The forerunner of Xiaomi's gaming console? Get a sneak peek at the Xiaomi controller

After making mobile phones, tablets, TVs, and boxes, Xiaomi has recently developed a keen interest in "small products" such as mobile power supplies, blood pressure monitors, and mouse pads.

Recently, there is another "new gadget" that Xiaomi is about to sell to the market separately. This product is the Xiaomi Bluetooth game controller launched by Xiaomi for Android devices.

Design and feel

The outer packaging of the Xiaomi handle adopts the usual paper box style of Xiaomi products. There are no more obvious logos except the "MI" logo. The box is relatively large this time, occupying an area equivalent to that of an iPad mini.

On the back of the package, there is a sticker containing some brief product information. The Xiaomi handle in our hand was produced in September this year and is produced in Weifang, Shandong. In terms of the product's applicable scope, although it shows three categories: Xiaomi TV, Xiaomi box, and Xiaomi mobile phone, I believe that as long as it is an Android device, there will be no major problems with compatibility.

The packaging contents of the Xiaomi controller are not rich. In addition to the Xiaomi controller itself, there is only a simple instruction manual and two AA batteries that come as standard.

It is worth noting that although the Xiaomi controller is a Bluetooth controller that can be wirelessly connected to smart devices, it does not use a built-in rechargeable battery design like Sony PS4's DualShock4 and other game console wireless controllers. Fortunately, Xiaomi has provided players with two batteries for the first use, which can save users a few dollars.

The appearance style of the Xiaomi controller is similar to Sony's DualShock 4, but the button layout adopts the same form as the Microsoft XBox controller. Some thought has been put into the design. At least it looks much better than the controller that was bundled with the Xiaomi TV some time ago.

In terms of the feel of the buttons, a senior person with many years of PlayStation experience and who has installed a large number of emulator games on his current smartphone said that the actual feel of the Xiaomi controller is two levels better than the previous generation console PS3. There will be no obvious feeling of fatigue after using it for a long time. The button feedback is properly handled, and it is better than the general domestic peripheral controllers.

Of course, professional gamers have different perspectives from ordinary consumers. For ordinary users, the plastic material of the Xiaomi handle may not leave a perfect impression, and the grip of the handle will inevitably leave "greasy" dirt on the plastic surface after long-term use. There are still some areas of improvement in the product itself.

Connection and use

The connection between the Xiaomi controller and smart devices is relatively convenient and quick. Just turn on the Bluetooth switches on the Xiaomi controller and the smart device at the same time, and you can search and pair them. The Xiaomi controller can also be successfully identified as a game controller in the Nexus 5 smartphone we tested, which also verifies that there is no problem using the Xiaomi controller with non-Xiaomi devices.

Although the Xiaomi controller is positioned as a gaming peripheral, there is no problem in controlling the phone interface or some applications through the controller, indicating that the compatibility of the controller is still good.

In the actual game session, we first selected "Beach Buggy Blitz" which natively supports controller operation for testing. After making the corresponding controller settings, the Xiaomi controller can perfectly control the game, and the experience is very good, but the game's menu interface still needs to be operated by touch screen. Of course, this is most likely due to the design of the game itself, which seems a bit imperfect.

Some of the game incompatibility issues we found in previous tests of other brands of controllers have not been improved on the Xiaomi controller. "Need for Speed ​​​​17" still does not respond to the controller at all, and the recently launched popular online game "Shadow Blade" also ignores the operation of the controller.

But if you are a fan of simulator games, then the Xiaomi controller is definitely a handheld weapon. It can even be directly applied to smart TV platforms. We downloaded "Contra" and "The King of Fighters 97" through the game application "Grape Game Hall" developed for smart TVs. Both simulator games are perfectly compatible with the Xiaomi controller. The only difference is that the game keys on these old game console platforms are quite different from the keys on the Xiaomi controller designed with XBox as a reference. It takes some time to adapt to it for the first time.

Summarize

Even if we put aside the "Xiaomi" prefix in the product name, the Xiaomi controller is still a gaming peripheral product with excellent overall performance. Although it still cannot get rid of the shadow of imitating industry benchmarks in terms of intuitive design, its reliable compatibility has cleared the obstacles for its use in most occasions. For gamers who mainly use the Android platform, such performance is satisfactory enough.

But real gamers cannot be limited to simulator games or the few mobile gaming products that are compatible with controllers. Moreover, Xiaomi, which is recognized for its smart device products, must aim to make peripherals such as the Xiaomi controller more closely integrated with Xiaomi mobile phones and Xiaomi tablets. Therefore, only when real heavyweight gaming products appear can the significance of the Xiaomi controller be truly revealed.

Will the final answer be Xiaomi game console?

As a winner of Toutiao's Qingyun Plan and Baijiahao's Bai+ Plan, the 2019 Baidu Digital Author of the Year, the Baijiahao's Most Popular Author in the Technology Field, the 2019 Sogou Technology and Culture Author, and the 2021 Baijiahao Quarterly Influential Creator, he has won many awards, including the 2013 Sohu Best Industry Media Person, the 2015 China New Media Entrepreneurship Competition Beijing Third Place, the 2015 Guangmang Experience Award, the 2015 China New Media Entrepreneurship Competition Finals Third Place, and the 2018 Baidu Dynamic Annual Powerful Celebrity.