Dragon War Dragon Shock Mobile – Hardware Review
It hasn’t been all that long since a massive wave of Dragon War products hit our doorstep, but it seems the brand is doing its best to push their products to all corners of the market. We know that in the past Dragon War has always provided sturdy and qualitative controllers for PlayStation and PC, but it seems that now they want to expand a bit further by creating something for the increasing number of mobile gamers. This time we get to see the somewhat familiar Dragon Shock again, albeit the Bluetooth version for mobile gamers.
Design
The Dragon Shock Mobile looks pretty much the same as the Dragon Shock 4, albeit with a few subtle changes when it comes to the finishing touches. This means you’ll get a controller with nearly the same contours as a PlayStation 4 controller, but somewhat smoothened out and a bit more flashy. You’ll also notice the abstract PlayStation symbols on the buttons, rather than aiming for the often used A, B, X and Y buttons.
Instead of blue finishing touches like the Dragon Shock 4, you’ll be treated to a flashy yellow color, which actually looks surprisingly good. Overall there’s nothing new added to the design, safe for a small contraption which you can ‘wrap around’ your controller to serve as a stand for your smartphone. The latter looks quite simple, but fancy enough to suit the controller. Perhaps only the red finishing touches feel a bit out of place considering the controller has yellow details.
Comfort
As always, Dragon War presents us with a very comfortable controller, which is both thanks to its shape, as well as the soft padded coating that encompasses the device. While the latter is very pleasant, it’s also harder to keep clean than a normal plastic controller. Nonetheless, if you wipe it off on a regular basis, it shouldn’t be too hard to keep the device clean.
Thanks to its sleek and long handles, both players with small hands, as well as those with larger hands, will be able to use this controller in a very comfortable fashion. Every button as well as the sticks are well within reach for both types of gamers.
The only discomfort you’ll experience when using the device, is when trying to add the add-on to the controller. As the contraption is able to encase the middle of the controller, you’ll first have to unscrew both ends of the iron ‘handle bars’, to allow it to open, by clicking open the plastic part. You’ll then be able to insert the controller, but when it’s actually inside, the iron part will either be in the way for the select or the start button, which makes it seem as if the design wasn’t properly tested. Nonetheless, when using it, it’s a handy tool to keep your smartphone (sideways) stable. The only problem is that when you own a smartphone that has a button (or buttons) in the middle of its side, you will not be able to use the clamp on the middle of your device, thus having to slide it more to one direction or the other. This means your ‘screen’ will not be in the center of the controller. Of course, with it being so little, you’ll hardly notice any discomfort, as you won’t have to really turn your head.
Specs
- Weight: 189 grams
- Works with PC
- Includes mobile grip
- Non-slip joysticks
Overview
When booting up the device, by pressing the X (or according to the manual A) button in combination with the home button, you’ll be able to enter the pairing mode to connect with your smartphone or tablet. From here on out it’s pretty simple, as it all depends on the games you’re playing or want to play. As the extra add-on only works with a tilted smartphone, you can still put something together yourself, if you’re playing games that need you to keep your smartphone vertically. That being said, from here on out this controller’s usefulness all depends on the programming of the game you want to play.
If the game supports a controller, you’ll be on your way in a matter of seconds, if not, there’s simply nothing to be done about it, as it renders the controller useless. This also means that if you don’t play that many games, and the games you do play are not supported, this device becomes a bit obsolete. Nonetheless, it might be a great idea to check out some games beforehand. That being said, it also works with PC, if you have Bluetooth on it.
Just like the Dragon Shock 4 this one feels a bit less solid than official controllers for consoles, but it’s still a very sturdy device. That being said, the buttons feel qualitative, the triggers are well placed and you’ll notice that you’ll have a qualitative piece of hardware in your hands that is made to last, as well as provide a great gaming experience.
Conclusion
Dragon War’s Dragon Shock Mobile proves to be a very interesting tool for mobile gamers, at least if the games themselves cooperate with the device. While this gaming tool is certainly well worth the investment, there are still a lot of games that don’t support a controller, thus it might take some time to find the proper games to match with this device. Nonetheless, look up some titles in advance and if you’re already playing supported titles, then perhaps you might just find yourself in the store checking this one out.
Dragon War Dragon Shock Mobile - Hardware Review,
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