PB Tails Crush Bluetooth Wireless Gaming Controller (Hardware)
Official GBAtemp Review
Product Information:
When it comes to gaming, sometimes your peripherals and accessories are optional, but if there’s one thing you absolutely need to play your games… aside from a PC or console, TV or monitor, and these days an internet connection? It’s a controller. Whether that be the master race of mouse and keyboard, or a dedicated gaming controller, you need something that lets you put the “play” in “playing video games.” And if it’s a peripheral you need, why not have some style while you’re at it? Enter the Crush controller from PBTails, a Bluetooth wireless controller taking design inspiration from the Porsche 550 Spyder, and designed to be used with a variety of different gaming setups. How does this fashionably designed controller stack up to its competition? Read on, and let’s find out!
Tech Specs
Out of the Box Design
Popping the controller out of its holographic box, the inspiration for the controller’s design becomes immediately clear… as long as you know what the advertised car looks like. Looking at the two side-by-side, it’s pretty obvious at least - especially with the Metal Ghost faceplate drawing a similar steel-esque finish. The curvature of the front and back of the controller really play into this, as do the handles, mimicking the rounding at the front and back of the car, and the raising in the front and back corners. The result is a quite good-looking controller that doesn’t sacrifice ergonomic sense or comfort to achieve its design.
Outside of this design inspiration, the controller itself has plenty to offer; the build quality is sturdy, with plenty of heft while not being too heavy. The magnetic face plates offer the ability to swap out the color aesthetic effortlessly, and the Metal Ghost variant even has swappable joysticks, allowing you to pop in ones that match the metal faceplate. The wide variety of built-in lights on the controller can thankfully be changed conveniently right on the controller, using your standard face buttons and the controller's built-in turbo button. If I have one complaint, it’s that the metal faceplate has the same issue that most items with a metal finish have - it smudges if you do so much as look at it wrong. Luckily PB Tails included a small cloth wipe to keep it clean, which can stay conveniently stored in the included carrying case. Overall, definitely a quality controller in terms of design and build… but how does it hold up in terms of actually using it?
Built for Gaming - No Matter the Platform (except Xbox and PlayStation)
For system compatibility, the controller utilizes a Bluetooth 5.0 connection, allowing you to pair it with a Nintendo Switch, your Windows platform machines, both Android AND iOS, Steam systems, and even Raspberry Pi builds. Pairing the controller is as simple as pressing a single button and following your standard Bluetooth procedures on the device of your choice. A switch built into the top is the only variable in the process, needing to be set to “S” for the Switch, and “X” for all other devices. One interesting thing I found worth noting is that while it isn’t compatible with any Xbox consoles, it’s listed as an Xbox wireless controller whenever I paired it to another device; not something I personally had any issues with, but something that’s definitely a bit more confusing than it needs to be.
When it comes to actually gaming with the controller, there’s no reinventing the wheel here; it’s a gaming controller. It functions exactly as you’d expect it would, across every platform I used it on, with zero unexpected lag or latency. The built-in turbo button is a nice touch, and definitely something I found myself excitedly using in testing. The triggers are a little “squishy,” which isn’t ideal in this reviewer's opinion, but they work without issue despite this. There are a few design quirks that affect the controller performance that I feel compelled to point out, however; regarding, specifically, the Ghost Metal controller, the metal joysticks and face plate are both quite slippery when being used, affecting the grip and use comfort mildly. For the joysticks, this is easily rectified by just swapping out the joysticks for the included, rubber-with-grip sticks - something that immediately boosted both my comfort and gameplay performance when in use. The same problem on the faceplate, however, is something that can’t particularly be quite as easily rectified; the only option would be swapping the faceplate, which is easy enough with how the Crush controller is designed, but with the Metal Ghost being the premium (and thus most expensive) of the options for the controller, that doesn’t sound like something most who spring for this option would be particularly excited for.
Despite these very minor flaws, I still view this simply beautiful controller as a win, and definitely a controller worth considering, especially if you have multiple platforms you’d be hoping to use this for. The ease of use across different devices, incredibly sleek design, and ability to easily customize it to your liking has made it my go to controller for using my docked Switch, games best paired with a controller on Steam, and all of my emulation across my PC and Android phone. It’s a wonderful, cost effective controller that I can both easily, and happily, recommend to just about anyone.
Verdict
- Sleek design
- Easy customization
- Variety of platform compatibility
- Slippery controller face and thumbstick (both swappable)
- No Xbox compatibility
