Gizmodo: kontrolfreek

KontrolFreek's FPS Freek Controller Add-ons Make Thumbstick Aiming Easier

Jason Chen — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 16:30:31 EDT

KontrolFreek, the company that made the SpeedFreek add-ons to the Xbox 360 controller that we reviewed last year, has a new accessory coming soon called the FPS Freek. It's essentially a snap-on to your controller's thumbsticks, which lengthens them and makes small adjustments in aiming easier. Why is this necessary? IGN Gear says the first 20% of the range of motion is the hardest because of spring resistance, which makes small tweaks to aiming especially difficult.

KontrolFreek also tells us that this product is legal in competition, but there's no notice released officially yet. If you pre-order, you'll get a 20% discount on the $9.95 for two and $17.50 for four. We haven't tested these ourselves, but IGN did take a look at an earlier prototype version and found that it did make the small aiming adjustments (in the first 20% range of motion) easier. We'll have to frag for ourselves. Their target release date is June 1. [KontrolFreek]

Lightning Round: Kontrolfreek's Speedfreek Xbox 360 Controller Attachment

Jason Chen — Tue, 31 Jul 2007 16:20:20 EDT

The gadget: Speedfreek, an add-on from Kontrolfreek for the Xbox 360's left analog stick to make racing games easier to play by making the cars more precise to control.

The verdict: Pretty comfortable for racing games, because it allows you to use just the sides of your thumb to gently nudge the car left or right.

The catch:

It's not great for anything but racing games, because the plastic attachment on the bottom makes pressing down hard on the stick slightly more uncomfortable. Kontrolfreek is working on an adapter for other genres.

The performance: Good. I don't know if it made me any better at PGR, but it did make turns more comfortable since the grooved sides fit my thumb quite nicely.

The price: Pack of 2 for $9.95, or pack of 4 for $17.50.

The recommendation: If you're a racing fan who doesn't want to pony up for a racing wheel, this is a very cheap alternative.

[kontrolfreek]