Blugh, I hate how it looks like the 360 contoller, I really dislike the analog setup, which is why I prefer the DS controller.MushroomWig

That was the entire point, the fact that I was looking for a controller with that stick configuration.

Narrative Precursor to the Review:

As anyone on this these forums who has kept up with my gaming complaints (all zero of you) knows that I have a hard time using the Playstation 3 Dualshock 3 controller which came with my playstation 3. Being a large Russian man, I have large Russian hands, and as such, when I use the Dualshock 3 controller, my thumbs tend to bump into each other on the joysticks, and the entire controller feels small and flimsy in my hands. Because of this, shooters are rather difficult to play on the PS3, and I basically reserve my Xbox 360 for them (a shame really, because there are a lot of PS3 exclusive shooters miss out on playing playing because of this controller, like Killzone 2, MAG, and Resistance).

This large handed affliction of mine has lead me in search of a good PS3 compatible controller to replace my current dualshock 3. I have quite an affinity for the Xbox 360 controller, and so for months, I've been looking for a PS3 controller made in the xbox 360 **** the perfect controller that would have all the features I need, the xbox 360 ****diagonal joystick placement, solid feeling triggers, and an ergonomic design, while retaining all of the amenities of the PS3 controller, the sixxaxis control, the bluetooth connectivity, and the perfect D-pad.

Searching endlessly online, I just couldn't find the right controller for myself, and I had all but given up hope when on happenstance, I stumbled upon what seems to be just such a controller at a local Best Buy electronics store. Behold the Rocketfish PS3 Wireless Rapid Fire Controller:



I couldn't believe my eyes, it looked like the controller had everything I needed.


This controller looked like the whole package. I stared at the controller in my hand. $48. I thought about it for a second. "It is my birthday this week," I rationalized to myself "and I have been looking for a controller like this for a while." I decided not to let this chance slip through my fingers, and bought the controller without another thought, figuring I could always return it if I didn't love it.

So how did this miracle controller end up working? Lets find out:

Review:

As previously stated, I've been looking for a PS3 controller in the ****of the xbox 360 controller, so here's a comparison picture of the two of them from the same angle:




The first thing that becomes obvious when looking at the Rocketfish controller is that it has a much more defined curve than both the Xbox 360 controller and the PS3 controller, and this greatly affects the way you hold it. Most people hold the controller with 1 thumb on each joystick, 3 fingers supporting the underside of the controller, and with their index fingers resting on the triggers (L2 and R2 buttons), but because of the way this controller curves, from this position, it becomes difficult to reach the bumpers (L1 and R1 buttons).

What this means is that in order to have easy access to the L1 and R1 buttons, you have to change the way you hold the controller, and have 1 thumb on each joystick, you 2 fingers supporting the underside of the controller, your index fingers on the L1 and R1 buttons, and your middle fingers on the L2 and R2 buttons. Many people already hold their controllers like this, so it won't be a problem for them, but those who do not already use this type of grip may have a difficult time adjusting.

This change is a particularly annoying if you aren't used to holding your controller this way because most PS3 shooters use L1 and R1 for aiming and firing, instead of the triggers, so you constantly have to keep your fingers on them. I really wish that more PS3 games allowed you to use the triggers to aim and fire instead, because the triggers on the Rocketfish controller are much better than the floaty L2 and R2 buttons of the Dualshock 3. Some games do allow you to use the triggers as your aiming and firing buttons, like Bioshock and Resistance, but most other games, like MAG, never give you this option. Of course, I can't fault the controller for this, but rather stubborn game developers.

The controller feels solidly built, and feels very good when held in your hands, since its ergonomic design is more molded to your hands than the Dualshock 3 controller. The controller feels slightly heavier than the dualshock 3, and is bigger, making it feel much more solid, and less cheap. The buttons and triggers also feel very good, all except for the X button, which sits on a slightly more curved part of the controller's face than the other buttons, and which feels slightly loose because of it.

One of the best parts of this controller is the D-pad. The D-pad is really a joy to use, and is possibly the one of the best I've ever touched, rivaling the Dualshock 3's D-pad, despite the fact that Rocketfish's d-pad is a one piece whereas the dualshock's is a four piece.

Final Verdict

This controller has everything that I've been looking for in a PS3 controller. It has all of the amenities of the Dualshock 3, as well as the Xbox 360 controller. The only drawback to this controller is the overly accentuated curved shape, which makes it uncomfortable to access the L1 and R1 buttons with a grip that many people are used to. This can frustrate some users, but I've found that after a week of use, this new grip becomes second nature, and the controller feels progressively more comfortable the more you use it.



This controller feels much better than the dualshock 3 when playing games which require the use of both joysticks at the same time (primarily shooters), and it will definitely feel much better for people who have larger hands, however this controller probably will not replace the dualshock 3 when playing games like God of War 3, which mostly require the use of only one joystick when playing.

If you are someone like me who has large hands which don't accommodate the dualshock 3 controller well, or who has problems playing shooters with the dualshock 3 controller, I highly recommend trying out the Rocketfish PS3 Wireless Rapid Fire Controller. I don't regret my purchase in the least, and for the money, it's a great value (it's cheaper than any wireless first party controller). The controller isn't perfect, but it's still a great buy nonetheless, and deserves your attention if you're looking for a new PS3 controller.

End Notes:

1. As some of you may have noticed, I didn't talk about the fact that this controller has a rapid fire capability in my review. This is because I was never looking for a rapid fire controller, and the fact that this controller was rapid fire had no sway on my purchasing decision, since I will never use that feature. Anyone who uses a rapid fire controller is a dirty cheating **** Now, having gotten that out of the way, I still feel obligated to tell my readers about this feature, since it IS part of the controller.

Keep in mind that I didn't actually try this feature out, and don't know how well it works, but from what I gather, the rapid fire button is programmable to any button on the controller, and has 3 speeds, slow, medium, and fast. From what I read in the manual, it's fairly easy to program, and choose the speed you want it to fire at, although from it's placement on the controller, I can surmise that it would be a little difficult to reach in the middle of a game.

2. This controller is only available at Best Buy. I'm sure you can also get it various places online, like Amazon or eBay, but going to your local Gamestop to pick one of these badboys up would be will not yield success, so just a heads up on that.

3. Finally, I would like to close by talking about the packaging of this controller. This controller was packed in clam shell packaging, as are most gaming peripherals, but this packaging was actually very easy to open. I didn't get a single cut of scratch while opening the packaging, and it was actually very consumer friendly. Now, I know that this will have absolutely no bearing on anyone's decision to buy this controller, but I feel like I should mention it, and give credit to whoever designed the packaging for this controller, because it's obvious that they put some effort into its design, and it is very well made.

Anyway, thanks for reading this ridiculously long review (I applaud you for getting through all 1500 words of it), and I hope you enjoyed it, and that it was at all helpful to you and your purchasing decisions. Unfortunately, if you were confused by anything that was writen hear because of sensors, I can't do anything about that. I didn't actually curse a single time in this review, and all words that were censored were censored by complete bull because apparently "they are a doorway into several js exploits," according to the error message which I recieved.