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Hardware Review by Downtown Jimmy
Oct 6th, 2004
Hardware Product Review:Out in hardware land there are plenty of great companies, and most go unnoticed. Other 'larger' franchises have the store shelves all tied up making it difficult for new brands to get noticed. Pelican is a perfect example of a company who needs more space at your local gamestore. I'm taking a look at three controllers from Pelican to find out if their controllers are more than cool designs. Read on to find out more about the glowing bird of Pelican.
- Eclipse II Wireless 2.4
- Afterglow Pro
- Cobra TT Racing Wheel
Pelican Eclipse II Wireless 2.4:Every hardware company has been coming out with wireless controllers lately, if you don't have one yet, and are worried about reception quality. stop! Pelican's Eclipse 2 for the Microsoft Xbox is at the top of the hill in wireless controllers.
The first thing you will notice about the PE2 W2.4 is the great looking deign with sleek lines incased in a metallic clear coat finish. The design is the same size as the Microsoft S Controller so it fits perfectly into most hands. The Eclipse 2 has two sets of black & white buttons, one set underneath the other buttons like the S controller, and the other set is placed on the top of the controller above the right & left trigger. I'm sure they kept the original set intact for S controller die-hard's, but once you have a few games under your belt I'm sure you will be switching up to the top set of buttons. I found the placement and increased size of the black and white buttons to be great use of space and an excellent design decision. I immediately stopped using the small, hard to hit regular buttons and switched up top. I found the buttons extremely useful especially in Activision's new release, X-Men Legends.
The other buttons that are changed around from the standard S Controller is the back and start button. On the Eclipse 2 the buttons are put in the middle in-between the D-Pad and Left Analog stick. They also added another button in that area which is the power button for the controller. I agree with the power button being needed, but it's really to close to the 'back' button. If you're like my friend Jive when you play a game you're all over the controller hitting buttons like a madman. You wouldn't want to accidentally hit the 'power' button instead of the 'back' button in a crucial part of a game. In future designs I would stick with the way of the S Controller, the back buttons are under the right analog stick adjacent to the 'black' and 'white' buttons on the other side.
The most important section about wireless controllers is the battery life. Since wireless controllers need outside power you will want them to last as long as possible. Like the Eclipse PL-2006, the Eclipse 2 has amazing battery life which has to be one of the best on the market. Compared to the new Mad Catz Wireless Xbox Controller you get twice the juice! Check this comparison out.
MADCATZ LYNX WIRELESS CONTROLLER
60hrs battery life (w/ Rumble On) 160hrs battery life (w/ Rumble Off)
PELICAN ECLIPSE 2 WIRELESS CONTROLLER
120hrs battery life (w/ Rumble On) 200hrs battery life (w/ Rumble Off) It's all in the stats, but Pelican's Eclipse 2 gives you double the battery life with the rumble pack on the preferred setting. It's not like the PE2 doesn't rumble to save battery life, it does. The rumble does a good job even though it's not a strong as some other controllers, but for a wireless controller its average. As you see in the image the Eclipse 2 does cheese out with one motor in the middle, it runs on dual vibrating motors set into each end. I'm really satisfied with the overall quality and exceptional battery life of the Eclipse 2.
One more feature that is boasted by the Eclipse 2 is the 'auto hopping technology', what that means is that the controller automatically finds the right frequency to use instead of setting it manually. This feature saves you the hassle of trying out every channel to see which one gives you the best reception. The controller also hops from one frequency to another to help the gameplay stay fluid. If you start to loose signal strength the Eclipse 2 will kick into gear and switch up to the strongest signal available. The auto hopping feature is useful, although I prefer having the choice of frequency just incase I want to trouble shoot. It would be nice to have a design that has the channel select with the option of putting it on auto hop.
If you're in the market for a wireless controller for your Xbox, I recommend going with the Pelican's Eclipse 2 Wireless Controller.
Downtown Approved?: Recommended |
