A great solution to a niche problem

In many ways we are in a golden age game controller. Whether you want a controller for PC, PS5/Xbox/Switch, emulated systems, or need a controller specifically for your motor impairment, there’s a controller for you. However, there is no all-in-one solution available to solve the problem of currently having two main types of face buttons: Western (A on the bottom, B on the right) and Japanese (B on the right). on the right). Until now, you’d have to mentally “move” the buttons to use one controller in either case, or go through the arduous process of swapping them – though that’s not an option on most gaming controllers.

However, thanks to the new GameSir Tarantula Pro, all that is now a thing of the past. Tarantula Pro has an innovative system that physically moves the face buttons instantly.

I bought the Tarantula Pro as soon as it came out because solving this problem has always been one of my white whales. I’m happy to report that the Tarantula Pro performs as advertised. It’s not perfect, but I’m glad I bought it.

The GameSir Tarantula Pro has a lot of features, but I wanted to jump right into the swappable face buttons. This is the obvious star feature of the product, but for some crazy reason GameSir doesn’t do a good job of explaining how it actually works in any ads.

First, the face buttons on this controller are transparent. When the controller is powered off, you can only slightly see the button labels because they lack illumination (see image above). The buttons only light up when you power up the controller, allowing you to see the label buried somewhere deep in the controller’s body.

There is a multi-function button on the back of the controller, denoted by an “M”. When you hold down this button and then the bottommost face button, the four lower face button labels move mechanically. This allows you to instantly switch between Western/Japanese control schemes. The great thing about this system is that the buttons can physically move, meaning the buttons you press can now be swapped naturally. The controller doesn’t need to spend precious milliseconds changing signals through software – it all happens instantly while you play the game.

GameSir even goes a step further by color-coordinating the face button labels with their respective popular controllers. In Western mode, the buttons turn green, red, yellow, and blue, consistent with what you’d see on an Xbox controller. Meanwhile, in Japanese mode, the buttons feature a simple black-and-white scheme, the same as you’d see on a tablet. nintendo switch Professional controller.

Unfortunately, these are the only two options you have on Tarantula Pro. I’m not sure if space will limit GameSir from adding more layouts on future models, but it seems easy to add a third or even fourth layout, allowing you to also have PlayStation-style face buttons, or maybe even a Genesis/Mega Drive In addition to the two ABXY modes, there are buttons. However, currently Tarantula Pro only provides two ABXY layouts.

Also, since the labels are buried inside the controller body, you can’t see them from an angle when looking at them. Again, this seems like something GameSir could easily improve on in the next generation, simply by making the transparent buttons a bit lower in depth and placing the labels higher in the body.

While the swappable face buttons do set the Tarantula Pro apart from the competition, GameSir doesn’t rely on that feature and the phone in other ways. With its broad platform compatibility, customizability, and wealth of extra buttons, Tarantula Pro can do almost anything you want to do.

In addition to the standard buttons on Xbox Series controllers (d-pad, two analog sticks, four face buttons, Start, Select, Share, two bumpers, two triggers, and a Home button button), you’ll also find four customizable front buttons (C1, C2, C3, and C4), a clickable “GameSir” button that replicates DualSense trackpad clicks (but without the actual trackpad function), the two grip buttons on the back (R4/L4), and the aforementioned “M” button. There are eight additional buttons in total, all of which can be customized using the GameSir Connect software on your PC. There’s a ninth additional button on the bottom, just for Bluetooth pairing.

GameSir also offers hardware toggles that change the way certain buttons work. For example, you can deactivate both grip buttons by moving the two hardware switches on the back. This works great for me since I don’t use the R4/L4 buttons and I might accidentally press them while gaming. There are also two hardware switches that allow you to switch the triggers from analog mode (i.e., like a DualSense or GameCube controller, when you need the flexibility of pressing) to digital mode (i.e., like a Nintendo Switch Pro controller , when you need to press). These hardware switches allow you to jump from game to game quickly and easily, with different custom settings for each game, which is great.

As far as connectivity goes, the Tarantula Pro supports wired, Bluetooth, and receiver modes. For receiver mode, you can use the included USB-A adapter to connect it to your PC with ultra-low latency. For wired mode, you only need a USB-C cable, although the port on the top of the controller is deeply recessed, meaning you have to use a cable without the big tip module, which is annoying.

Tarantula Pro also supports four different channel modes, including Xinput, DS4, Switch and HID channels. Xinput is used when you want to copy an Xbox controller, and DS4 can copy a Sony DualShock 4 controller. Obviously, the Switch copies the Switch Pro, and HID is a legacy mode that’s best suited for Android devices (Any Android 8.0 Oreo or higher). You can hot-swap between any of these modes using button macros (for example, hold down the Home button and the Bottom button).

Not content with this, GameSir also brought TMR (Tunnel Magneto Resistance) rods to the Tarantula Pro. This is a newer technology that makes stick drift nearly impossible, giving buyers the peace of mind that they won’t have drift issues again a year from now.

Finally, you also get a high-definition rumble effect, similar to the one on the Switch Pro controller. It’s not quite as precise as the rumble effect used in the Sony DualSense, but it’s certainly a big step up from the binary “rumble on/rumble off” system.

With swappable surface buttons, broad compatibility, multiple modes, and even the ability to switch natively to change button behavior, the GameSir Tarantula Pro has earned its status as a “do-it-all” controller. However, when you try to be everything to everyone, you end up creating some new problems.

First of all, the sheer number of buttons on this controller is overwhelming. I’d be happier with a few extra buttons, but eight extra buttons? That’s a lot, and when you add the four switches on the back, they all make the controller feel cramped.

The plethora of buttons, face button lighting, mechanical button movement, and RGB effects also mean battery life isn’t great. Even the Sony DualSense offers better battery life than the GameSir Tarantula Pro, let alone the Switch Pro or Xbox Series controllers, which never seem to die.

The Tarantula Pro also lacks the overall polish of those gold standard controllers. It’s nowhere near as comfortable as the Xbox Series controllers (Amazon $54) and lacks the premium feel of DualSense (Amazon $69.99). Aesthetically, it also looks too “gamer”, especially with the crappy camouflage design on the front.

Realistically, though, these issues are easily forgiven once you get used to swapping face buttons. I travel a lot and my laptop can be used as both a gaming computer and a laptop Simulator. Being able to play PC and emulated Nintendo games with just one controller is worth the price of admission alone, so I can easily overlook the controller’s flaws.

Still, that doesn’t make up for the fact that only a small percentage of gamers will actually care about swappable face buttons. This makes the Tarantula Pro a niche product. If you’re one of those gamers who hates looking down at the buttons on the front and not seeing exactly what’s going on in the game, then this is a great option. For everyone else, I would always recommend the DualSense or Xbox Series controllers.

I myself am very much looking forward to GameSir (or a competitor) taking the idea of ​​swappable face buttons and using it. I would happily pay good money for a controller that would work in almost every possible gaming scenario. To me, the Tarantula Pro is a proof of concept more than anything else. I just hope a lot of people buy it, so GameSir keeps innovating in this area!