose it depends on case thickness.The device is powered by 2 AAA batteries. However, when I get a chance I will be replacing these batteries with rechargeable NiMh eneloop batteries. This will allow me to save money in long run by recharging. The battery run time so far seems very good, so I think it's efficient overall. At time of testing this I have not ran the controller down to a drained state, but I am sure it's on par or similar with a xbox 360 controller too since they are similar in so many ways.To pair the controller with your ios device, just hold the bluetooth button down on the controller for a few seconds, your ios bluetooth settings will locate it, select it on the screen and they will be paired automatically from that point forward each time you turn the power on the controller.There are tons of apps out right now that have the controller feature you can switch on via the options menu. A few of them automatically detect controller settings like GTA San Andres and Oceanhorn. Keep in mind not every single app will work with bluetooth controllers. However, I think most gamers who buy this device already know what game apps they want to use it for and did their homework. I have been playing a lot of Monster Hunter Freedom Unit on iPhone lately. This game really begs to be used by a controller. While touch screen is doable on that game, you get so much more control using a gamepad (like rolling around in combat while actively attacking things) those kind of complex moves are rough on touch screen controls.There is a companion app you can download for this gamepad that allows you to update the internal firmware, monitor battery life and check movement of controls. They also list all the games currenty in app store that work with this controller (it is a lot of them, King of Fighters, Bioshock, a few of the Final Fantasy games, just to breifly name a few big ones, but the list is too deep to rattle them all off here)Overall, I love this gamepad. If you are a fan of the feel of x360 controller, this is for you. I personally feel this is the best bluetooth gamepad on market right now for ios. The included iphone holder is big enough to accommodate iPhone 6 Plus so it's at least got you covered the current and next iphone releases bare minimum. If you are in market for an ios controller be sure to put this one heavily on your radar... I think it's the best one out there right now overall.

15.10.2015

This will be an initial impressions review of this controller. I just got it a few hours ago and have been testing it on games for my iPad mini. I will update my review as I have more time to get to know it.First off, the controllers comes fairly well packaged. It's not great but it's good and it gives off a somewhat quality appeal from the start. it comes with an instruction manual, stickers, a phone mount, and of course the controller itself. The controller upon first look is rather generic looking. The glossy finish and the branding just brings to mind every horrible generic controller I have seen in my days of gaming. Other than that it seems like a direct copy of the Xbox controller.In hand it has a good weight but not too heavy. It feels good in the hand despite the glossy finish it doesn't feel cheap.. All the buttons and triggers feel well done and appropriately springy and squishy. The joysticks are a little stiffer than I'm used to coming from PS4 and Xbox One controllers, but they are more than usable.The controller paired easily with my iPad and took me immediately to the app to download. After installing the app I jumped right into Real Racing 3 to see if I needed to do anything else to set it up. Surprisingly despite the game crashing a few times, the controller was recognized and worked right away. Like I mentioned, the sticks feel a little stiff but they won't be impossible to get used to. Other than that, the controls felt great for the game and it was really nice to see such solid controls work on such a beautiful mobile game.Next game I tried was Modern Combat 5 which also immediately recognized the controller. I may have to do some tweaking to the controller sensitivity for this game as the joysticks movement was much too slow for the nature of the game and what I am used to for a first person shooter. Regardless of my initial issues with the controls of this game, I am fairly sure they can be tweaked to work well.The final game I took for a spin was GTA San Andreas. Using the controller on the iPad for this game brought back some fond memories of playing this game years ago. The controls instantly felt familiar and worked great. I saw no lag in controls at all and was really impressed with how well it worked here.I haven't gotten around to using this on my iPhone 6 yet but I wanted to point out my only realistic gripe with the controller so far. The clip that attaches the phone to the controller requires a screw. I'm glad this controller offers a clip at all compared to something like the Stratus XL from Steelseries which has a much more premium looking controller but lacks a phone clip. However, the clip is somewhat cumbersome because it has to be screwed into the controller in the way that it does. It is really a minor gripe but I would have liked to see a better method to attach and remove the clip or for them to find a way for it to fold nicely into the controller without having to remove it. Nonetheless, the clip actually works pretty well. The phone feels like it is well held in the springy grasp of the clip. It is a bit challenging to get it in with one hand but overall it attaches securely to the controller and your phone.Time will tell if battery life holds up and just the controller in general, but so far besides the aesthetics, I'm very impressed with the quality and functionality of this controller. I will update this review as I spend more time with it, but for now, at ~$50 price point I can easily recommend this controller to anyone looking for a good iOS controller.

5.1.2015

My initial impressions:Pros:1) Feels solidly built.2) The buttons, joysticks, and triggers all feel good and responsive. The d-pad leaves a lot to be desired, but it doesn't appear to be any worse than the d-pad on the Xbox 360 controller.3) The iPhone holder also feels solid and the spring and grips make me confident the iPhone won't randomly fall out. I have some concern that the spring may lose some of its strength over time, but at the moment it is nice and strong.4) Bluetooth pairing was easy and quick. No problems.5) Worked well with Bastion. Nice and responsive.Cons:1) The angle of the iPhone holder doesn't feel right to me and is not adjustable.

17.11.2014

Mad Catz is for hardcore gamers. That I’m not, but I loved the idea of having the ability to take gaming on the road. Everything about the Mad Catz C.T.R.L. spells quality. If you are going to be using an iOS device on top of the C.T.R.L., you can rest assured that it’s solid. The travel clip is spring-loaded and no way you’d be losing your phone unless you dropped the whole thing. There’s a textured rubberized coating that not only will hold your phone firmly, but won’t scratch it.The Mad Catz is surprisingly solid, durable and responsive. There are AAA batteries that come with it (a couple of GP alkalines) so you can immediately play. The battery door pops off rather than slides off,

13.2.2016

I love this controller.I'm a huge game geek, I currently game on Ps4, PC, Wii U, Xbox One, 3DS and now IOS. I've only fairly recently discovered that there are some fantastic (console quality) games to be played on mobile these days but let's face it, for the most part, touchscreen controls suck. So I decided to pony up for a controller. After much review reading, I decided to go for the Mad Catz C.T.R.L.i, I use a Mad Catz R.A.T 7 gaming mouse on my PC which I upgraded to from a R.A.T 3 so I already knew that this company make quality products. This controller is no exception, despite not feeling as premium as the ps4's dual shock 4 and the Xbox one controller, it still feels strong enough and well made.

9.3.2015

I really wanted this to work. But there is one major flaw, the R2 button is always on. That's the Right trigger, the most commonly used button on the game pad, is always firing. Makes it hard to play a game when you're constantly running out of ammo. I've heard that this is. Common problem with these controllers. If not for this flaw, the controller would be near perfect.It pairs easily and the App that comes with it makes it easy to update the controller and let's you know what games support the controller. It also has a diagnostic screen that shows you what is working and what isn't on the controller. You would think this screen would let you calibrate the controller, but that is not the case.There is no lag.

12.6.2015

I bought this controller for use with both my iPhone 6 and iPad Air. I decided on this controller because I wanted one that had a clip to hold the iPhone and one that had good ratings according to Afterpad.com.The controller is well-built and feels nearly the same as an Xbox 360 controller. Like other reviewers have likely mentioned, the d-pad is not good at all. I didn't think this would matter to me much, but it does. The clip for the iPhone works fine, though it would be nice if it could swivel to change the angle of the device. The angle that the clip uses is not a natural angle for my wrists, so they become uncomfortable after prolonged use.

2.1.2015

My first impression on unpacking the ‘Mad Catz CTRL Bluetooth Controller’ was how it is a solidly constructed, robust, high quality product. However purchasers should be aware it is a ‘third party’ device, even though designed for Apple iOS products - with particular relevance to a smartphone via its bracket/clip to hold the phone firmly in place - making it ideal for mobile gaming. As such it is correctly sized for playing on one’s lap, but with suitable cables it can be linked in with TV, laptop etc.The brief but well-illustrated ‘Manual’ is easy to follow, and connecting the controller to your iOS device is straightforward with Bluetooth automatically pairing,

26.12.2014

I am not a massive 'gamer' but do like to play some games on my iphone when away from home. I tend to play Sonic and similar games - a bit retro I know! The problem has its always seems a bit fiddly and oyur own fingers get in the way. This therefore has been great. Its simple to set up, batteries are included and you are up and playing in no time.The phone easily goes into a holding bracket. The bracket has got foam 'bumpers' so I did not feel it would damage the phone. The unit itself feels like a playstation controller. It feels solid - certinly not cheap light plastic. It feels like it would last.You can use it without using the holder - it connects via bluetooth.

8.7.2015

I started with the steel series XL and let me tell you, this controller has better build quality, the joysticks are not slippery like the steel series and there is no lag, unlike the steel series if there's multiple buttons being pressed like aim, shoot and aiming with the joy sticks haha so terrible of the steel series. I bought the steel series first because it was more expensive and because it's on the apple play store, I am a firm believer in "what you pay is what you get" to an extent. I honestly wish the mad cats controller cost more for this fact and it would have saved me time which is more valuable. The steelseries came with a sticker I could throw on my iPad and it was cool,

14.3.2015

Update 10-30-15Just added a picture of it working on the 4th generation Apple TV.*****This controller works flawlessly with the new Apple TV 4 generation. It paired with the apple TV in just a few seconds in the Bluetooth setup tab for the Apple TV. I actually think I like navigating the Apple TV with the Controller better in most cases than the new Apple TV touch remote. I am going to try the SteelSeries Nimbus controller too, to try out, but I think I may be getting more of the Mad Catz C.T.R.L.i controllers because of the button layout is just like the Xbox One and because it feels solid in my hands. The Nimbus has both thumb sticks at the bottom of the controller.***** Works fantastic with my iPhone 6s Plus---Original Review---Everything works fantastic with one exception.

9.6.2015

I've been using this controller for a few months now with my iPad 4. It feels pretty much just like an Xbox controller, regarding the feel, button and stick layout, and feeling of sturdiness. The triggers and shoulder buttons work great. More iOS games are adding controller support, and with some of the better ones, combined with this controller, my iPad feels like a mini console. It works great with my iPhone 6 in the phone clip too.The only thing I slightly dislike about this controller compared to my Xbox controllers, is that the spring tension on the analog sticks is a little too high for my taste, which can make it harder to be accurate in games which require a lot of very fast direction changes,

31.12.2014

I honestly don't understand any of the bad reviews with this product. It comes in high quality packaging with a fancy box and battery's are included. I was not expecting this to fit my iPhone 6 plus but it just manages to hold it with little frustration. The controller responds just like a Xbox or ps controller. There's no lag and the control layout is familiar. I'm playing Knights of the old Republic for iOS8 with the Lightning cable to HDTV and its fantastic. The only complaints I have are not even complaints of the actual controller and are mostly what others have said. It's to expensive and there's only a hand full of games you can use it with or would want to use it with.

2.3.2017

I bought this to use with my Apple TV 4 which I use for gaming and emulation via Provenance. I was on the lookout for a decent controller but the Nimbus and Hori were way too expensive especially seeing as I needed two for multiplayer.I wasn't expecting much from this controller but I've been pleasantly surprised. It's very well built and feels nice in the hand. The controls are responsive with very little input lag over Bluetooth. There's just the right amount of give in the analog sticks too and they're stiff enough that they are acceptable to use on older games such as Street Fighter 2 or Mario. This is great seeing as the DPad isn't up to much but it works ok if you need it.The only downside to this controller is the lack of L3 and R3.

9.2.2015

This gamepad is very well built and feels like a XBox 360 gamepad. I have a wired 360 gamepad and compared them and they look about the same sizewise. The only difference is that you can't click the L3 and R3 buttons (no big deal really) plus I don't think there is rumble in the gamepad. Then it's up to the game app to actually support the gamepad. Mad Catz has an app for the gamepad and has a list of games that you can review and if you touch them, it will take you to the app store page for that specific game.I have tried the other iOS gamepads at Best Buy and I didn't feel comfortable with buying those gamepads for nearly $80.00 due to their cheap plastic build.

Mad Catz C.T.R.L.i Mobile Gamepad - Reviews

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