A review of the Xbox360 Razer Onza Tournament Edition

One for the control(ler) freaks


A review of the Xbox360 Razer Onza Tournament Edition

by Nizam Ali

04:46 AM May 04, 2011

I've been playing on the Xbox since 2004 and I've seen a fair line-up of third party controllers. While the experience thus far has not been impressive, I was excited about the Onza. After all, this is a product of Razer, a brand of quality. The difference between the Onza standard and the Tournament Edition is the non-slip rubberised surface, adjustable resistance analog sticks and backlighting on the face buttons. While both versions are wired, the Tournament edition sports a long braided cable with a safety trip - a feature also found in standard Xbox controllers.

The first thing that impressed me when I took out the controller is its smooth textured finish which rests firmly in your grip. The placements of the Xbox guide button, thumbsticks and face buttons remain as with the original controller, but the start and back buttons are moved lower, to a position nearer to you. I feel this is unnecessary as it does not offer any advantage, and relearning its new place is an undesired experience.

There are two additional bumpers for remapping your crucial presses. For example, if you find it too far to move your thumb from the thumbstick to reach the Y or B buttons, you can reset them to the bumpers. Unfortunately, they are placed too close together, and people with big fingers like me are likely to press both during intense situations. This happened frequently in the first few hours when I used the controller, so I recommend playing single-player campaigns instead of jumping into an online multiplayer match straightaway. Perhaps there would be fewer accidents if the double bumper buttons were slanted.

The trigger buttons seem to have a shorter draw distance, and this means a faster chance to fire that critical shot, and the extended design allows the finger to rest comfortably. The face buttons XYAB are slightly depressed than the standard design, providing a slightly quicker way to button mash. Those who appreciate aesthetics will welcome the redesigned alphabets too.

The directional pad is separated into four parts, helping you identify the right button to press. But, while they suit shooter and role-playing games, it may be challenging for fighting games that require semicircle or quarter presses.

PC gamers hesitating to start on the Xbox360 because of its slow movement feedback may just find the solution in the adjustable thumbsticks. Adjust the tension by twisting the heads of the thumbsticks and you'll find the sweet spot for playing shooters and racing games in due time. The only problem is there are no visible markers or indication on the number of clicks, so adjusting between games can be a pain.

My biggest gripe is the lack of backward compatibility for the headset jack. It works well with the newer Xbox headsets but leaves those with the original headsets and chatpad feeling shortchanged. It would seem Razer would prefer you to come into a match guns a-blazin' then exit, leaving everyone stunned at your performance. NIZAM ALi



VERDICT: Onza Tournament Edition is a great alternative if you invest the time in learning to wield it. Be cautioned though; your online friends may ostracise you if they find out.

4/5

Source: www.todayonline.com