AFTERPAD

SteelSeries Stratus Update for iOS 8 Now Available

SteelSeries has today released a firmware update for their Stratus MFi controller, bringing increased compatibility for iOS 8, and an “app match” feature that lists a handful of compatible games directly from the App Store.

This update follows a February firmware update that fixed a particularly unpleasant button-lag issue, where holding down the d-pad and pressing any other button would delay the button press by a half second.

Sadly, the Mac version of this update still unnecessarily installs a kernel extension to the system folder (/System/Library/Extensions/StratusDFU.kext), and includes no uninstaller. I recommend manually removing this extension after upgrading your controller.

Based on my testing, this does seem to improve compatibility with iOS 8 a little bit. There is still a noticeable “stickiness” to the analog sticks that didn’t exist on iOS 7, most apparent in games like Sonic or Monster Hunter, but I haven’t noticed any disconnects yet.

Installation Guide for Mac

  1. Download the firmware update installer for Mac
  2. Open the downloaded file and follow the installation instructions
  3. Open the “StratusSystemUpdate” application in your Applications folder if it doesn’t automatically open
  4. Connect your SteelSeries Stratus controller to your computer using the supplied micro-USB cable
  5. Follow the on-screen instructions to update the Stratus’ firmware to version #57
  6. (Optional) Navigate to the /System/Library/Extensions/ folder and delete StratusDFU.kext

Installation Guide for Windows PCs

  1. Download the firmware update installer for Windows
  2. Open the downloaded file
  3. Connect your SteelSeries Stratus controller to your computer using the supplied micro-USB cable.
  4. Follow the on-screen instructions to update the Stratus’ firmware to version #57
  5. Before pairing, toggle bluetooth on and off on the iPhone or iPad you wish to pair with the Stratus.