PB Tails Metal Crush Defender TMR Review

Hall effect (HE) technology, which uses magnetic sensors alternatively of potentiometers, has transformed the crippled controller market, making analog sticks much reliable and acold little prone to drift. PB Tails, with its Metal Crush Defender TMR, has present one-upped HE with Tunneling Magnetoresistance (TMR), which provides greater resolution, little powerfulness consumption, and a higher reporting rate. While it whitethorn not beryllium the end-all, be-all erstwhile it comes to premium gamepads, PB Tails' outlandish multi-platform controller is thing to instrumentality enactment of adjacent beyond its usage of K-Silver TMR analog sticks.

PB Tails Metal Crush Defender TMR Gamepad – Configurations and Design

PB Tails offers 3 tiers of TMR-based gamepads, which see the Crush China White TMR ($64.99), Crush 550 TMR ($79.99), and Metal Crush Defender TMR ($109.99). Other than aesthetics, each of the controllers is functionally identical.

The Metal Crush Defender TMR is considered the flagship and is constricted to a full accumulation tally of 999 pieces. It features a hand-polished metallic ammunition and metallic joysticks, arsenic good arsenic an aging method for a unsocial patina that shows imperfections, dents, scratches, and rust spots, making for a worn retired appearance. While I'm personally not a instrumentality of the embedded scratches, I bash find the different elements much oregon little aesthetically-pleasing, providing a Fallout-esque post-apocalyptic vibe.

In the container is the controller, 2.4GHz USB-A wireless dongle with cap, USB-C to USB-A information and charging cable, an operating manual, and a hard carrying lawsuit that fits everything. It's a straightforward bundle that mirrors the controller’s down-to-basics functionality.

The plan and wide layout mirrors the modern Xbox controller. Weighing successful astatine 12.49 ounces versus the 10.34 ounces of Microsoft's Xbox Wireless Controller with AA batteries, you truly consciousness the value of the metallic components. This isn't needfully a atrocious happening successful presumption of premium feel, but your arms whitethorn surely fatigue faster implicit agelong gaming sessions versus much plasticky gamepads.

The controller features near and close analog sticks, a D-Pad, A/B/X/Y look buttons, close and near bumpers, Hall effect close and near linear triggers, and screenshot, home, T, minus, and positive buttons. Between the near and close bumpers are a pairing button, USB-C information and charging port, and an S oregon X mode switch, which lets you brace 2 antithetic devices and swap betwixt them easily. The location fastener and A/B/X/Y buttons diagnostic RGB lighting, on with an RGB airy barroom astatine the bottommost of the controller. Asymmetrical motors supply vibration, and a 6-axis sensor provides gyroscopic enactment connected platforms similar the Switch.

PB Tails Metal Crush Defender TMR Gamepad – Platforms and Performance

The Metal Crush Defender TMR works with Nintendo Switch, Windows, Android, iOS, macOS, and different platforms that person Bluetooth 5.0 oregon greater support. The basal pairing process is straightforward, switching the controller to S oregon X with the mode switch, pressing and holding the pairing fastener for 3 seconds, past selecting the instrumentality connected your level of choice. The controller itself, which is mostly recognized arsenic a modular Xbox 360 controller, tin beryllium switched betwixt SWITCH, DINPUT, oregon XINPUT operating modes depending upon what's needed for a peculiar platform.

The gamepad besides works connected PCs either wired oregon utilizing the included 2.4GHz USB-A wireless dongle. Unfortunately, the instructions for pairing the gamepad with the wireless dongle are not peculiarly clear. For maine to marque it enactment with my Windows 11 gaming desktop I had to plug successful the dongle and property its pairing fastener until it flashed, marque definite the gamepad was powered disconnected and the mode power acceptable to S, and past property and clasp the gamepad's pairing fastener until it powered connected and flashed.

Once decently paired, I was capable to deed the people 1000Hz polling complaint arsenic confirmed with Gamepadla's Polling app. In fact, utilizing a assortment of PC trial software, I was capable to corroborate that latency, analog joystick accuracy, and each different metrics were astatine oregon adjacent the apical of the imaginable show range. Although astir of america don't person god-level gaming skills, it's bully to cognize that adjacent utilizing a wireless connection, the Metal Crush Defender TMR has what it takes to conscionable oregon transcend adjacent the astir demanding usage cases.

Regardless of the level I utilized the gamepad with, beryllium it Switch, Android, iOS, oregon PC, I was ne'er disappointed with the performance. Every determination of an analog stick, each displacement of the D-Pad, and each property of a fastener felt true. And portion I would similar textured grips and much texture overall, particularly with the K-Silver TMR analog sticks, I ne'er felt the controller was wide peculiarly slippery.

Nevertheless, if determination is an country I tin criticize, it's however slick the tops of the electroplated metallic analog sticks are. While I emotion the question and value of each of the sticks, I couldn't assistance but person this nagging feeling during play that my grip was not arsenic unafraid arsenic it should be. In practice, it was seldom an issue, but again, with astir everything other truthful spot-on, the mirror-like decorativeness of the analog sticks arguably errs conscionable a spot excessively acold to the aesthetic versus practical.

Battery beingness is besides thing special. The built-in 860 mAh lithium artillery takes a fewer hours to afloat charge, but past you lone get astir 10 hours of operation. Compared to thing similar the PowerA XP-Ultra multi-platform controller and its greater-than-40-hours artillery beingness from its 2000 mAh lithium battery, the Metal Crush Defender TMR is decidedly not arsenic vigor potent, oregon efficient, arsenic it could be.

PB Tails Metal Crush Defender TMR Gamepad – Customization

For those who similar to usage bundle oregon apps to tweak their controller settings, you're retired of luck with the Metal Crush Defender TMR. PB Tails offers nary specified options, truthful immoderate controller tweaks are constricted to what you tin bash with the carnal controls for lighting, turbo mode, and manual calibration of the gyroscope and joysticks.

For example, to alteration the RGB airy barroom color, you clasp T and crook the near joystick to prime the color, past merchandise T to acceptable that color. As different example, to acceptable turbo mode, which rapidly repeats a fastener property erstwhile held down, you clasp the T button, past property immoderate fastener you privation to activate. Combinations similar these are straightforward enough, but it inactive would person been bully to person much intuitive power via bundle oregon an app similar galore different third-party controllers offer.

On the positive side, switching betwixt 2 paired devices is arsenic casual arsenic moving the mode switch. For instance, astatine the infinitesimal I person S acceptable to the wireless dongle attached to my PC and X acceptable to my Android tablet.

Physical customization is likewise modest. You tin easy region the beforehand fractional of the zinc alloy MagCase acknowledgment to its magnetic transportation strategy and regenerate it with immoderate different MagCase from the PB Tails Basic, Gem, oregon Metal Series. Similarly, some the near and close sticks are removable and replaceable, though determination are presently nary options disposable straight from PB Tails.