[smartPC사랑=남지율 기자] Apple’s ‘AirPod’ is characterized by completely removing the existing wireless earphones and wires that were connected with a line on the left and right. AirPods quickly began to lead the wireless earphone market, and still maintain their position as icons in the completely wireless earphone world.
There was an attempt similar to the AirPods in the gamepad. One example is the Joy-Con for the Nintendo Switch. The Joy-Con can be used as a complete game console by attaching it to the switch body, and if you separate it, you can enjoy the game with a gamepad held in each hand.
This kind of attempt has been almost nowhere to be found other than the Joy-Con for a while. By the way, Turtle Beach’s newly released ‘Atom’ gives the impression that it resembles a Joy-Con.
Xbox certified smartphone gamepad
The Atom (black/yellow color) used in the review is a gamepad that has obtained Xbox certification. The red/black color and black/blue color products did not obtain Xbox certification. In the case of the black/yellow model, the home button is the Xbox button, and the other color models are equipped with the Turtle Beach logo button.
The components include the gamepad body, pouch, USB Type-C to A cable, manual, and a 1-month Game Pass Ultimate pass. Game pass vouchers are provided only for black/yellow models. Looking at the configuration alone, the black/yellow model seems to be the most expensive, but there is no price difference with other colors. So, if you plan to play Game Pass games and the color suits your taste, the black/yellow model makes the most sense.
Atom is basically shipped with both gamepads combined. It is combined with a magnetic method and is considerably smaller in volume than other smartphone gamepads. As it weighs 180g and comes with a pouch as standard, it is a gamepad that has few products to follow in terms of portability.
How about in real use?
Atom is a gamepad whose left and right sides are physically separated. Because both gamepads communicate in the 2.4GHz method, the delay is minimized. The problem is that the battery is also built-in two, one on the left and one on the right. But even so, the Atom can charge both gamepads simultaneously with a single USB Type-C cable. Metal contacts are located on both gamepads, through which power from the left gamepad is shared with the right gamepad.
Even in the actual charging situation, it was confirmed that the charging LEDs of both gamepads were lit together.
The connection with the smartphone is carried out through Bluetooth. Smartphones can be fixed with clamps that can be adjusted in length from 67 to 92 mm. Except for products like the Galaxy Fold, most Android smartphones are combined without much difficulty.
When I played it myself, I felt like my smartphone became a game console. In addition to the Xbox Cloud, you can also play Android games that support gamepads.
How does the handling feel? The cross keys were a bit heavy, and it doesn’t seem to be suitable for fighting games. Instead, the input noise is quite low. The A, B, X, and Y buttons had excellent repulsive power and showed good compatibility with action games. The analog stick was quite large compared to that applied to a smartphone gamepad, so the control feeling was excellent.
The shoulder buttons have a sense of depth, and click-type buttons are applied. It’s also worth noting that the trigger button is analog. It will also be useful for gamers who enjoy racing games.
Atom is an impressive smartphone gamepad with excellent portability and a compliant control feeling. It is unfortunate that it is not compatible with the iPhone, but it seems to give great satisfaction if you are looking for a gamepad with excellent portability. The price is 119,000 won.
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