Steelseries Nimbus review: We test out the latest Steelseries iOS wireless game controller for Apple’s iPhone, iPad and Apple TV.
If you’re sick of crummy touchscreen controls when playing iPhone or iPad games, one solution is to grab yourself a physical controller like the Steelseries Nimbus. This well-crafted controller fits perfectly in the hands thanks to its smart design, with contoured grips that sit snugly against your palms and well-positioned buttons that fit naturally beneath your fingers and thumbs. The Nimbus has a good heft to it also; this isn’t some cheap hollow piece of plastic that feels like it’s going to crack apart if you drop it.
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Setup is as simple as it comes. Just turn on the Nimbus and push the Bluetooth button and you should see the controller pop up in your iOS device’s BT menu. Tap to connect and you’ll be prompted to download the Nimbus app. This free app makes sure that your controller’s firmware is up to date and also gives you a full list of compatible games, with direct links to them in the App Store.
Compatibility is a big selling point of any game controller and the Nimbus does well. Big titles like the LEGO series, Minecraft, Real Racing and every GTA game are supported by the controller, while plenty of classic games like Galaxy on Fire, Tomb Raider, Walking Dead and Crazy Taxi are also covered. Check out the Nimbus app for a complete list.
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You can check the Nimbus’ battery status at any time by flicking the Hold switch up top. This causes the four LEDs at the front of the controller to light up, giving you a rough idea of how much charge is left in the controller. You can recharge it at any time by connecting it to the mains or your computer with your Lightning cable.
I’ve been using the controller for roughly ten hours at the time of writing and there’s still over half charge remaining, while Steelseries reckons you’ll get around 40 hours of use from a full battery. That’s better than most other controllers we’ve tested and means you’ll have plenty of power to survive almost any trip.
The Steelseries Nimbus is compatible with iPhone 5 and later, iPad Mini 1, 2, 3 and 4, iPad Pro, iPad Air 1 and 2, iPad 4th Generation, iPod Touch 6th Generation, Apple TV 4th Generation and Mac.
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