Filip Brož Ever since I started using the iPad and iPhone, I've enjoyed playing games on them. Some can be easily controlled with virtual buttons or a simple flick of the finger to the sides. However, more complex games, such as some sports titles and shooting games, require the interaction of several buttons at once. Die-hard gamers will surely agree that coordinating the movements of the fingers on the display can sometimes be quite a challenge.
However, for the last few weeks, I have been using the Nimbus wireless controller from SteelSeries for gaming, which can handle games on all Apple devices, so in addition to the iPhone and iPad, it also provides an Apple TV or MacBook.
Nimbus is not a revolutionary new product, it was already on the market with the arrival of the last generation of Apple TV, but for a long time it was only sold by Apple in its online store. It is now also available at other retailers and you can try it at, for example, APR. I myself put off buying a Nimbus for a long time until I got it as a Christmas present. Since then, when I turn on the Apple TV or start a game on the iPad Pro, I automatically pick up the controller. The gaming experience is much better.
Made for gaming
The SteelSeries Nimbus is a lightweight plastic controller that matches the standard in its industry, i.e. controllers from Xbox or PlayStation. It is similar to them in terms of weight (242 grams), but I wouldn't even mind if it were a little bigger so that I could feel the controller in my hand more. But for another player, on the contrary, it can be a plus.
On the Nimbus you will find two traditional joysticks that you use in practically every game. There are four action buttons on the right side and console arrows on the left. At the top you will find the familiar L1/L2 and R1/R2 buttons for console players. In the middle is a large Menu button that you use to pause the game and bring up other interactions.
The four LEDs on the Nimbus serve two purposes: firstly, they indicate the battery status, and secondly, they show the number of players. The controller is charged via Lightning, which is not included in the package, and lasts for a good 40 hours of playtime on a single charge. When the Nimbus is running low on juice, one of the LEDs will flash twenty minutes before it is completely discharged. The controller can then be recharged in a few hours.
As for the number of players, Nimbus supports multiplayer, so you can have fun with your friends whether you're playing on an Apple TV or a large iPad. As a second controller, you can easily use an Apple TV controller, but of course also two Nimbuses.
Hundreds of games
Communication between the controller and iPhone, iPad or Apple TV takes place via Bluetooth. You press the pairing button on the controller and connect it in the settings. Then Nimbus will connect automatically. When pairing for the first time, I recommend downloading the free one the SteelSeries Nimbus Companion App from the App Store, which shows you a list of compatible games and downloads the latest firmware to the controller.
Although the application deserves a little more care and, above all, optimization for the iPad, it presents you with an overview of the latest and available games that can be controlled by Nimbus. Hundreds of titles are already supported, and when you select one in the app, you can go straight to the App Store and download it. The store itself will not tell you the compatibility with the driver. The certainty is only with games for Apple TV, there the support of the game controller by Apple is even required.
I'm very happy to be able to play most of the best titles ever released on iOS with Nimbus. For example, I got a great gaming experience playing GTA: San Andreas, Leo's Fortune, Limbo, Goat Simulator, Dead Trigger, Oceanhorn, Minecraft, NBA 2K17, FIFA, Final Fantasy, Real Racing 3, Max Payne, Rayman, Tomb Raider, Carmaggedon , Modern Combat 5, Asphalt 8, Space Marshals or Assassin's Creed Identity.
However, I played most of the named games on my iPad Pro. It was on Apple TV until recently limited to a size limit of 200 MB, with additional data downloaded additionally. For many games, this meant they couldn't appear as a single package on Apple TV. New Apple increased the limit of the basic application package to 4 GB, which should also help with the development of the gaming world on Apple TV. I firmly believe that I will finally play the iconic San Andreas on Apple TV.
Limited Edition
Of course, you can enjoy a lot of fun with Nimbus on your iPhone as well. It's up to you whether you can handle the small display. So Nimbus makes more sense on the iPad. The gaming controller from SteelSeries costs a solid 1 crowns, which is not so bad compared to how much fun you will have. A special limited edition of this controller in white color is also sold in Apple Stores.
When you buy a Nimbus, it doesn't mean you automatically get a gaming console that can compete with an Xbox or a PlayStation when paired with an iPad or Apple TV, but you definitely get closer to the gaming experience. You get more like a PlayStation Portable. However, the response is great with the Nimbus, it's just that the buttons are a little noisier. How Nimbus works in practice, we are they also showed in a live video on Facebook.
"On the Nimbus, you'll find two traditional dualshocks that you use in practically every game." - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DualShock
:-D
I look on the net and there is not much competition. I see the Apple store, the Green Mutant and that's all ;-). Tip where to look at it? Or some lines, if they are allowed here :-).
Try an APR like iStyle or iSetos.
Does anyone have a comparison with the STEEL SERIES Stratus?
I had a Stratus and now I have a Nimbus :-)))
Now to the point: Stratus was, let's say, scrap compared to Nimbus. I complained about it 2 times, each time after a while the analog stick started to respond without being touched. In the game, after a while, the car started to turn by itself, the character turned, etc... Always complained about and exchanged for a new piece without any problems (Apple store).
Nimbus absolutely without a problem for a year! I mostly play World of Tanks Blitz on it and I've gotten so used to the controller that I don't play games without support. The ergonomics are great, the endurance is absolutely enormous and the quality of the processing has really improved compared to the Stratus. Definitely recommend ;-)
Great, that's great news. Thanks for sharing your long-term experience.
I also have a question, if you advertise something on Appstore, do you have to send it to Ireland at all costs?
No, you log into your account via the site, select what you want to complain about. They will send you a piece of paper that you stick on the package and the courier will make an appointment with you to pick it up. Seamless.
OK, that sounds pretty reasonable.
Exactly as Prazdroj writes. Otherwise, for example, with the Stratus, they didn't even want to send the goods back during the first complaint. They just left me the old and broken one too. If I gave them shit, I could have two. But karma is karma :))) Rather, it was because for Apple its price is "negligible" and mainly it is a product of a third party and not of Apple.
Great, that sounds good. I guess I'll try.
Me, I bought it together with the AppleTV a year ago, but it's sitting in a drawer. I'm not a console guy, so I can't do that with him. :D I tried World Of Tanks: Blitz in "ipad Pro -> Nimbus" connection, and I humbly reverted to touch controls, even though I didn't aim the lauter at all,... :) Like this keyboard and mouse, if it could be connected, it would was a "megamassacre",…
You have to give it time and get used to it. For example, I've never had a PC controller, never had a console, so it took me a while. Exactly with WoT Blitz, you need to set the lowest camera sensitivity, otherwise it's psycho. I wouldn't be able to play anything by touch again today (except for some Samarost, for example). I'm already annoyed by the image covered by fingers, the dimmed display and the need to hold the device somehow :)
And isn't there anyone here who wants to send it to him? :-)
I have a slightly off topic question.
I can't connect apple remote (previous generation apple tv) and macbook air ("current" model).
Does anyone know how to do this?
I also tried according to the instructions on the net and the laptop still does not respond to the connection.
I think it was never possible on Air, only on Pro. It is necessary to have a dark strip on the front edge where the infrared port is. Because the old controller didn't have bluetooth yet.
So I bought an ir receiver.
https://flirc.tv/more/flirc-usb
On the website, they directly mention remote buddy, which I use, so hopefully it will be ok :)
That's right, the Apple Remote can be paired and used only with machines with an Infra port, the Air doesn't have it.
why does it want infrared when the controller is bluetooth?
Bluetooth is only the current one, the previous two generations of controllers are infra, in fact.
Okay. Thanks:)
Well, any tips on how to connect it cheaply? I thought of making a domusb ir port like that, but I can't find it anywhere :/
and what do you want to control? everything should be easy to control from iOS today.
I'm actually just talking about clicking through a pdf/presenting on lectures.
but I don't want to do it from my phone (too big for my hand).
On the one hand, I've had it happen a few times already, and once it happened that someone called me during a lecture :)
I'm not much of a gambler. I have an old Xbox on which I played Far Cry, Call of Duty and Medal of Honor. Can something like this be played on Apple TV or iPad Pro?
The driver update app is no longer on the appstore, is there a replacement? Thanks