Review Evil 360 Controller Review

[Devin]

Manufactured by: Evil Controllers
Review sample supplied by: Evil Controllers
Review by Devin

Review Contents & Index:

• Introduction
  - Official Feature List
• Packaging and Contents
• Design and Impressions
• Usage
• Performance
• Conclusion

Introduction

Evil Controllers have been around for a few years, producing high-end aftermarket controllers for enthusiasts. They are best known for their luxury XBOX 360 controllers which feature both functional and cosmetic enhancements. One of their newest options is the Vision Backplate, which contains a long-life rechargeable lithium-ion battery without the "battery brick" that comes standard with a Microsoft branded controller.

Manufacturer Listed Features

• 60 Hour Battery Life
• Kill-Switch
• Mini USB Port
• Cooling Vents
• LED Charging Indication
• Custom Printed Case
• Evil Controller's Custom D-PAD
• Evil Controller's Analog Sticks
• Ergonomic Feel

Packaging and Contents

• Evil Controller's 360 Controller
• Mini USB Cable
• Evil Controller's Instructions Card

Design and Impressions

As a long-time XBOX 360 enthusiast and modder, I have used many controllers. However, I can say without exaggeration that this is the nicest XBOX 360 controller I've ever used. The cosmetic and passive enhancements make the controller stand out, and, given the price range, the build quality meets and exceeds that of the official Microsoft controller.
The surface of the controller has a shiny, scratch-resistant surface that is surprisingly fingerprint-resistant. Customers are given a broad selection of colors for all the visible components of the controller; from the analog sticks to the trigger buttons and even LEDs, Evil Controllers can be thoroughly personalized. As pictured, this controller has red LEDs around the guide button, but you can select other colors as well.
The most recognizable cosmetic feature that sets these controllers apart, is the selection of patterns for the controller shell itself. I did ask about a custom GBAtemp controller, and they said it would be possible in the future. Unfortunately, they were too swamped with orders to provide one for this review.

Regarding the more functional enhancements, the buttons have a clicky but solid, responsive feel. The analog sticks have a quality, easy-to-grip texture to them; more reminiscent to the Playstation 3 DualShock 3 analog sticks than the Microsoft 360 controller. You can choose between sticks with the official Microsoft-styled indentations on the pads, or without. The option to get separate D-Pad buttons is very nice, I felt it was a major improvement over the single-piece D-Pad "rocker" of the official 360 controller.
Not sure if the kill-switch is a worthy upgrade? It's nice to not have to go into the XBOX Guide menu to turn the controller off through a software selection.
Most impressive of the features on my review sample is the Vision Backplate. Charging by USB is most convenient, and the battery charges to full fairly quickly. The manufacturer specifies 60 hours battery life, which is a solid week or two of usage in an active gamer's household. As a student, it would take a long time for me to actually deplete the battery so I've also been sharing it with my stepfather. He's an avid shooter, and also enjoys sports games. I gave it to him on Sunday, and so far he hasn't asked me to charge it at all. This is in addition to my non-stop gaming session on Saturday on Black Ops 2. I will update this thread when it eventually dies, but it's just about at 54 hours in, writing this, and I believe it might even get over 60 hours.

Performance

There's a limit to how many ways one can compare this controller's performance to the standard Microsoft 360 controller. Lag is not an issue; wireless performance meets or exceeds that of the Microsoft controller. Some may have their doubts, but the texture and balanced feel of the controller actually helps improve my play. The responsive feel of the buttons helps in fast-paced gameplay. Fighting games can be a little easier with the separated D-Pad buttons. Evil Controllers do deserve credit for improving upon the subtleties for the more hardcore enthusiasts that are willing to pay the premium. Ultimately, if you're paying over $100 for a customized controller, it really needs to improve control - and I do feel that improvement with this product.

Conclusion

If you know exactly what you want when you configure all the options for your controller, you have the opportunity to make it perfectly suit you - for a price. Before I received this review sample, I could not see myself buying a controller for $120. Given the opportunity to examine the product, though, I do feel it's worth the price. A new Microsoft XBOX 360 controller runs you $60 retail, and the Evil Controller Vision Backplate is $39.99 standalone. All of the customizations such as colors, buttons, and LEDs would easily add up as well. The bottom line is that if you want to invest in a better XBOX 360 control experience with some personal flair, this is the investment to make.

9/10 - The only drawback aside from the price is having to know exactly what you want before you pay.

 

[Nathan Drake]

General advice: proofread your reviews before you post them. It takes away some of the professionalism when the sentences have a broken flow (if you're attempting to make a coherent sentence), or when there are typos. I don't recall if this has been an issue in reviews such as the one for your E3 flasher, but it's a good thing to keep note of.

More specifically, that looks like a pretty nice controller. I still couldn't see myself dropping $120 on a controller (charging isn't that big of a hassle), but as far as controllers go, that's definitely top tier for the 360.

 

[Devin]

Kind of in a fragmented sense? I should start to have my journalist girlfriend to start proofreading them with me. Thanks for pointing that out, and I'll be sure to fix that in this review when I'm less tired and in future reviews to come.

It's definitely a sweet controller, the price is a bit off but I can see it justified considering what the price to build your own by buying separate parts would be.

 

[Gahars]

I've dealt with my fair share of evil controllers, but never an Evil Controller.

Should the others be sued? They have to be violating some kind of patent or copyright.

 

[Joe88]

Whats with the low res photos?

 

[Devin]

I didn't think the quality was that bad, it's the same camera I use for all my reviews. And as for the low res photos I'm working on creating a gallery for the high res ones. Or I might just hotlink the other photos onto the lower res ones. If they're really that bad I can retake them but I thought they looked fine.

EDIT:I see a little blur in the first image. I'll retake that now.

Hyperlinked some of them. I think it's the lighting creating the blur, but most of the pictures came out good. Need to retake a picture of the boxing, and DPAD. Strange how they look good on my SD card but on here they look all bleh.

 

[nukeboy95]

it look a little big

 

[Sicklyboy]

asdfgh That thing looks awesome, great review. I'd like to just pick up the back plate at some point but I'm afraid I may not like it. I don't mind the little hump in the standard controllers at all.

Then again, the wired OEM controller doesn't have a hump either, right? I never had a problem with that, so maybe it wouldn't be too bad.

 

[geishroy]

Whats with the terrible quality and low res photos?

i think his camera was just drunk, or he was channeling his Michael J. Fox. Click on the big one and you get blurry vision ;D

On topic, that dpad looks less functional than the original. Although the rechargeable battery would be nice. I would probably just buy the shell and mod my own controllers. Thanks for the review!

 

[DaggerV]

I had a relative ask me about modded controllers recently. Thanks for the review!

 

[Walker D]

How is that d-pad compared with a nintendo style one? ...this one seems a bit weird ...and less efficient compared with the cross model..

 

[tbgtbg]

$120 for a controller and they give you a "hey where's my instructions" card instead of actual instructions? That's bullshit man.

 

[Carnivean]

The site's controller creator is absolutely hilarious.

 

[Ericthegreat]

$120 for a controller and they give you a "hey where's my instructions" card instead of actual instructions? That's bullshit man.

Yea if it dont come with instructions you might as well pirate it right But really I get what your saying.

 

[cdoty]

Damn, that thing's ugly! The DPad looks like it came straight from a cheap Chinese controller. The 70's called, they want their analog sticks back.

 

[crysalim]

I have to be honest.

Browsing this product site made me think it was a joke - a parody of controller mods. Yet, it's real.

What the hell is a "backplate"? Is this some kind of lingo they're using for a custom pcb? Why don't they go over this in their faq, for real modders that actually build controllers? Moreover, why do they sell faceplates that cost more than a real 360 controller does?

The reason I looked into this at all was the unique d-pad. It emulates the Dual Shock dpad which indents into the controller, which uses a single plastic mold, but Evil Controllers claims their dpad uses 4 individual buttons. There are no real testimonials, so I can't imagine this being any good for fighting games; the PS3 indented dpad is infamously inaccurate when it comes to precise movements, so without explicit reason for emulating and improving on it, why would you boast that about your product? You can buy a Madcatz fighting stick, the absolute standard for fighting games, made with real Japanese arcade cabinet parts, for less than $139.99.

In other words, you can purchase part of an arcade cabinet for less than one of these controllers.

I just can't approve of reviews like this. Please, GBATemp, put some honesty into your posts - don't just praise any scrub manufacturer that sends you a free sample. Show a shred of integrity.

 

[Devin]

You can say whatever you'd like about the controller, but I'll have you know that I'm completely honest in my review. The fact that you assume without having tried the controller that I'm praising a manufacturer that I'm not affiliated with in any way really does show character. They could have asked for the controller back, and my review wouldn't have been any different. Members that assume based on pictures are doing just that. Assuming. Reviews are for telling people the facts. What it does, and how it does it. Listing any imperfections you see, and commenting on them. And at the end you post a score based on what you think the product should get. I could send this controller off to 100 people. Some would say it sucks, and some would say it's awesome. It's an opinion, and don't get pissed off because someone has one that differs from your own.

I don't even play my 360 enough as is to justify praising a company for a shitty product. Criticism is welcomed on my reviews, heck see the second post here. But random lashing out is not appreciated.

 

[Sicklyboy]

What the hell is a "backplate"? Is this some kind of lingo they're using for a custom pcb? Why don't they go over this in their faq, for real modders that actually build controllers? Moreover, why do they sell faceplates that cost more than a real 360 controller does?

I build custom controllers and had no problem immediately identifying what it was supposed to be. Most backplates (not faceplates) don't have batteries built into them, nor are they custom molded from a custom design rather than OE- or near-OE specifications. If you don't like the price, don't buy it.

Nobody says Evil is emulating anything but you. There's a big difference between ripping something off and making a design that is completely your own that still has a few elements that are present in every single other type of that thing. My Nexus 7 is not a rip off of the iPad simply because it has a screen with a black border and rounded edges. My car is not a rip off of the Ford Model T just because it has four wheels and an engine. Having a custom molded shell with four individual buttons for the dpad is likely to be much more accurate than any other design because you're completely eliminating the chance of cross-pressing, where you press a direction and accidentally hit a diagonal because you are not hitting the controller right on the exact direction. However, hitting diagonals might be harder in general with this controller.

Also, lol, Madcatz being a standard for anything.

 

[crysalim]

Devin I have no personal qualms with you. I apologize if this came off as a personal attack. I wanted to stress the rip off this controller is however; it's not good enough for this site, imo. This controller costs as much as a used Arcade version of a 360. There is a brand of controllers some pros use called XCM, which is also very expensive (around $130-$140), and if I really had to guess, Evil is trying to supercede them price wise to give the illusion of quality. It doesn't do GBATemp any good to promote it.

Madcatz has been the standard for fighting game controllers since 2009 by the way. Evolution (fighting game world finals held in Vegas) sells all the good stuff, I'll link a couple below. Also I really don't know what you mean by emulating either Sickly; the dpad is a Dual Shock dpad, there is no emulating going on there, that's just what it is.

Here's the Madcatz fightpad (cheap and excellent for fgs but doesn't last as long as a reg controller): http://www.amazon.com/Mad-Catz-Street-Fighter-Tekken-Playstation/dp/B006ZTHGPM/

The real fighting game trophy is their fight stick though. After setting the standard in 2009 they created a market that didn't exist for them, some other companies followed suit like Qanba. The original: http://www.amazon.com/Mad-Catz-Major-League-Gaming-Playstation/dp/B005LTSS6I/ (this used to cost $150 at launch, it's much cheaper now)

Qanba stick that is preferred among a lot of players (I don't have this one because I modded a Madcatz): http://eightarc.com/qanba-q4-black (the price premium is because it works for ps3/360/pc)

Also, keep in mind that many players are perfectly fine playing fighting games on pad. For those players a stock 360 controller (corded, not wireless, that's important) seems to be popular. You don't see it often at tournaments though..

My first post was very angry, but I do want the point to remain that the Evil controller is a rip off. Then again anyone paying a premium like that for a controller is very likely to do their own research and make their own educated decision.