For any avid gamer, winning a game is not only about the skill. Apart from full concentration, what a gamer needs is a good controller, which can do the magic.
Xbox and Playstation owners rightfully claim to have the most reputed set of sticks for their respective consoles and once you have used them, it’s hard to look at anything else that can deliver quality without costing a bomb. So, here comes Amkette to your rescue. Amkette may not be a household name in the gaming scheme of things but with Evo Gamepad Pro, they’re trying to change the image for good.
As of now, the not-so-expensive gaming controller, Amkette Evo Gamepad Pro, works only with Android devices but that’s no reason to complain about in a country where majority of the users are on Android. On the contrary, tt will be interesting to see if Evo Gamepad has enough steam to become a smartphone gaming companion.
What is it?
Amkette Evo Gamepad Pro is just like any other gaming controller with analog stick, paddle, joystick etc. The device comes with a slot to connect the phone. Pair it via Bluetooth and enjoy the regular gaming benefits from your phone itself.
Who is it for?
If you don’t like gesture/touch controls for playing games on the phone then Evo Gamepad Pro is the best possible solution for you, that too at an affordable price.
Design
Gamepad controllers are required to be designed and built with keeping functionality and ergonomics in mind. Without these essentials, the device is never going to find takers or gain acceptance from the ones who’ve tried it out at least once.
Amkette’s Evo Gamepad Pro is impressive as it falls between the brilliance of a top-end controller and an entry-level mediocre set of remote. The device has got a textured, rubberized finishing, making it comfortable to hold and play anywhere, anytime. While the analog sticks are responsive to most of the actions, same cannot be said about the impact of buttons and direction button, which is clumsy and rigid at the same time, not conducive for consistent hassle-free gaming experience.
Apart from the control buttons, you’ll also find power button, LED indicators for power, Bluetooth pairing and a microUSB port for charging the device. The controller is M-shaped and offers the comfort of most regular devices that one can buy in the country. All in all, Evo Gamepad Pro has all the design requisites to play by the gaming rules, only if they can refine the quality of control buttons.
How to use it?
As we’ve mentioned earlier, Amkette Evo Gamepad Pro works only with Android phones (up to 5.5-inch) and you’ll need Evo Gamepad app, which is available on Play store. Pair your phone with the controller via Bluetooth and get set to enjoy a slew of gaming titles like Asphalt 8: Airborne with controls you’ve never had before, for smartphone gaming.
Performance
Now, we get down to the business end of using the Evo Gamepad Pro i.e. gaming and its overall value. Our gaming tryst with the Evo Gamepad Pro has been a mixed bag of sorts with much to appreciate as well as criticize about. While the quality of analog sticks make sure that racing-based game is a joy, same cannot be said about the response of triggers and the bumper buttons, which are essential for strategy & shooting games like Modern Combat.
Depending upon user’s familiarity with the controllers, it can take you sometime to get used to the controls that reflects the worth of the device. During our time with the device, we found the Evo Gamepad Pro falling in few corners, wherein the need for stress-based controls was more than obvious. It comes loaded with a 400mAh battery that can easily last up to 4 hours on single charge and while this may not suffice for power users; but more than enough for light gamers.
All in all, Amkette makes a decent shout out for quality gaming controllers that need not cost a lot.
The good
Analog sticks and triggers, value, build quality
Tragic flaw
Average battery life, bumper buttons are rigid
Should you buy it or not?
Amkette Evo Gamepad Pro is the best possible gaming controller for smartphones, available at a price which is not really going to burn a hole in your pocket.. Not a fancy device, it manages to cater to bare minimum for a gamer (and supporting Android only) who’s got a phone sized up to 5.5-inch at best. For Rs 2799, there’s not more that you can ask for but even then you’re buying a quality piece of device suited to gamers on the mobile.