When comparing SteelSeries Free vs iPega PG-9025, the Slant community recommends iPega PG-9025 for most people. In the question“What are the best third-party game controllers for Android?” iPega PG-9025 is ranked 1st while SteelSeries Free is ranked 9th. The most important reason people chose iPega PG-9025 is:
The built in battery provides 6 hours of gaming, which can easily be recharged through a USB adapter as the battery is rechargeable. You won't have to buy batteries, or worry about having batteries on hand.
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 Built-in rechargable battery (380mAh)
The built in battery provides 6 hours of gaming, which can easily be recharged through a USB adapter as the battery is rechargeable. You won't have to buy batteries, or worry about having batteries on hand.
Pro Includes retractable phone holder
The phone holder really helps out, as when playing games you'll have both hands on the controller and won't be able to hold your phone. You would need to prop it up somewhere (if you could find a spot).
The arm can fit phones up to 9 centimeters wide. This means anyone with a device that size or smaller can clip it into the controller, making for a convenient form factor while gaming. Because of the width, it can even fit small phones with a case on it.
Pro Supports many operating systems
Supports Android 4.3+, iOS, WinXP/Win7/Win8 and Android TV.
Pro Has L2 and R2 buttons
Has ergonomically placed L2 and R2 buttons on the back.
Pro 5 multimedia keys
There are multimedia keys on the device that allow control while using multimedia apps such as movie players or music players. This can be convenient for when the controller is in ones hands instead of their device.
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 Cheap-feeling build
The controller is lightweight and gives a feeling it may break when dropped due to the flimsy design. While this is a cheap controller it would have been nice to have a sturdier build to it.
Con Instructions are written in Chinese
The in-the-box instructions are all in Chinese. In order to read them in English, you need the online English PDF manual.