Since Amazon combines both the nimbus and Stratus Duo reviews, I have to put both those reviews here.
Nimbus Review:
Because I saw that someone had posted on YouTube that this controller does not work with OpenEmu, I thought that I would clarify that at the time of this review (Feb 19, 2017), it does work. It connects just fine to the Mac via bluetooth, and there is no button that does not get detected and function just fine (including the joysticks).
Don't be fooled though, outside of OpenEmu, there was no game on my Mac that worked with it. Obviously it works great with iOS though and I definitely preferred it for that over other MFI controllers that I found.
Edit: I wanted to add that I have further tested this controller and it also works with the "Dolphin" Emulator (which runs GameCube games), except that it doesn't sense the start button. In case you're wondering, this doesn't work at all with the "Boxer" emulator (that's a DOS emulator for Mac).
Also, although this controller doesn't work with most regular Mac Games (including Steam games), you can make it work with many games by using a program called Joystick Mapper or something similar. If you go that route, you can remap the inputs to read as keyboard inputs inside of your games, which still doesn't work in every game (plus the D-Pad and Start Button aren't picked up at all by that program), but it certainly extends the usefulness and capabilities of this controller.
Stratus Duo Review
Summary
The Stratus Duo feels just like the Nimbus Controller for iOS, except for small improvements to the triggers and D-Pad. The Wi-Fi connection dongle has an amazing range and was fairly reliable on windows. The Bluetooth is essentially useless for anything but an android phone. Battery life seems great as long as you use the dongle and not Bluetooth.
The Details
Look and Feel
This controller looks and feels almost identical to the Nimbus controller. I was a big fan of the Nimbus, so having one that works natively on PC is awesome. The things that are different are the triggers, D-Pad, and front LED’s. The triggers have a shorter range, and are slightly more ergonomic/curved. I would say that they’re better than the Nimbus in that regard. The front LED’s are a step down in the sense that they’re white instead of red. This makes them a lot more distracting in dark environments compared to the Nimbus’ red lights. They also seem brighter. So they constitute a strange design change in my opinion. The D-Pad is bigger than the Nimbus, the surface is different. It feels better to me than the Nimbus but is definitely more stiff than the PS4 controller.
Wi-Fi Dongle
When you plug in the dongle to a PC, it’s basically is plug and play, and the range is incredible. I was planning on using the Bluetooth setting to connect to my Steam link a couple rooms away, but the connection is so good using the included dongle, that I was able to play on my Steam link while still connected directly to my PC. That means that the connection has a greater range than even my Xbox One Controller when I connect it to my PC through Microsoft’s proprietary USB dongle. It’s also substantially better than the Bluetooth range on my PS4 controller, which cuts out before even reaching my living room (where the steam link is). As far as negatives go… This does not work at all with an Xbox One. I tried it, and it doesn’t even detect that something is plugged in. It also has a strange issue on PC, where if you turn the controller off, it will often connect as the second player controller when you turn it on again, which means that you can’t play any one player games because of being considered a second player. You have to restart your PC to fix that issue. Windows is fairly buggy with controllers sometimes, and this could very well be their issue and not the this controller’s issue. However, I haven’t had that problem with my Xbox One controller or my PS4 controller.
Bluetooth
By far the biggest failing with this controller is its extremely bad Bluetooth. I guess when they say that it works with Android and VR, they really just mean those two and nothing else. It connected with the Steam link, but had a bug where the left joystick moves the mouse slightly, while also moving the joystick at the same time. No other controller has that issue on my Steam Link. iOS 13 brought xinput and direct input controller support with it and I can confirm that both the Xbox One and PS4 controllers connect and work just fine. This controller… not so much. iOS can’t even see this controller in the Bluetooth connection menu. I tested that on multiple iOS devices. So don’t plan on using this with iOS. My MacBook was able to see it and connect to it, but then I couldn’t use it in any way, not even in OpenEmu, which is something that even the Nimbus can be used with. The lights also indicated that the connection was unstable or something, since they went back and forth from showing the looking-for-a-connection pattern to the now-connecting pattern. So don’t count on using the Bluetooth for anything but Android.
Durability
The controller’s durability has yet to be evaluated, so I might update this review with that in the future. I will say that the Nimbus had a design flaw that caused the triggers to become sticky within a fairly short time. iFixit has a page about how to fix that issue, and they also explain what causes it. This controller feels very similar to the nimbus as far as the triggers go, so I wouldn’t be surprised if it has the same flaw.
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From the manufacturer
SteelSeries Nimbus Wireless Controller
Play hundreds of your favorite controller-supported games with the Nimbus Wireless Controller on your Apple TV.
Features
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Pressure Sensitive Buttons |
Menu button for instant navigation |
Rechargeable 40+ hours of battery life |
Lightning connector compatibility |
Nimbus Companion App
The free companion app gives you instant access to charts listing the top free and paid controller-enabled games. The best new games are just a click away!
The app also keeps your controller up-to-date, and makes sure it's always compatible with your devices.
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Customer Review: Great for streaming PC and PS4 games
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Customer Review: Works GREAT with Fortnite on iOS!
Robert Rivera
Reviews with images
Almost Perfect
I ordered a used/refurbished model so I wasn't expecting “brand new” condition but the fact that the box says it includes a lightning cable and it didn't come with one, is a disappointment.
Top reviews from the United States
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Reviewed in the United States on August 23, 2018
Style: Nimbus - iOSVerified Purchase
It was like opening an early birthday present when I received this controller today. I was anticipating it and looking forward to it greatly. I'm going to say straight ahead this is completely my fault. So I went into Bestbuy two days ago wanting to price match a ps4 controller that I could use to play Fortnite on my Mac only to have two of the employees tell me "the wireless ps4 controller doesn't work on older versions of mac" which is a complete LIE I believed. I bought this controller desperately not even bothering to see if it's compatible with Fornite I just cared that it was compatible with Mac as apparently most controllers don't seem to work with mac (according to the Google.) Like I stated earlier I got the controller delivered to me today and I opened that package up quick and immediately hopped onto my mac and launched Fortnite to test out this bad boy. As eager as I was I quickly found that Fortnite only recognized the analog stick on this controller and not the D-pad despite me switching the controls to X-box 360 in hopes that would solve the issue as the controllers are similar. I was a dummy. Clearly, Fortnite allows for x-box or ps4 controllers ONLY yet I kept pushing for it to happen to work ever so desperately. I've been craving Fortnite for days and wanted to play "like a pro" with a controller. I stupidly spent $5 downloading the joystick mapper app from the app store trying to set this controller up to work with Fortnite. I spent time researching something that couldn't happen despite Google telling me it couldn't work I was so blind in wanting a way. I then realized it wasn't the controller itself it was the game itself and it was me, I ended up spending more money than I should've just to play Fortnite how embarrassing. I have peaked the lowest humanity can go. So I decided to go to my local video game store and before he could finish saying "or new" I blurted out "USED" and purchased a used Ps4 controller named The D (according to Bluetooth), (because bish I'm broke and trying to save SOME coins) I didn't even bother to confirm whether it would work or not with a Mac this time, I didn't care one bit. I used an android charger that I surprisingly had laying around because, I don't own a PS4 and didn't even think about buying a charger earlier that day for it, and I connected that puppy to my Mac and BAM my dream of playing Fortnite became a reality. Who says PS4 controllers don't work on older macs now huh? I have the late 2013 MacBook pro retina 15'' in case ya'll were wondering. Ok back to the nimbus controller itself. I like it honestly but I just wanted a controller in order to just play fornite so I will be returning this sadly otherwise it will just be collecting dust. It's easy to connect as well. I tried it out on my iPhone as and it works with Minecraft woo! (even though I don't play it any more thought I'd test it out.) This nimbus controller is only compatible with so many games to be careful to research what it's compatible with before purchasing and avoid being that dummy (me). It's not the controller's fault, in the end, it's the games fault for not offering compatibility with different controllers besides Xbox and PS4. I will also tell you that this Nimbus controller wouldn't work with Fortnite mobile either. I can't tell you much about this controller such as battery life because I only used it for so much time trying to set it up to work fully with Fortnite but I can tell you that it's light and slim (I have long skinny fingers lol.) So long nimbus controller it was fun while I had it but it just wasn't for me. 5 stars for shipping and the product being as advertised.
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Reviewed in the United States on April 11, 2024
Style: Nimbus - iOSVerified Purchase
I ordered a used/refurbished model so I wasn't expecting “brand new” condition but the fact that the box says it includes a lightning cable and it didn't come with one, is a disappointment.
Images in this review
Top reviews from other countries
jose luis
Compatible ciento por ciento
Reviewed in Mexico on August 20, 2023Style: Nimbus+Verified Purchase
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Atenção quando for comprar.
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tharris
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Tonka Blue
5 Stars all the way from an person who believes in Apple Certified Products.
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Phoenix Aura Consulting Inc.
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