TrulyObscure - article - Games - gadgeteer - Nyko PS3 and 360 Accessories Make the Grade

Posted by Greg May Jan 15, 06:13 PM to games : gadgeteer -

One of the most frustrating parts of the PS3 is having to use the controllers, awkwardly, to control movie and media playback. And the 360 controllers need new batteries regularly, which is bad for the environment and really annoying if you are out of AA batteries!

Nyko offers a wide range of gaming accessories, but we’ve recently been testing out two of them: the ChargeBase 360 and Blu-wave Infrared Remote for the PS3 . Both are fairly inexpensive, around $15 for the remote and $30 for the ChargeBase, and are easy to setup.

But both of them do have some major flaws that limit their usefulness, unfortunately. The ChargeBase rechargeable batteries don’t last as long as we hoped, and take quite a while to recharge. Further, you have to be pretty careful about inserting the batteries and seating them properly to recharge as well. But they do allow you to recharge them without removing them from the controller, and the base is compact with handy lights. Overall, they aren’t the best rechargeable batteries we’ve seen for the 360, but are a pretty good value if you have two Xbox 360 controllers.

On the PS3 side, the Blu-wave remote is super-simple, and has most all of the functions of the normal controller. It’s light, attractive, and the dongle you plug into the PS3 works immediately. The downsides: very limited range, occasional lack of responsiveness, and the fact that you’ll need to carefully aim the remote- which can be hard to get used to when you’ve been using another controller. We also wish that the device had different feels for the buttons, and perhaps a light of some kind, but it definitely will serve well for the basics. As a bonus, it’s easy enough to then use a smart remote, like a Harmony or the Monster to control the PS3.