Dragon War Dragon Shock – Hardware review
Remember those days that third party controllers were often seen as low quality items or a cheap way of getting some extra controllers to hand out to your friends during local play sessions. Do you also remember giving your friends these cheap humps of plastic because you did not want to give up your favorite, better official controller? Well, it seems since the ‘previous’ generation of consoles third party controller prove to be better and better. Today we have the chance to take a closer look at Dragon War’s Dragon Shock controller.
Design
Dragon War’s Dragon Shock has the typical shape of the official Playstation 3 controller, except it’s a shade lighter and has flashy blue triggers, sticks, D-pad, select button and start button. The symbols on the normal button have been altered a tad, but still resemble the same symbols as on the original controller. Add a subtle, yet prominent (contradiction, I know) Dragon War logo on the right grip and you have yourself a fairly good looking controller.
Both colors actually go well together, the lighter shade of black already looks a tad smoother than the original black color. The blue touches give a fun impression of having a more customized controller and the sense that the creators put in some effort to present something pleasing to the eyes.
Comfort
Seeing the shape is the same, those who already love a Playstation 3 controller will have nothing to worry about. You’ll quickly notice that the controller is covered with a soft, rubberlike substance in order to create a ‘soft’ feeling when handling the Dragon Shock.
Not only the controller itself feels softer, also the sticks and triggers have a bit more grip on them, compared to the original one. This will prevent you from slipping of the triggers, if you have sweaty hands.
Sadly, the soft padding has on disadvantage seeing it gets damaged a tad more easily and/or shows smudges after using it. These smudges can of course be removed but your controller will appear a tad more dirty after each usage than you’d have with a normal plastic controller.
Specs
- Extended triggers
- 177g/6.24oz
- Non slip coating
Overview
The triggers on the Dragon Shock have been treated with some extra non slip coating and have a lot more resistance than the Sony controller. This means you’ll have to apply a lot more pressure in order to press the triggers down completely. For certain genres of games this is pretty much a blessing, for example racing games. You’ll be able to control the way you press your trigger(s) more, in order to keep driving at a certain speed. Also this simply makes the controller feel a lot more sturdy and qualitative. Of course, it will take some time getting used to it, seeing your hand might get tired a tad faster than with the official controller.
All of the buttons on the controller work as they should, feel sturdy and you’ll never have the impression you’re working with a controller that is sold at half the retail price of the official one. Nonetheless it seems the controller sometimes has some delay in processing commands, not that much, but sometimes it feels this way. This might have to do with the fact that you have to apply a tad more pressure on the symbol buttons in order to trigger your command.
All controllers tend to power off after some time of inactivity but the Dragon Shock’s shutdown time seems to be very short compared to other brands. You’ll often find yourself having to turn back on your controller after a lengthier cinematic or after getting yourself some snacks or the occasional toilet break. This proved to be a slight annoyance, especially if you had to dive right back in the action after a cutscene.
Battery life is the same compared to the original controller, so no complaints on this department either. You’ll be able to charge your controller with any charging kits you may own or the original cable that charges your other controllers. It’s a plus that nothing special is needed.
Conclusion
Dragon War’s Dragon Shock proves to be an affordable, decent alternative for those who are in need for (some) extra controller(s). A few mishaps appear with the short shutdown time and a delay every so often, you’ll still have a controller that’s pretty much on par with the original controller with some improved comfort features.
Dragon War Dragon Shock - Hardware review,
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