SteelSeries Reveals the Stratus XL MFi Game Controller

Full-size followup to the original Stratus controller

SteelSeries today revealed the Stratus XL MFi controller – a full-size, high-quality bluetooth controller for iPhones and iPads, and the follow-up to the current small-size Stratus.

SteelSeries CTO Tino Soelberg says:

“We have been working for well over a year now on perfecting the wireless controller experience for iOS devices. We have been incredibly impressed by the way the SteelSeries Stratus has been received by consumers so far and we are looking forward to introducing the Stratus XL to the iOS gaming community – who have been asking for a full-sized controller option,” “The Stratus XL was designed to meet their demands, delivered with the premium features and top-to-bottom quality expected from SteelSeries.”

The Stratus XL appears to share many design cues with the Xbox One controller – arguably the best controller ever made, for any console. It isn’t a direct copy, though, as SteelSeries has opted for a few changes of their own.

The analog sticks look excellent, and appear to be a textured plastic design. This is a huge improvement over the current Stratus’ analog sticks, which feature rubber caps that are prone to falling off if pressed too hard. The sticks are positioned further apart than they are on the regular Stratus, which should make for a huge improvement in games that require the use of both at the same time.

Notably, the sticks follow the traditional parallel arrangement, rather than the staggered layout of the various Xbox designs. Both layouts have their strengths and weaknesses – the standard layout of the Stratus XL tends to be better for games that require the use of both sticks at once, such as shooters, while the staggered layout of the Xbox is often superior for games that mainly require just the left stick plus the face buttons.

The d-pad is the Apple-mandated circular design, rather than the plus shaped layout used by Microsoft. Luckily, the d-pad on the original Stratus is quite nice, and is easily the best d-pad on any of the available MFi controllers.

The Stratus XL features 4 face buttons, two shoulder buttons, and two analog triggers, all of which are pressure sensitive.

Battery life is rated for 40 hours, via two AA batteries. The use of AA batteries is welcome, as it fits in well with the Apple ecosystem – Apple themselves sell a set of excellent, reasonably priced rechargeable AA batteries. This is superior to the upcoming C.T.R.L.i controller from Mad Catz, which uses non-Apple-standard AAA batteries.

The Stratus XL is scheduled to be available later this year for $79, which is the same price that the current small-size Startus controller retails for. We’ll post more information about this controller as it becomes available.

A list of games compatible with the SteelSeries Stratus XL is available here.

Update:

Replaced pictures with higher quality versions and added pricing information