Performance and Layout
With the newest Thrustmaster controller they tried to raise the bar. We all know that if you going to use a controller for PC gaming you are probably looking at an Xbox controller. Over the years this has become the de facto standard in PC gaming controllers. With Steam releasing their “Big Picture Mode” all of the buttons on screen are a direct rip off of the Xbox controller. I’m happy to say that they LightBack controller worked flawlessly in “Big Picture Mode”. Many of the games that you would use a controller in such as, Darksiders I &II, Borderlands 2, Alan Wake, Dirt 3, F1 2010-2012, and Batman, all of them worked right out of the box. No messing around in settings getting things to work right. These are games that you want to use a controller with. Using a keyboard and mouse in a racing game is never any sort of fun. Overall, the performance was great. It was as simple as plug n play.
The layout of the controller is a tad different than the original Xbox controller. The triggers are a primary example. They work fine but they have sharp edges while the stock controller has more rounded edges. The triggers are also angled up more than the Xbox controller. This makes for a different kind of feeling. This isn’t necessarily bad, just different. The overall feel of the GPX is nice but it just doesn’t fit in my large hands the same as the other.
The lights in the sticks are a gimmick for sure. When you are playing a PC game the LCD in the Logitech keyboards relays to you useful information. Be it CPU/GPU terms, in game inventory or any other the number of apps that you can download for it. I was having trouble getting the lights working in the first place. Then I figured out that they only come on with rumble. So, unless you’re looking down at the controller while in game, it’s not much of use.
The 2 Speed Gauges on the other hand are useful. They are bright enough that you can tell when you have the throttle gassed in racing games or, that you have it all the way pushed down in a shooter. If you don’t play a bunch of serious racing games it is just not that useful.
The button layout is the exact same as the Xbox controller. You have your bumpers, triggers, D-Pad, sticks and buttons all in their familiar places. The first Xbox controller had a terrible D-Pad, since then they have upgraded it and for some, it works much better. The D-Pad on the GPX is good, as it gets the job done but it is not the best. It just doesn’t have the overall feel like the Xbox controller does.
