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Written by Ian Johnston
Now more than ever, gamers are faced with a vast array of choices when shopping for a controller. Joystick or joypad? Third-party or first-party? Basic or deluxe model? Once those choices have been made a quick appraisal of the controller's durability, comfort, responsiveness, and value for the money have to be made, oftentimes without the benefit of actually playing a game with said controller before purchasing it.
Although the majority of new controllers are essentially the same as many old controllers, there are some that truly incorporate an innovative design element. Nyko's AirFlo EX for the PlayStation 2 is one such controller. The AirFlo EX is designed to alleviate a problem familiar to virtually every hardcore gamer - sweaty hands. Contained within the controller is a fan that can operate at low or high speed. The two grips on the controller are perferrated with holes, through which the air from the fan flows. The idea, of course, is to eliminate sweat by delivering a constant flow of air to the player's hands.
Nyko should definitely be commended for making a controller that aims to eliminate the problem of sweaty hands; unfortunately, the AirFlo EX suffers from a few nagging flaws that make it a less than ideal controller. First and foremost, it's a little larger than it needs to be. The grips are longer than those found on the the standard Sony Dual-Shock controller, and this affects its functionality. I have larger hands than most people, and even so, I had difficulty holding the controller in such a way that each of the primary buttons were sufficiently accessible to my right thumb while at the same time allowing my index fingers to comfortably reach the shoulder buttons.
If I placed my hands on the upper portion of the grips my thumb could reach the primary buttons (those being triangle, square, x, and circle), but my index fingers had to bend backward awkwardly to reach the L1 and R1 buttons. Conversely, if I placed my hands on the lower portion of the grips my index fingers could comfortably touch all four of the shoulder buttons, but my thumb couldn't reach each of the primary buttons to my satisfaction. The thickness of the controller also played a part in preventing me from finding a comfortable and functional way to hold the controller.
On the plus side, the AirFlo EX does feel incredibly study, which can't be said for a lot of third-party controllers. The two analog sticks both feel comfortable to use and move quite fluidly without feeling too loose. However, the d-pad is too stiff and the fan - the primary feature of the controller - is loud enough to be a distraction, even on the low setting; it sounds a lot like a hairdryer. Interestingly, the controller features a USB cable that is used to power the fan.
At a suggested retail price of $29.99, the AirFlo EX is a bit too pricy to be worth the money. The concept is excellent, but the implementation and design could use some work. Hopefully Nyko will release further itterations of the AirFlo controller (a wireless one for $59.99 is already available for the PS2), but in the meantime, gamers might be better off sticking with Sony's tried and true Dual-Shock pad.
| Appearance: | 3 out of 5 |
| Comfort: | 2 out of 5 |
| Durability: | 4 out of 5 |
| Quality: | 3 out of 5 |
| Value: | 2 out of 5 |
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| Overall | 2.5 out of 5 (final score is not an average) |
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