So i decided that i was going to invest in the Air Flo Controller (the price may seem high for a wired controller, but go ahead and look for any other controller, they all cost a lot, i got this when it was on sale for $25.00 sounded good to me) glad i did.
I have not gotten to use it while playing a game yet, but since it has a USB i plugged it into my computer to try it out. I plugged it in and turned on the fan, barely did anything, so i switched to the 2nd setting, i could hardly feel anything, i was kinda bummed, i thought maybe it was either broken or the cold weather got to it (winter here in the north east). However, i turned on the LED switch and the shined a very bright and strong green. I gave the fan another chance. I turned it on its second setting and waited. I did not have to wait long before it roared to life, i was actually very surprised at the power of this little fan, i was not expecting the "air flo" that it produced. I am not going to lie, a smile definitely appeared on my face.
Now enough about my experience here is a little bit about the controller:
---Size
the controller when first held seemed a little awkward to me, i play with a wireless Xbox 360 controller which is slightly more bulky. This controller is slightly smaller, i do not know by how much, but enough that you will notice the difference. now this is not a big deal for me, but it might be for other people out there so, i wanted to let y'all know.
---Grips
The grips are a rubber/ silicone soft grip, which I find to be comfortable, you do kinda feel the plastic vents (very little) but i really had to pay attention to notice. I am also sure that you won't notice when you are trying to defend your self against the flood in halo, or taking a corner in Forza, or even throwing fire balls in Skyrim.
---LED Lights
What can i say, I love the controller without them, but since it does have awesome green LED's might as well turn them on and enjoy them. Playing in a dark room would, your controller would definitely stand out. the LED's light up 4 out of the 6 air vents on the controller, as well as the Y,X,A, and B button each with their corresponding color (aka Y= Yellow, X= Blue and so on)
---Air Flo
I won't dwell on the Air Flo fans, but they are quite remarkable. For such a little device they really do output a lot of air into the palm of your hands on both setting (right where you need it). Again, I had to be patient and wait for the fans to warm up the first time i plugged it in, but after that they can on fast and strong each time with no waiting. in other words, don't jump the gun like i did! ( there is also a "dual rumble system" in the handles of the controller )
---Buttons
The buttons are very well constructed, at least with my controller. They are not lose, and have the right amount of give. Its not to hard to push them down, but not so easy that you might accidentally throw a grenade when you don't want to, or shoot a teammate in the back who's in front of you. (Not that i have done that before *insert shy smile here*)
--Cord
The cord is ten feet long, three meters to our friends in Europe (I love you metric system, we should have adopted it when we had the chance decades ago, but we wanted to be different i guess). the controller has an "inline release", which I am confused about its function. I am guessing they have to so that you can leave the six inch USB segment plugged in at all times and still disconnect the controller. Or for wanderers who will forget the controller is plugged in and leave with it?
---Chat Port
I have heard that sometimes this port may not work? i am not sure and may never be sure of it seeing how i do not chat with people online while playing games. This might be true, but it may not be?
Ok, well I am sure i have missed something, but I did not mean to type nearly this much. I hope that whoever might be considering buying this controller reads this and then buys it. Great product and shipped in perfect condition.
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most other reviews have been spot on. Just to point things out and clear up a few questions that i had.controller is much smaller. having to get adjusted to it will take you a small amount of time. This would be great for kids or teens.
is wired. not a big deal to me, cord is plenty long.
the area where the battery pack on a wireless controller normally is, is where the fan is located on this one.
lights up. its either on or off.
fan has 2 speeds and the air seems to flow nicely to the intended areas of your palms.
the back and start buttons seem to feel a little funny.
controller build feels solid. The thumb sticks haven't had any issues, feels nice and responsive if not better than a regular microsoft controller.
-Noticed 1 review said something about the mic plug not working well....it works perfectly fine with my astros a30's and wireless mix amp set up....people hear me just fine and i hear then the same as normal.
*only con that ive found*
since this is smaller than a standard controller, the "chat pad" that mircosoft sells to make sending text messages on xbox live, does NOT fit on the bottom of this controller.
It would have gotten 5 stars from me if it fit the "chat pad". Other than that its an awesome product that does exactly what it says it does and does it perfectly.
If the fan or any other parts stop working (due to normal wear and tear) ill be sure to come back and edit the review to describe any issues and how long ive had it till they appeared.
***********Update 12/2/2011*********
seems as though the complaints about the chat port not working are correctly. It seems to have messed up my wire from my mix amp to my controller. totally mad about it and it had to have done it cause ive used the same setup for over a year with no problems.
**********Update 1/10/2012*********
well i purchased another chat cord from Ebay and the controller seems to be functioning fine again. There does seem to be some buzz in the headset though, might be from the cable (hey i got it on ebay for cheap :) ) Either way i barley notice it. Controller is still working great.
Noticed it also has a power saving feature, if you leave the controller alone for a min or so it will turn off the lights and fan. As soon as you hit any buttons or joystick it will turn back on automatically.
*************Update 2/3/2012***********
The buzz is gone, it was the cable. It wasn't seated in the port properly cause the buzz/static.
************Update 10/29/2012***********
Still works great. Only things I've noticed since last update is if I turn the xbox off and back on really fast the system wont recognize it has a controller plugged in. Simple fix is to unplug and re-plug in. The other thing is the fan can get a little noisy when set to high. Forgot to mention that the cord has a break-away cable on the end of it....think original Xbox controller cord style.
Best Deals for Air Flo Controller for Xbox 360 - Wired
The controller arrived in great condition and worked like a charm. It looks flimsy and thin in the picture but believe me when I say the plastic is super thick and won't crack any time soon. The DPad is amazing and the buttons are great and responsive. The fan worked immediately and keeps my hands cool and for some reason keep me calm in situations ingame that I would normally rage about.Today I noticed one small problem. The Xbox 360 menu button looks and feels like any third party button but today it began to peal off like a cheap sticker, I pushed it back down and I'm hoping that it won't fall off any time soon but it probably will anyway. I really think they should have made an actual button rather than using a sticker. I don't think anyone would have minded an extra dollar or two added on the price if they did.
Edit.
After about a month the left joystick stopped working properly. When I press up it will work, but slowly stop working only after a few seconds.
I've taken AMAZING care of this product. I kept the plastic casing so I could put it back in after I was done playing with it so the fans didn't get messed up and I've NEVER dropped it or gotten it wet or dirty, I treated the damn thing like a child and now it's not working. I REALLY loved this controller while it worked, but I'm not going to buy another one if this is what happens after only a month of light use.
I no longer recommend buying this controller. Just don't.
Honest reviews on Air Flo Controller for Xbox 360 - Wired
I was a little hesitant to pick this up because of the price, but it's actually a really comfortable 360 controller. The light weight rubber grip gives you a good "handle" on things (ha), and the "air flo" technology (vented handles that use a small fan to cool your hands) is something that I actually use. I was worried the thing would be cheap and gimmicky, but so far, so good. The LED lights look slick and are a nice bonus.The only reason I didn't give it five stars is because I've read in one place that there are issues with microphone port when chatting on Live. I haven't tried using that function yet, so I can't comment one way or another.
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