Everything about the Speedy has been a low-key affair. 6 months back, PXN Speedy’s designers emailed me out-of-the-blue and told me about their new controller. A few months later, they sent out a review unit. And a few weeks back, with no fanfare, the controller started showing up on Amazon. All with no promotion; to my knowledge, AfterPad is the only iOS blog to so much as mention the Speedy.
The Speedy’s lack of promotion on other sites might give you the impression that it’s a bad controller; you’d be wrong. The Speedy is one of the best MFi controllers available today. For a large percentage of iOS gamers – those who want an iPhone grip and an Xbox layout – the Speedy is the best MFi controller available. And most iOS gamers have never even heard of it.
Design
The overall design of the Speedy doesn’t stray too far from the Xbox 360 controller. It has the same analog stick layout, same button placement, and pretty much the same shape. If you like the 360 controller, you’ll like the Speedy. If you don’t, the Speedy won’t change your mind. The Speedy is one of a handful of MFi controllers to closely follow the Xbox 360 controller; it’s closest competition is likely the Mad Catz C.T.R.L.i pad.
While superficially similar to the C.T.R.L.i, the Speedy lacks Mad Catz’ aggressive branding and unnecessarily angular design. This makes the Speedy a more comfortable controller. In fact, the Speedy is one of the most comfortable of all MFi controllers – the shape is rounded to fit your hands, the screw holes are placed such that they don’t dig in to your fingers, the front plate connects to the back without any unpleasant overlap, there are no superfluous physical indentations or designs.
Speedy (left) and C.T.R.L.i (right) borrow heavily from Xbox
My one issue is the back of the controller. It’s of soft-touch plastic – that slightly rubberized plastic that takes on a dry, smooth texture. Maybe it’s just me, but I personally find ALL soft-touch plastic unpleasant. Sort of like the touch equivilant to the sound of nails on a chalkboard. I was prepared to dislike this controller based on the materials used to make it. But even with my bias against soft-touch plastic, I simply cannot complain about the Speedy: it’s a damn good feeling controller. Heck, if you don’t share my bias against the material, you might prefer the feel of the Speedy’s plastic to the material other controller makers use – it’s certainly unique.
The Details
The Analog Sticks
The analog sticks are going to be one of the biggest draws for the Speedy. Unlike most of the new controllers hitting the market, the Speedy has the staggered analog stick layout associated with Xbox controllers. To some people – perhaps those who grew up playing on the Xbox – this is a big point in favor of choosing the Speedy over the Nimbus or the Horipad Ultimate.
Good news: these gamers are going to be very satisfied with the Speedy. These sticks feel like they’re ripped right off of an Xbox 360 controller – same shape, same height, same material, same layout. Your muscle memory from the 360 controller will translate immediately to the Speedy.
Speedy’s staggered analog sticks work well for 3D games
Objectively, I’ve never particularly loved the 360 controller’s analog sticks, and the Speedy doesn’t change my opinion. If you have no affinity for the Xbox 360 controller or its layout, the Nimbus and Gamevice have better, grippier analog sticks. The Speedy’s sticks are grippy, but if they turn out to age like the 360 controller’s sticks, the grippy texture will wear off after 6 months. I’ve been using the Speedy for about 2 weeks without issue; if this changes, I’ll update this review accordingly.
The D-Pad
The D-Pad is the Achilles heal for most MFi controller makers. We’ve had a couple of good d-pads – notably on the Gamevice and Horipad – but the vast majority are terrible. The MFi controller most similar to the Speedy – the Mad Catz C.T.R.L.i – was great in pretty much every way, but was saddled with one of the worst d-pads ever made. Most other MFi controller’s weren’t much better. Apple’s requirement that MFi controllers have a circular d-pad seems to have been too much for most controller makers to handle.
The Speedy changes the game. To put it simply, this is one of the best d-pads available on any MFi controller. Easily in the top 3 with the Gamevice and Horipad. Better than the Xbox 360 controller’s relatively terrible d-pad.
The Speedy’s d-pad is outstanding
This d-pad is pleasantly clicky along all 8 axis, lacks any of the mushiness associated with the C.T.R.L.i or TteSports pads, and is intuitively textured to make it easy to hit whatever direction you’re going for, including diagonals. It’s loose enough to be easy to activate at full pressure – almost too loose, if I had to nitpick, but far better than most of the other options.
Apple seems to have relaxed the MFi standard to allow plus-shaped d-pads. Modern controllers like the Nimbus, Gamevice, and Horipad Ultimate are moving away from circular pads and towards more precise ‘+’ d-pads. Perhaps it’s fitting that before Apple moves away from circular pads entirely, controller makers are finally building them right.
The ABXY Buttons
I have no complaints with the ABXY face buttons on the Speedy. They’re about as large as a 360 controller’s buttons, they’re generously spaced between each other, they’re pleasantly rounded, and they have a glossy texture with a perfect amount of grip.
MFi controller’s have come a long way when it comes to the face buttons. In the early days, we had a bunch of terrible controllers with terrible buttons. Now, every MFi controller ships with good-to-excellent face buttons. Bravo.
Shoulder Buttons and Triggers
After a series of controllers with shoulder buttons or triggers that range from bad to unusable, I’m happy to report the the Speedy absolutely nails it. Seriously. I was starting to think I was going crazy, but the Speedy shows exactly how a controller’s triggers and shoulder buttons are supposed to work.
High quality triggers and buttons
Yet again, the Speedy follows the Xbox 360 controller’s playbook. If you like the 360 controller’s triggers and bumpers, you’re going to like the Speedy’s. The shoulder button bumpers have an almost identical placement, and the triggers have the same surface texture and same activation pressure. The 360 controller was a giant leap forward in the way controller’s handled shoulder input; the Speedy opts not to mess with a good thing.
Function Buttons
The Speedy sticks the function buttons – Pause, Power, and Bluetooth pair – into a small cluster in the center of the controller, very reminiscent to the 360 controller’s buttons. This was a mistake. There is no similarity in functions to these buttons – you press the power button once or twice for every time you use this controller, you press the Bluetooth button less often than that.
The Speedy’s layout will appeal to Xbox gamers in ways other controllers can’t
The problem is, you press the pause button all the time. And placing the Pause button right in the middle of the two function buttons makes it difficult to reach the pause button by feel. More often than not, I found myself accidentally pressing the Bluetooth pair button when I meant to pause the game. Not the best design, but not enough to prevent me from recommending the Speedy.
The iPhone Grip
One of the biggest points in favor of the Speedy: it’s attachable iPhone grip. If you’re an iPhone gamer, it doesn’t matter how good the Nimbus or Horipad are; you can’t attach them to your device. Every MFi controller should come with an iPhone grip; most do not.
The good news: the Speedy has a pretty good grip. Not the best – that honor goes to the TteSPORTS Contour – but better than some of the others. The Speedy’s grip screws in to the bottom of the controller, resulting in a sturdy, solid connection. The grip itself opens wider than any of the other controllers’, and is easily large enough to support an iPhone 6s Plus in a case.
The Speedy’s grip is sturdy and adjustable
The Speedy’s grip has one unique feature: it has an adjustable hinge, allowing you to change the angle at which it holds your iPhone. Sounds great in theory, but in practice, the widest angle is no wider than any of the other MFi controllers. In my opinion, all of these controllers grip your iPhone at too sharp of an angle, so the Speedy’s ability to angle it even sharper doesn’t interest me. This was a missed opportunity.
The Battery
The battery is yet another area where the Speedy pulls ahead of the C.T.R.L.i: the Speedy’s battery is rechargeable. The internal battery is rated at about 30 hours a charge, and takes 2 hours to charge via in an included micro-USB cable.
Speedy (left) vs C.T.R.L.i; not the soft finish and rechargeable battery
If you’ve read my other reviews, you know I’m a fan of internal batteries. The Speedy’s battery isn’t quite perfect – it uses Micro USB instead of Lightning – but it’s pretty good nonetheless. Far better than the Mad Catz controllers, which require fumbling around with non-Apple-standard AAA batteries when your controller dies.
Conclusion
It’s amazing to me that the PXN Speedy was able to arrive out of nowhere – with little fanfare, into a market crowded with established players – and yet it’s one of the very best MFi controllers available.
If you don’t care about having an iPhone clip, you might have better options. The Gamevice is a superior controller for compatible iPads, and the Nimbus is a more modern and polished controller for the Apple TV. But if you’re looking for a controller with a grip to use with your iPhone, the Speedy is the top of the heap. It’s built almost identically to the Mad Catz C.T.R.L.i – a controller which I reviewed very highly – but features a vastly superior d-pad and an integrated battery.
Then again, creating great products is how brands become established. And this is a great product. The PXN Speedy has dethroned the Mad Catz C.T.R.L.i, and is now the best MFi controller with an iPhone grip. It does everything well, doesn’t have any serious weaknesses, and is fairly priced. As far as I’m concerned, that makes this an easy recommendation. If you want an Xbox-360-style controller with a great iPhone grip, the PXN Speedy is the best you can get.
If you’re a music game fan who’s been holding off purchasing Guitar Hero Live, this is the chance you’ve been waiting for: just in time for Black Friday, Amazon is selling the Guitar Hero Live bundle for $65 – a significant $35 discount from the usual $100 price tag!
The free Guitar Hero Live game works with iPhone, iPad, and Apple TV, but requires the new guitar controller to actually function – apparently Apple’s Siri remote compatibility requirement does allow game makers to require non-MFi-controller propriety accessories.
I predict this is merely the first of many iOS-gaming-related Black Friday sales. If you know of any other deals on iOS gaming accessories or apps, let me know on the forums or on Twitter!
For those who haven’t been keeping track of it, Moonlight lets you beam PC games directly from your computer to your iPhone or iPad. MFi controllers are fully supported, and performance is absolutely incredible. The experience is as good as – if not better than – using AirPlay to beam your iOS games to the Apple TV.
Several months ago, I posted an extensive hands-on preview of a beta version of Moonlight. Even then, it worked spectacularly. Example: I was able to play Skyrim – at 60 frames per second on Ultra settings – on a first-generation iPad Mini.
Moonlight works by re-writing an open source implementation of Nvidia’s GameStream technology, which Nvidia originally designed for their Shield tablet, console, and handheld. Moonlight’s implementation is superior to Nvidia’s own; in addition to supporting iOS, it runs in higher resolutions and at better frame rates.
There’s one catch to GameStream: because all the video compression is done on the GPU, streaming games requires a fairly recent Nvidia graphics card. According to Nvidia, desktop GPUs in the the GeForce GTX 600 series and above will work, as will mobile GPUs in the 700 series and above, with some 600 series also making the cut.
Compatible graphics cards can be had for around $100 – the $109 GeForce GTX 750 seems like a great value for money, though you can really go crazy with high-end GPUs if you want to throw enough money at them. Even without going overboard, you can get a $300 GTX 970 GPU that will perform better than the similarly-priced Xbox One and PS4.
Games also need to be specifically tuned to work with GameStream, though the list of compatible games is huge.
If you already have a compatible graphics card, give Moonlight a download immediately. It really is that good. If you have any questions about Moonlight or game streaming, don’t hesitate to drop by the forum thread to talk about it.
Serenity Caldwell wrote up an in-depth hands-on review of the Apple Pencil. Its a must-read for anyone interested in the iPad Pro.
Apple’s competitors have a lot of catching up to do. The Pencil is years ahead of what the other guys are doing. I just wish I could buy one without waiting over a month.
1Writer is my favorite writing app on iOS. Federico Viticci at MacStories put together an excellent guide on getting the most out of it. I’ve barely scratched the surface of what I can do with the app, and I’m looking forward to writing more actions to make my job easier.
1Writer and Textastic are the primary tools I use to run AfterPad. The number of use cases that require I use a “real” computer are rapidly diminishing.
It begins. Only in Hong Kong for now, and only the iPad Mini version.
I wrote an extensive review of the Gamevice a few months back, after using prototype models since CES. It was the best MFi controller available at the time, and it still is the best MFi controller today. If you have an iPad Air or iPad Mini, the Gamevice is as good as it gets.
The Gamevice is already available today on Amazon, but a product like the Gamevice really needs to be used in-person to be appreciated. I expect once they start rolling out to Apple Stores, they’re going to sell like crazy.
You have to hand it to competition to bring down prices. Just days after Hori and SteelSeries released great $49 MFi controllers, Mad Catz just dropped the price of their full-size C.T.R.L.i to $45 – a big discount from the previous $59 price tag.
Still, it’s hard to argue with a $45 price tag. The C.T.R.L.i is a solid controller, and for $15 dollars less than anything else with a phone grip, this is an excellent opportunity to pick one up.
If you’re looking for more information on the C.T.R.L.i, be sure to check out the in-depth AfterPad Review.
It’s here. The moment we’ve all been waiting for is, at long last, upon us. Goat Simulator, arguably the greatest game of all time [citation needed], now supports MFi controllers.
For the few of you unaware, Goat Simulator has you… simulating… being a goat. You run around a sandbox world reminiscent of our own, doing goat-like things, generally causing destruction to everything and everyone around you.
Two semi-sequels are available, both of which also received MFi controller support. Goat Simulator MMO transforms the game into a class-based MMO, complete with magic and wizardry. Goat Simulator Goatz adds zombies to the mix, because of course it does.
If you haven’t downloaded one of these yet, please do. It’s hard to think of any iOS game that’ll put a smile on your face faster than these. If anything, get it just so you can foist it upon an unsuspecting friend or family member.
The iPad Pro is officially here. I've used the iPad as my primary computer for every aspect of AfterPad for the past 6 months, only breaking out the laptop for advanced photo editing. As such, the prospect of a large-screen, multitasking-optimized iOS device is compelling to me.
So after waiting in line at the Apple Store yesterday, I went home the proud owner of a fully-stocked gold iPad Pro. I've been using it steadily for the past 2 days, and while that is not enough time for a good review, it is enough for me to have some initial impressions.
The Size
The iPad Pro is big. Really big. It's effectively the size of two standard iPads next to each other. For working with documents, it's amazing. I can use a code editor on the left and a preview on the right, with a video playing in picture-in-picture, and not feel the slightest bit cramped.
The iPad Pro is far larger than the Air and Mini
The larger size doesn't make the Pro significantly more difficult to transport than the Air. Neither fit in a pocket, so you'll already be carrying a small bag. The iPad Pro fits right into my iPad carrying bag of choice, along with my SteelSeries Stratus and keyboard. The larger size does make it more difficult to use in bed – the iPad Pro is the first iPad that feels designed for use on a desk.
Performance
The iPad Pro feels almost identical to the iPad Air 2. Which is to say, it feels really, really fast. The fact that it doesn't feel like an upgrade from the previous model should not be taken as a negative – the Pro has twice as much work to do, pushing a vastly larger screen.
iPad Pro plays games just as well as iPad Air 2
There is one caveat: the version of iOS 9.1 that shipped with the iPad Pro suffers a few areas – multitasking, spotlight search, folder management – with choppy animations. For that matter, do does the iPad Air 2. Updating to the latest beta of iOS 9.2 makes both of these devices run as smooth as butter; it will surprise me if Apple doesn't push out this update very soon.
Aside from that, the iPad Pro is a powerhouse. Thanks to the 4 gigs of RAM, applications stay open for hours in the background and Safari allows many tabs open without requiring random refreshes. Thanks to improved RAM and storage bandwidth, apps download and open faster than ever before. Thanks to the dual-core 2.2GHz A9X processor, opening apps side-by-side doesn't degrade performance. Thanks to the 2X faster GPU, games run better on the iPad Pro than they do on the cutting-edge iPad Air 2.
The Speakers
The iPad Pro is the first iOS device to feature discreet, separated speakers – 4 of them actually – for true stereo sound at any orientation. Regardless of how you're holding the iPad, the system is smart enough to route sound through each speaker in such a way as to create a full stereo sound field. The speakers themselves are larger and louder than those of other iOS devices, creating more sound in addition to better sound.
The iPad Pro doubles as a better-than-HD TV
I was skeptical that small speakers, angled away from the user's ears, would be capable of generating good stereo sound. I'm happy to say I was wrong to worry. For the vast majority of situations – gaming, background TV, background music, FaceTime – the iPad Air 2's speakers are excellent.
I often watch TV in bed on my iPad. When I'm getting ready to go to sleep, I don't want to fumble with plugging in speakers or untangling headphones, so I've been using the tinny mono speaker on the old iPad Air 2. The iPad Pro is a massive upgrade.
The Pencil
I don't own an Apple Pencil yet, but I spent some time using it at the Apple Store, as did my artist girlfriend. It feels different than any stylus I've ever used – much closer in design to a physical pencil than to other styluses. In compatible apps, it supports pressure sensitivity and angles. It refreshes at a much faster rate than other iOS styluses, and uses guesswork to feel even more responsive.
In our (admittedly brief) use of the Pencil, it worked great. Closer to putting ink on paper than any other digital illustration method I've tried. After a half hour of use, my girlfriend was ready to switch to using the Pencil for all her sketches and game concept art illustrations. And I was ready to buy one, except the Apple Stores don't have them in stock, and might not for the next month.
iPad Pro fits in my 13-inch laptop backpack
When I finally do pick one up, my girlfriend will put together a full review of it for the site, from an artist and illustrator's perspective. But initial impressions are very positive, and if you do find a store with a Pencil in stock, seriously consider picking one up.
The Keyboard
I spent about 15 minutes using the new Apple iPad Pro Keyboard, and a bit less using the Logitech Create keyboard. Both were better than I expected. The Apple keyboard in particular, I was prepared to hate, but ended up typing well after just a few minutes of acclimation. The Apple keyboard lacks any shortcut keys or advanced inputs – no home button, no escape key, no page navigation – whereas the Logitech is fully decked out with inputs. And while the Apple Keyboard's felt keycaps aren't bad, they're inferior to Logitech's laptop-style scissor keys.
The good news is, the iPad Pro works with pretty much any Bluetooth keyboard. If you already own one, you can pair it with the iPad Pro, and it'll work just as well as it did on any other iOS 9 device. For my writing, I use a Bluetooth mechanical keyboard with full-sized keys and clicky switches, and it works perfectly. I'll probably still grab a keyboard cover of some sort, for portable use and typing in bed, but I'm content to wait for something more in line with my preferences.
If you're interested in a lot more of my thoughts on iPad keyboards, check out the AfterPad iPad Keyboard Review. Though I expect I'll eventually be writing up another one about iPad Pro keyboards.
The Software
I'll end my impressions with software, because it's the most important part of the iPad Pro experience. And as of now, it's the weakest link. Apps need to be manually optimized for the iPad Pro, and the vast majority have not. One's I'd expected to work – WordPress, Netflix, Reeder, Textastic – did not scale to the new layout, and don't work in multitasking or picture-in-picture. Other apps stretch to fill the full screen size, but obviously aren't designed for it, lacking any optimization.
The iPad Pro effortlessly handles multiple apps.
There's good news, though. In addition to Apple's apps, third-party apps that are optimized – Tweetbot, Instapaper, 1Writer, Coda, Procreate – are amazing. Coda's web development environment feels every bit the equal of a desktop program. Instapaper feels like reading a magazine. Procreate… I don't even know where to begin with apps like this. Creating art on the iPad Pro is vastly superior than any other iPad, and I expect this to quickly become the product of choice for artists.
Wrap-up
I respect my readers too much to pretend to review a product after only using it for a couple of days. These are some quick thoughts, based on things prospective buyers might be interested in knowing. I'll have a full review up when I have more time to use the device.
However, I'm not afraid to admit that so far, I'm extremely satisfied with the iPad Pro. It has a few rough edges, especially in non-optimized software, but I'm already preferring working with it to working with the iPad Air 2 or iPad Mini. The iPad Pro won't be the iPad for everyone, but two days is enough time to know it's the iPad for me.
That didn’t take long. A few short days have passed since we first revealed the new Horipad Ultimate, and it’s already available for sale on the Apple Store.
There isn’t a whole lot new to report, beyond the fact that the controller is available. The only images we have of the controller the same product photos I previously showed, and the $49 price tag was a fair guess, given the identical price of the SteelSeries Nimbus.
The original Horipad is one of my favorite controllers, and I ordered this new version immediately yesterday. Judging by the enthusiastic early reporting of some my readers, I’m not alone in my enthusiasm about this controller. Lets hope it lives up to its promise – I’ll know in a few days.
