SteelSeries Stratus, the tiny little wireless iOS game controller
Hi, I'm Scott Stein, and do you ever want to play games on your iPad with a controller just like a Nintendo or a Sega or a Sony system?
Well, at long last, there is a controller, the SteelSeries Stratus, that you can play with wirelessly and play Sonic the Hedgehog, like I'm playing right now, right here on this iPad.
You can also use an iPhone.
How is that possible?
Well, they may have heard of MFi-compatible game controllers.
But Android has had the ability to use game controllers with
their tablets and phones for a while, and Apple has finally allowed this on iPads and iPhones.
There are a couple of controllers out there: the Moga Ace Power, and the Logitech PowerSheller 2 that plug in your iPhone and act as a battery pack and a controller all in one.
The SteelSeries Stratus is the first that I've seen that is a stand-alone Bluetooth controller that works not only with iPhone or iPod Touch, but also with an iPad, and it's particularly great if you stand it up on a table right here and use it like a little game console.
And this thing is tiny, it fits in your pocket; really small.
In fact, maybe you find it a little bit too small.
It's kind of a micro-controller, and it's based on the SteelSeries Free design that Android users already know about that's out there.
How many buttons does this have?
The full package.
This has everything that you'd expect in a game console controller.
You've got shoulder buttons, you've got trigger buttons.
You've got dual analogue pads right here.
You have got 4 buttons here.
You've got a D-Pad, and a pause button.
That' a lot of buttons on one little controller.
They
feel pretty good.
There's no rumble or anything like that.
Let's not go crazy.
But-- and the trigger buttons here are a little cramped.
But the-- it all feels pretty nice for this size, and it gets about 10 hours on a charge, with all the micro USB attachment on the bottom.
So how much does this cost?
$20?
$30?
No.
$100.
Yes.
A hundred dollars.
That's a lot of money.
That's a lot of money.
Most people wouldn't expect that this costs $100, and that's the downside to this type of iOS gaming accessory,
unfortunately.
But that's par for the course right now.
In fact, every iOS gaming controller accessory, for some reason, costs $100 right now: the Logitech PowerShell, the Moga Ace Power, take your pick.
The advantage here is that while you don't have the hard lightning connection, it does have the universal compatibility with any iOS 7 device.
You don't have to deal with lightning connections, and it has all of the buttons.
So, that's a big plus.
But if you're hoping to play like a-- like a Game Boy or a PlayStation Vita on the go,
this is not just gonna be as convenient 'cause you're gonna have to prop up your device somewhere and play like this.
Now, the SteelSeries Stratus does support multiplayer games, so you could actually have 2 of these paired at once.
I haven't seen any games that support that yet.
In fact, finding games to support MFi game controllers is a pretty big challenge right now.
There are supposedly hundreds out there already that use it, but it's a trial-and-error process.
We found some that advertise it pretty prominently, like Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, which does a fantastic job, and there are other
games that are working it in almost in a stealth fashion, like Sonic 2 in its new remastered version, which plays great.
And as for the others, you know, there are websites.
We list some of them, other places list them.
There's an app I found on the App Store.
It's pretty haphazard.
And that's a bit of the early adaptor process here.
You're gonna have to get onboard and explore which of these games will use it.
There are bound to be a lot more, and in the coming year, you'll probably see a lot of games.
Started it out really-- virtual console or retro style appeal
by having controller compatibility.
At the moment, if you want the best, most universal game controller that we've seen that works on iOS, the SteelSeries Stratus is it, but you are paying a premium for it.
It is pretty cute though.
I'm Scott Stein, and that's the SteelSeries Stratus game controller for iOS.
NZXT's Capsule microphone is for a specific streamer
Up Next
NZXT's Capsule microphone is for a specific streamer
Arcade1Up's Infinity Game Table is weirdly charming
Arcade1Up's Infinity Game Table is weirdly charming
Arcade1Up's Simpsons, X-Men hands on: Playing with 2021's new cabinets
Arcade1Up's Simpsons, X-Men hands on: Playing with 2021's new cabinets
Sony's new PS5 software beta allows SSD installation
Sony's new PS5 software beta allows SSD installation
Starfield and Halo Infinite are the stars of Microsoft's Xbox 2021 event
Starfield and Halo Infinite are the stars of Microsoft's Xbox 2021 event
AMD, Tesla partner up
AMD, Tesla partner up
The dream of Oculus VR: Five years later
The dream of Oculus VR: Five years later
Why DLSS on the Switch Pro could be a game-changer
Why DLSS on the Switch Pro could be a game-changer
Top 5 most-anticipated gaming laptops of 2021
Top 5 most-anticipated gaming laptops of 2021
Xbox Series S teardown live at CES 2021
Xbox Series S teardown live at CES 2021
Tech Shows
The Apple Core
The Apple Core
Alphabet City
Alphabet City
CNET Top 5
CNET Top 5
The Daily Charge
The Daily Charge
What the Future
What the Future
Tech Today
Tech Today
Cooley On Cars
Cooley On Cars
Carfection
Carfection
The Apple Core
The Apple Core
Alphabet City
Alphabet City
CNET Top 5
CNET Top 5
The Daily Charge
The Daily Charge
What the Future
What the Future
Tech Today
Tech Today
Cooley On Cars
Cooley On Cars
Carfection
Carfection
Latest News
If Apple Makes Siri Like ChatGPT or Gemini, I'm Done
If Apple Makes Siri Like ChatGPT or Gemini, I'm Done
Bose SoundLink Max Review: How Does It Compare to the Cheaper SoundLink Flex?
Bose SoundLink Max Review: How Does It Compare to the Cheaper SoundLink Flex?
Hands-On With Huawei's Pura 70 Ultra
Hands-On With Huawei's Pura 70 Ultra
I Tried Three Fitness Apps to Help My Postpartum Recovery
I Tried Three Fitness Apps to Help My Postpartum Recovery
How Many Times Did Google Say AI at I/O 2024?
How Many Times Did Google Say AI at I/O 2024?
I Tried Google's Project Astra
I Tried Google's Project Astra
Everything Google Just Announced at I/O 2024
Everything Google Just Announced at I/O 2024
Google Introduces Gemini AI Upgrades to Gmail and Chat
Google Introduces Gemini AI Upgrades to Gmail and Chat
Google Brings Multistep Reasoning to Search
Google Brings Multistep Reasoning to Search
Project Astra Revealed at Google I/O
Project Astra Revealed at Google I/O
If Apple Makes Siri Like ChatGPT or Gemini, I'm Done
If Apple Makes Siri Like ChatGPT or Gemini, I'm Done
Bose SoundLink Max Review: How Does It Compare to the Cheaper SoundLink Flex?
Bose SoundLink Max Review: How Does It Compare to the Cheaper SoundLink Flex?
Hands-On With Huawei's Pura 70 Ultra
Hands-On With Huawei's Pura 70 Ultra
I Tried Three Fitness Apps to Help My Postpartum Recovery
I Tried Three Fitness Apps to Help My Postpartum Recovery
How Many Times Did Google Say AI at I/O 2024?
How Many Times Did Google Say AI at I/O 2024?
I Tried Google's Project Astra
I Tried Google's Project Astra
Everything Google Just Announced at I/O 2024
Everything Google Just Announced at I/O 2024
Google Introduces Gemini AI Upgrades to Gmail and Chat
Google Introduces Gemini AI Upgrades to Gmail and Chat
Google Brings Multistep Reasoning to Search
Google Brings Multistep Reasoning to Search
Project Astra Revealed at Google I/O