Product: FPSFreek and SpeedFreek review, analog stick mods

KontrolFreek creates products that help to give gamers a competitive edge to win. Their patent pending products have been used in competition and home use for the past three years. They are said to improve performance and reduce fatigue.

Now if you’ve ever played PC games, the gap between mouse and keyboard and controllers has always been an issue. Most would say a controller will never have the precision that a mouse has. KontrolFreek have created a product for your analog sticks to improve performance and accuracy by decreasing your reaction time and increasing mobility.

FPSFreek is a mod for your Xbox 360 and PS3 controllers, which will increase your accuracy in first person shooter games. How does this work you ask? The analog stick that you attach on top of your original ones provide a length of 40% more linear distance, providing more range from side to side. This enables you to have more leverage and increased precision without complications or fatigue. Think of it this way, if someone asked you to lean a short stick 0.01 millimeters to the left you may not be able to do it properly. However if you were asked to lean a much longer stick to the same amount, it can be moved at a shorter distance enabling the correct feet. Sometimes such precise measurements are needed for the right moments.

Now we have tried them on a couple of games ranging from Modern Warfare 2, Bioshock 2, Boardlands and the newly released Halo Reach Beta. At first having something that elongated our controls analog stick took some getting used to. At one point I felt like it was hindering my ability to play the games but not to long after it had a natural feel to it. Games like Modern Warfare 2 and Halo gave me a great sense of being at the top of my game. I had more accuracy with making headshots and just felt more in control of my actions on the field.

What’s great about them is that they come two in a small box and give you different options on how you want to use them. They were pretty easy to put on but had a little difficulty taking them off right away. You can either play with both, one on each analog stick of the controller or just have one on the preferred stick of your choice. I had felt like Modern Warfare 2 benefited on having both, while on the other hand Halo seemed just as good with only the right analog stick to support it. We have also found it useful to experiment with different types of games and settings. Turning the sensitivity up can sometimes be your best bet. Trying different games out should be done, as Skate 3 surprisingly had positive effects. Since tricks are performed with the right analog stick, the given freedom that the FPSFreek had, gave us an easier time achieving hard to land tricks, so keep your options open.

KontrolFreek also have a product for racers out there as well. What FPSFreek does for First Person Shooters, SpeedFreek does for racing games.
SpeedFreek is said to give gamers added control and comfort when playing racing games on the Xbox 360 and PS3. The supporting side walls are suppose to give you the most accuracy and precision needed during a race.

Now what the side walls really do is try to give you a sense of strict movement from left to right so it would actually be less control of your analog stick but in this case its what’s needed. In many occasions we have the tendency to swing our left analog stick up and down slightly while trying to move it left and right during racing games. Now if you’ve played games like Forza, Grand Turismo, Need for Speed or soon to be released Split/Second, then you know that their is no need for such movements from top to bottom. SpeedFreek will allow you to ease the pressure off your thumb and sort of swing it left and right. The side walls become almost a safety net and will prevent any sudden movements from up and down. This doesn’t mean you can’t move them in any direction but the automatic reflex is just not there.

As noted above, the sudden loss of pressure from our thumb on the left analog stick was a good thing. During gameplay I just went with the flow of a race and had increased my performance. This didn’t seem to happen all the time, sometimes the effect was slight but in the very least it does not hinder your experience at all, so its something to take note.

Overall both products do give you an edge on your competition, whether its playing online in an FPS or trying to win a race. FPSFreek gave us maximum benefits with the extended analog sticks, which can also be used for more then First Person Shooters. While the SpeedFreek gave us a slight success probability but will not hurt your chances of play either way. With both products, that comes with a pair are only $9.99 and save $2 if you get both the FPS and SpeedFreek, they are a good deal. These mods will by no chance make you the export player you’ve always dreamed of, it will only improve on what you already do but we strongly recommend checking it out.