#1 Re: MFi Controllers » iPhone 6s / 6s Plus Won't Detect Horipad? (Fixed) » Oct 28 1:42 PM

Hehe well I suppose this is moot anyway because now I'm happy to find the Nimbus is aces.  Will be sticking with that.  Horipad got me through the MFi dark ages. 😜

#2 MFi Controllers » iPhone 6s / 6s Plus Won't Detect Horipad? (Fixed) » Oct 16 10:29 AM

XanderDavis
Replies: 3

I had my Horipad working just fine on my iPhone 6 but now that I've upgraded to 6s Plus, it doesn't detect it to pair!  Anyone else running into this?  Is it working for you?  Do I have to force a reset on the Horipad somehow?

UPDATE: Wow, totally forgot about that little BlueTooth button in between the LS and RS. lol  That did it. 😊

#3 Re: MFi Controllers » Stratus XL LS Glitches » Sep 22 12:46 PM

Haha- yep!  Now I've gone indie! 😊

As far as racing games, I haven't tried those yet, but will add that to the list.  Wipe'Out" made such a huge impact on me, to the point that it largely set me on a course into graphic design and games development as a UI Designer initially that I could see a futuristic racing game part of my indie to-do-list at some point! 😜  So much to do...!

As far as getting iOS games on TV there are two main ways-- AirPlay with an existing Apple TV or get the Lightning-to-HDMI converter, which is what I did.  Its only downside is it heats up your phone quite a bit!  But it works like a charm:

http://www.apple.com/shop/product/MD826 … 897272c818

Hope that helps!

#4 Re: MFi Controllers » Stratus XL LS Glitches » Sep 22 11:47 AM

Yeah the Mad Catz gamepads were viable-- those issues I was having were enough to be problems for me but I could see someone getting by just fine with them.  I really liked how it had the iPhone mount.  The Horipad just felt great and worked perfectly though, to the point that it clearly beat all others for me, for the types of games and experiences I'm going for.  It was like 'ahhhh, finally'.

Also of note, for every gamepad, I had a series of MFi games (apart from also my own prototypes) that I would test in the same progressive order.

1) Halo: Spartan Strike (top-down action shooter)
2) Shadowgun (3rd person action shooter)
3) Final Fantasy VII (classic 3D RPG)

The above were done systematically on each gamepad.  The thinking was to test each one against progressively more console-like experiences, even though all of them were in general.  Other test games included Bastion, Oceanhorn, Lilly, Metal Slug, etc... but those were done just out of curiosity.

Playing these on a TV with a gamepad really changes their feel dramatically-- they really feel like full-blown console experiences at that point.  Pretty amazing this all can run on our phones now!

Thanks for your insight guys!  It was helpful!  Also nice to share my testing process and experience here. 😊

#5 Re: MFi Controllers » Twin Stick Shooters » Sep 21 7:54 PM

#6 Re: MFi Controllers » Stratus XL LS Glitches » Sep 21 7:35 PM

Quick update-- so I did the nuclear option and got a second Stratus XL, a Stratus, a Mad Catz CTRLi, and a Horipad.  The results?

The Stratus XL's Left Stick had problems AGAIN.  This time it would randomly fire all the way to the left.  This at least made gameplay playable (whereas the first Stratus XL I got would fire to the south and make you reverse direction abruptly and continuously!).  So I'm pretty convinced SteelSeries generally failed on the Stratus series.

I didn't even try the normal Stratus as a result.

(Also of note, this is actually the THIRD Stratus XL I had purchased in a week.  I bought the first one directly from SteelSeries with rush 2-day delivery.  They did not ship it on time or notify me of any delay.  I had to contact them directly by replying on my invoice-- you can't contact them on their contact form because they require a serial number.  If you don't have your product yet, you can't even raise a flag that they failed to ship it!  I got fed up and ordered the second one off Amazon Prime with next-day delivery.  Later that day Amazon confirmed shipment and SteelSeries still had not even replied to my message to their ZenDesk nor had they shipped the controller, three days late now and a day past the 2-day delivery I paid extra for.  Finally they did reply and it took them a day to confirm they were having warehouse issues and could stop my shipment from now going out.  They caught it just in time at the last minute, and then issued a refund per my demand.  It was a pretty bad experience overall... especially then to try out two other Stratus XL's and find them defective!)

Then the Mad Catz CTRLi.  It felt lightweight, cheap, flimsy, but no random firings-- so it was already ahead of SteelSeries.  However, firing the RT was unreliable and moving the RS was difficult, making fine aiming in a shooter impossible at times.

So I was holding my breath for last but not least-- the Horipad.  It was definitely the best.  It looks and feels the nicest, has some good weight to it.  In terms of design, it's like if the DualShock and an Xbox gamepad had a baby.  The RT was the most responsive and effective of any of the gamepads, as reliable as mapping shooting onto a BAXY button like X.  The twin sticks felt good.  And it was the only gamepad that allows you to charge it via USB-- no batteries!

So I managed to get returns on all other gamepads and keep the Horipad.  That should tie me over until trying the Nimbus, hopefully the same day the new Apple TV comes out and not delayed.  At least the Horipad is a solution that fully works, the only one in my experience with these.

Thought you guys might find this useful info.

#7 Re: MFi Controllers » Stratus XL LS Glitches » Sep 18 7:34 PM

Thanks for the insight guys!  I'll give the Horipad or the Mad Catz a try just so I can at least have a controller to develop with that doesn't glitch out while we all wait for the Nimbus!

And yeah that photo of the USB port was super helpful!  Can't believe it's behind the batteries! haha.... ugh.  I even checked the manual and there was no mention of it at all!

Then I tried updating the firmware only to find out... "No update necessary."  Ha!  I beg to differ, Steelseries! lol

#8 Re: MFi Controllers » Stratus XL LS Glitches » Sep 18 3:55 PM

PS: after reading the Steelseries CEO interview on VentureBeat and learning Apple and Steelseries developed the Nimbus together, that's very encouraging that the Nimbus might end up finally giving us an MFi gold standard after all.  We can only wait and see...

http://venturebeat.com/2015/09/11/steel … -apple-tv/

#9 MFi Controllers » Stratus XL LS Glitches » Sep 18 2:04 PM

XanderDavis
Replies: 20

I'm a games developer excited for the new Apple TV.  In anticipation for the Nimbus, went ahead and got the Stratus XL to start preparing my game for a Steelseries MFi controller.

Well the Stratus XL is great-- except for one MAJOR flaw.  The Left Stick (LS) glitches randomly.  I first noticed this in my builds on iOS, then trying it on Shadowgun on iOS, then finally watching the inputs on Joystick Show ( https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/joystic … 6877?mt=12 ) on Mac OS X.  For example, in Shadowgun, you can be pressing perfectly forward and suddenly you start running BACKWARDS.  Watching it on Joystick Show, the analogue values seem to randomly fire or even completely flip and go fully on, independently!

I downloaded Stratus XL firmware update software from Steelseries's website (under Legacy software) and it says to connect the Stratus XL via USB... but I cannot find a USB port on the thing!  I'm assuming this is for the Windows / Android version only, though they don't bother to say it-- but if that's true, then why would they make updater software for Mac?!  Did they depreciate shipping a prior version of Stratus XL that had a USB port?  Their Steelseries 'Engine 3' software requires plugging in the devices apparently, and they only list support for the Stratus XL Windows / Android version, not the Mac / iOS version.  WTF.

Anyway, in reading the review on this site, it sounds like Kevin had experienced a similar glitch, but on the trigger.  The triggers are fine for me-- it's the LS.  I tried turning off Wi-Fi, going into Airplane mode even thinking maybe it's interference... nothing seems to help.

Since Apple has endorsed the Nimbus by Steelseries for the forthcoming Apple TV (which is what I'm aiming for), I really hope they don't have any super-obvious glitches in the firmware of that!  This glitch is so serious it's made the gamepad worthless-- and now knowing other people will likely experience similar glitches, I can't trust Steelseries to deliver a gamepad viable to design for!

And because Apple (stupidly, infuriatingly) has yet to just make their own official Mac/iOS/tvOS universal gamepad (even if it were optional), I cannot count on anyone having a gamepad for tvOS that will work at all... until we finally get our hands on the Nimbus and see if it passes the "don't screw up your own basic functionality" test.  If this is a headache for a developer, how can any developer count on this being a good experience for general gaming customers?  We can't.  Which is why we need a standard universal Apple controller that looks exactly like the PS4 (to include a touch pad).  The Stratus XL could have been the next best thing, but this glitch has negated its entire existence.  Fingers crossed for the Nimbus...

Steelseries, you had one job.

Any advice for any of this?  Any MFi alternatives to recommend for game designers needing analogue sticks?

—Xander
http://www.xanderdavis.com