When comparing SteelSeries Free vs Mad Catz C.T.R.L.R Mobile Gamepad, the Slant community recommends Mad Catz C.T.R.L.R Mobile Gamepad for most people. In the question“What are the best third-party game controllers for Android?” Mad Catz C.T.R.L.R Mobile Gamepad is ranked 8th while SteelSeries Free is ranked 9th. The most important reason people chose Mad Catz C.T.R.L.R Mobile Gamepad is:
For a device in its price range, the build quality is pretty darn good.
Specs
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Pros
Pro Built in rechargeable battery
The SteelSeries Free has a built in rechargeable battery that is charged through a USB cable. This makes it more convenient than a AA or AAA battery powered controller, as you won't have to worry about always having extra batteries on hand. Also, a rechargeable battery is cheaper in the long run.
Pro Small and portable
The SteelSeries Free is pretty small and only weighs 1.91 ounces, meaning it is very pocketable and easy to carry around.
Pro 3rd party app support
Luckily there is a third party app that allows for customization of the inputs on this device. It is called Game Controller 2 Touch and has full support for the SteelSeries Free.
Pro First party app available
SteelSeries provides a free app on the Google Play Store to set up ones device.
Pro Good build quality
For a device in its price range, the build quality is pretty darn good.
Pro 3rd party app support
There is a third party app that allows for customization of the inputs on this device. It is called Game Controller 2 Touch, and has full support for the Mad Catz C.T.R.L.R Mobile Gamepad.
Pro 3 modes of use for varied use
There are three different modes for this controller, the first is a mobile Bluetooth mode for Android devices, the second is mouse mode that turns the analog sticks into vitual mice and the third is PC mode which is compatible for PC games.
Pro Uses replaceable AAA batteries
There is a user openable compartment in the back that holds the 2 AAA batteries. These should offer up to 40 hours of continuous game time before they need to be changed out.
Pro First party app available
There is a first party app available for the Mad Catz C.T.R.L.R and all other Mad Catz GameSmart enabled devices.
Cons
Con Only two shoulder buttons
Many ports and games utilize four shoulder buttons, meaning some games will not work with this controller.
Con First party app is useless
Apparently the SteelSeries Engine app does not work as advertised and is pretty much useless.
Con The tiny size makes your hands feel cramped after a while
While it's very portable, your hands are going to be squished after playing on it for a few hours.
Con Mad Catz A.P.P. is useless
Apparently the first party app available for the Mad Catz C.T.R.L.R is just a bunch of pictures of products and offers zero functionality to the device.
Con Dead space in the joysticks
You can push the joysticks a bit in any direction without any in-game response. This makes it harder to play fast paced games that require accuracy (such as FPS games).
Con Only pairs to one device at a time
You can't - for example - have it paired to both your phone and tablet. Whenever you want to switch devices, you will need to re-pair it.