With the G7, GameSir delivers pro-gaming features at a pocket-friendly price.
This PC/Xbox controller isn’t going to knock the Official Xbox Elite Wireless Controller off its pedestal. But still, its flexibility is hard to beat. It’s also well-built and, thanks to the textured rear, comfortable and easy to hold.
The thumbsticks snap back a little quicker than our official Xbox controller, but after a few minutes of use we barely noticed the difference. We appreciate the face buttons’ pleasing “click”, though that won’t be to everyone’s taste.
In fact, apart from the rear buttons and the word “GameSir”, you could easily mistake this for an official controller at first glance. As far as vibration goes, the G7 doesn’t quite have the same kick but, otherwise, quality is on a par with Microsoft’s own.
And, since it comes with swappable black and white faceplates, you don’t need to worry about it mismatching your console. There are, so far, no more elaborate faceplates on offer but we have our fingers crossed that GameSir will offer something along the lines of HexGaming’s designs.
This is a wired controller, however, connecting to your console or PC via USB-C to USB. You’re losing the wireless function of an official Xbox controller, but we’d argue that the additional functions of the GameSir G7 make it a worthwhile trade-off. After all, with this, you can remap, recalibrate and just plain meddle with the controller.
You’ll need a PC for most of those functions, however. But when you unplug the GameSir G7 and connect it to an Xbox, whatever changes you’ve made go with it. So for first-person shooters, for example, you can dive into the easy-to-use GameSir Nexus software and turn Hair Triggers on. So, tap those triggers even a little bit and your protagonist will let loose.
Alternatively, why not assign the directional pad to a thumbstick? You can give every single button or trigger a new function. You could map every single control, rear triggers included, to the A button. Then, you could give it to a friend who keeps kicking your bottom at Street Fighter 2. Not that we’d ever endorse such woefully unethical behaviour, that is.
The first thing we did was to swap X with the right trigger then load up Dead Rising 2: Case Zero. Hey presto: we were happily dispatching zombies using the right trigger as the attack button. Sure, some games let you remap buttons but the G7 gives you total control no matter what you’re playing.
Our one gripe is that you can’t switch profiles on the fly. The GameSir Nexus software will let you store three profiles, but if you want to change them you have to use a PC. We’d have appreciated the ability to do that on the fly, like some controllers offer, but that’s not a feature the G7 offers. Also, multi-move Street Fighter II-style combinations are also not supported.
Ultimately, you’re after a common or garden third-party controller there are cheaper options, such as GameSir’s own T4 Pro pad. But if you spend that little extra you’ll get a controller that goes the extra mile to give you near total control over your gaming- and at £49.99/$44.99 the G7 is still cheaper than an official controller. If you’re a hardcore FPS player with eSports aspirations the GameSir G7 could be a real game-winner.
