The first thting I noted was the inside of the packaging presenting some form of temperment. It seemed as if the controller was handled by someone else, smudged and covered in hairs. Some parts of the packaging were also torn open, as if the package was a used product. I am not complaining though, as it surely could have been worst.

But, my review will still remain positive for my positive outlook on this intriguing controller.

Comparing it to any other controller on the market would be an injustice, due to it's ergonomic approach, and wonderfully original design. This causes it to stand out in the market, making it immediately appealing, like Nintendo's Power Glove.

But, unlike the Power Glove, this controller works surprisingly well at what it aims for. The build quality is sturdy, the stick is great, the buttons are great, but those aren't the reason one read this review.

The touchpads are the main focus of this controller. and I always found myself in childlike delight messing with them playing in the original Half-Life game. The right touch pad functions similarly to a track ball that you would find in an arcade, creating a feel of roll when swiped with one's thumb. The utility is impressive, as playing Half-Life created no problems on hard difficulty, and using the controller even got me past hard moments in the game.

The touch pad on the left confuses me the most about the controller. It looks as if it wants to be a directional pad, but functions exactly like the right touch pad. Even if you assigned it as a d-pad, as i did in BattleBlock Theater, it's too big and insensitive to use. It has to be pressed down upon to create the same utility. If custimization is in order in the future, the touchpad should be downsized, and removed of it's clickable state. This would give it the feel of the Sonic the Hedgehog mobile ports and their incredibly refined touch screen controls. That, is my one major caveat of this controller though, as I prefer the directional pad over a stick in a sidescrolling platformer any day.

The last thing to touch on is the usage. This controller is very different, but that's not to say you should not attempt to adapt to it. A controller with this much potential should not be ignored by any PC gamer. Small tweaks to this controller are generally going to happen on launch. The xbox controller ent through that process, and I trust that Valve will find the modifications it needs to make.

I recommend this controller overall, and probably prefer it over my Xbox controller.