It has happened to the best of us… You’ve been humiliated by that one online player over and over again in front of your friends: bitch-slapped to Hades and back, been the frequent flier of Shockwave Air, and been someone’s personal rag-doll… and now you finally have that bastard in your cross-hairs. You’ve practiced your humiliating taunts over and over for this upcoming moment: one more second and your nemesis has an instant lobotomy …
And then your thumb slips off the stick.
It’s all over. He turns around and makes a permanent impression of your face with his Mag-light, ending the one glimmer of hope that you wouldn’t be a loser forever. Your station wagon dies, your house is demolished to make way for a golf course, and your girlfriend leaves you for the hot-shot ski instructor.
GelTabz has introduced an interesting product that promises to keep a “grip on our game” no matter how furious your fighting. The Xbox 360’s analog joysticks have a slight rubberized texture to the heads, and are far better than the original Xbox thumbsticks, but the hardcore gamer needs some hardcore help. Our hands can get pretty moist during a gaming marathon, and we occasionally lose control of the thumbsticks.
Here’s a product description blurb straight off the package:
“In the middle of a marathon game session, playing with a ‘stock’ controller simply isn’t good enough – you need to customize with GelTabz. Made of a hybrid silicone that is engineered for performance, GelTabz is an easily applied grip for your analock stick that lets you step up your game.”
The Geltabs are rubbery caps that you install on the mushroom top of your Xbox 360’s two analog sticks. They are made of a rubberize silicone that feels like a combination of rubber and a gummy bear. The top of the GelTab is soft, has textured little nubs and is adorned with the GelTabz’ “Z” logo. The rim and underside of the GelTab is colored a neon lime green, and matches the Xbox 360’s look.
I originally thought it would be very difficult to fit the Geltabz on the Xbox 360 controller, but is actually quite simple. Basically lift one side of the geltab’s “lip” up, and tuck the edge of the analog stick into the GelTabz’s inner groove. Once situated, flick the other side of the GelTab, and it will grab the rest of the thumbstick. It can take a few tries to get the “Z” logo straight if you’re completely obsessive.
It is amazing how much additional tactile feel is added to the joystick. The stick now responds with the slightest touch and stays with your thumb. The sides of the GelTabz are very “grippy”, too, so you can control the stick with the edge or with your thumb squarely on the center. The GelTabz do add a slight amount of diameter to each thumbstick, so you will occasionally brush up against them when you do far-reaching moves. Microsoft designed the ergonomics of the Xbox 360 so perfectly, though, that any far-reaching move is usually not a critical game function (like pressing the Start or Back buttons).
I tried my enhanced gamepad with dry, moist, and greasy hands (thanks to my good friend, Buttery Popcorn), and the GelTabz performed well with dry and moist hands. If you are like most gamers and are munching on chips, popcorn, or other snacks while playing, then these can make the GelTabz a little slippery. The extra cushion from these silicon circles will also prevent our thumbs from becoming sore and red during intense situations. I noticed that my thumbs perspired more when using the GelTabz, and I would have to reposition my thumbs periodically. To compare, I immediately took off the GelTabz and realized how my thumb slides around the top, and alot more movement is needed to actually move the stick because of this. Your analog sticks are much more responsive with the GelTabz installed, even if your thumbs are a little moist.
Surprisingly, these thumb grips actually do improve my gameplay, and if you’ve ever seen me online, then you know I need the help. Geltabz performance thumb grips may seem like a novelty at first, but once you use them you will insist on having them on every one of your controllers.
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