Nyko AirFlo PC Game Controller

Rating:
Summary: Stunning!
Review: I bought this controller because I needed something to be able to play console-style games on the PC and frankly, this was the only choice in the store at the time. I'd looked over Belkin's, and it just seemed too cumbersome in my hands. I'd read that Thrustmaster's had weak sticks and a tendency to break.

I've been impressed with the Nyko Airflo ever since I took it out of the package. On any of my Windows XP Pro machines, I just plug in the controller and it works out of the box. No drivers, no configuration, no calibration mess. For Windows 98 users, you can download driver files to support it, but I haven't tried them.

I've been playing Silent Hill 2 and 3, Metal Gear Solid, and a handful of emulated games, and the controller has just naturally worked every time. The Airflo has fans in the handles that blow cool air directly onto your palms. A switch controls two different speeds for the fans, or you can turn them off. I didn't buy this for the fans, but having used them I'm really grateful for it - I'm surprised how well they cool your hands. I'd been concerned that my hands might block the intake, but it's tucked up under the middle, so no worries there. The rubber grips are pretty solid to hold, and although I don't intentionally bang the analog sticks, I have accidentally knocked them around and been surprised they didn't snap right off, but instead kept working.

I've got relatively large hands, so this controller is about the right size for me, and I recommend it to anyone looking to get the "Playstation feel" to their gaming.

One thing to note: some of the older (or just lamer) games I've seen don't support the Nyko. For instance, Sonic Adventure DX for the PC says it'll only work with an analog stick. It's a poorly-built game, and no matter how I fiddle with it, it won't even see the analog sticks on the Nyko. Ditto for games like South Park Rally and Sonic R.

Rating:
Summary: paper weight?
Review: I bought this controller so that I could play all my favorite games with a step back and a better handle on controls like when I play on my PS2. I remembered "back in the day" a friend of mine used to own a game controller that you could map the buttons as you liked. i.e. if you currently use E D S F to move up down left right in you games on your keyboard then you would map the d-pad on the controller input the same keystoke on whatever button you chose. Therefore it worked with any game!
When I got my Nyko game pad I was expecting something of the same. BUT IT ONLY WORKS WITH GAMES made for use with game controllers or joysticks. I wanted to use this controller on games like Deus Ex 2, Call of Duty, Unreal 2004 demo, Max Payne 2, Vice City, etc. and it didn't work for a single one. The closest that I got was in Deus Ex 2. I was able to map all the controls because the game acutually recognized all the inputs from the pad. When I played it I got no reaction from the right analog stick. I had mapped this stick to be for looking around in the game. when I started my game the character slowly started look down until he could no longer do so and it was stuck there because the game wouldn't respond to the right analog stick. I got similar resutls with Unreal 2004 but the game didn't even let me map the analog sticks. What a crock! I was so dissapointed. Most of the games just didn't recognize the analog sticks, and that is probably the worst part about an otherwise great controller. It was comfortable, had a 10 ft cable, and all the buttons a PS2 does (including the button of pressing the analog sticks into the pad). The airflo idea was nice, but I never really had the problem of too sweaty hands. Besides if you grip the controller into your palms you cover up the holes for airflo.

I wished it worked like I wanted. I hope I can return it.
(probably not)

Rating:
Summary: Not an avid gamer, but I like it a lot
Review: I don't play a lot of games and almost none on the PC. Call me sentimental, I still pick up my Nintendo64 every now and then. At any rate, I bought the Harry Potter Quidditch World Cup game and loved it muchly, but my fingers got tired using the keyboard for it. So I went out and picked up this controller to use. It was a completely random choice (as I said, I'm not a gamer, so I didn't know what to look for) based more on price than anything else. I discovered that it was the best choice I could have made.

The controller works perfectly with the game and I was able to program all the buttons and analog sticks and everything. Made playing so much easier and better. I don't use the air flow thing so much because I don't have the sweaty hands problem, but I like that it has a bigger grippy area so it fills my hand more. I've been playing with it for several months now and it hasn't broken or gone wonky on me. Very sturdy, works as it should, and helped me win the World Cup :)

Rating:
Summary: I love it!
Review: Not much to say. The controller is easy to use, has cooling fans for your hands, and is just the right size. Its great!

Rating:
Summary: paper weight?
Review: pro's: good grip and feel, lots of buttons, dual analog, best directional pad on a pc game controller ive seen and works well with fighting games but not as good as a ps2 or super nintendo directional pad, the fan does prevent sweaty hands

con's: i bought 2 of these controllers and 1 of the fans would not work after some use and i ended up having to take it apart and pieces of the fan fell out, at random moments your controller will think the analog stick is being pressed left when it is not

overall it is sadly the best controller available for pc's

Rating:
Summary: Almost Perfect...
Review: There's not really much I can say about this controller that any of the other reviewers haven't said. The "Airflow" technology really helps, the PS2 button scheme is excellent, and the D-pad is awesome. The one error that I've run into, is that none of my games let me use the d-pad to control! I always have to use the left analog stick! This isn't really a big problem, except in games like "Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3". It's actually better in games like "LOTR: Return Of The King". I don't understand why it won't let me use the d-pad, but other than that, this is the best controller available to the PC.

Rating:
Summary: Best Game Controller ever!
Review: There's not really much I can say about this controller that any of the other reviewers haven't said. The "Airflow" technology really helps, the PS2 button scheme is excellent, and the D-pad is awesome. The one error that I've run into, is that none of my games let me use the d-pad to control! I always have to use the left analog stick! This isn't really a big problem, except in games like "Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3". It's actually better in games like "LOTR: Return Of The King". I don't understand why it won't let me use the d-pad, but other than that, this is the best controller available to the PC.

Rating:
Summary: Better than average, but with glitches...
Review: This controller is excellent in comfort and ease of use. The fan really helps, although for a real idea of how much it helps you will have to play the same game for an hour with the Nyko controller, and then for an hour with a different controller. The form factor follows the Playstation 2 controller design, which is really the best controller out there (much as the designers of other game systems may wail and gnash their teeth, lol.) However, there are a few improvements over the base PS2 design here. First, the analog thumbsticks' tips are textured with raised ridges, making them much less slippery than the PS2 equivalent, and the handgrips have "cleats" of soft rubberized plastic to give both better grip, and add a bit of "give" to it. It is a VERY comfortable controller to use.
It does have a couple of drawbacks. Other reviews I've read online indicate that a problem I ran into was not limited to me, but seems to be general, which is that after a few weeks of use, the controller "forgets" its calibration and will cause *ahem* unintended results *ahem* in-game. Sadly, there is A) no way to prevent this, and B) no way to tell it has happened until you're in-game and your character (for example) runs in place in a corner and cannot be moved.
This sounds more serious than it is; all you need to do is go to Control Panel -> Game Controllers and recalibrate it, but this IS a hassle some users might want to avoid. If this is no big deal to you, this is an excellent controller, and much more comfortable than its competitors.
Especially if you're playing Final Fantasy XI on PC.

Rating:
Summary: Best Game Controller ever!
Review: This is the absolute best game controller that I have ever purchased. It is a steal for the price, and it works great. This controller has 13 buttons, most others have 8. Without the air flow, this works great, with the air flow it works even better. This controller works on any ME or up computer with a USB port, which most new computers have. Another great thing about this is it has 2 analog sticks, not just one. This is good if you have a game where you have to move and aim. Another great thing-no batterys are needed! You just plug it into the computer and it works like a charm.