OUYA controller refined ahead of production
When something is listed as a prototype and a company gives a disclaimer that it might change before launch, you’d better take heed to that warning. The folks at OUYA hit us with a nice surprise showing us some tweaks it’s made to the Android console’s controller. The changes they have made are sure to excite everyone who is looking forward to this thing so let’s dive right in and see what’s different.
For starters, the all-important directional pad has been changed from the problematic disc-based design to a cross-based design. This change is especially important for those anticipating playing time on a fighting game. OUYA exclaims that accuracy and precision are back, and from someone who knows how horrible this design is for certain genres I can tell you that it’s a very welcome change.
Other changes to the controller include a more comfortable analog stick experience with rubberized caps, a touchpad that’s a lot more responsive than it currently is (you can change the sensitivity settings to fit your needs), improved ergonomics for the triggers with a more flush design and a tweaked battery bay for a more snug fit.
The folks at OUYA know how important the controller is to the gaming experience, so they let us in on a little bit of a secret — they gave their lead engineer an oscilloscope to test input latency to make sure the controller’s signals get to the console in as little time as possible.
Each change is small, but in the end it should all add up to create one blissful experience that a lot of wireless gaming controllers simply don’t provide. OUYA’s always listening to the people, so if there’s something you don’t like or think should be changed don’t be shy about letting them know — as you see with today’s updates, your voice does matter.