GameSir Kaleid Wired Controller for Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One,Windows 10/11 & Steam, Plug and Play Gaming Gamepad, Transparent Video Game Controller with Hall Effect Joysticks/Hall Trigger

I've had the GameSir Kaleid since December 2024. I love it. I love the micro-switch face buttons and the Hall Effect sticks. I mostly use it to play third-person shooters and action RPGs. I set my dead zones on the sticks to 0.0 and I have no drift. It's a wired-only controller but I'd rather have a wired controller than deal with batteries and the cord is a nice length. Because I wore the pads off of the thumbsticks on my previous Microsoft Xbox One controller that I used on PC (and my Xbox 360 controllers on Xbox360 before that), I also picked up some GameSir thumbstick caps when I bought this controller so I don't wear out my thumbstick pads. I've never actually used it without the thumbstick caps so I can't speak to how well the thumbstick pads wear. I find the controller very comfortable for long play sessions and so far it has held-up well to the stress I put on it. (I play a lot.) I've been thinking about ordering a second one for awhile--I buy things I like as though they're going out of style--so when I saw yesterday that Amazon had it for a lower price than I paid before, I placed my order for another one. There's nothing wrong with the first one, I just want a spare for the future. Aside from connecting it to a family member's Windows 11 laptop once to update the firmware on the controller when I got it, I've been using the controller on Linux Mint. The below information relates to my experience using the controller on Linux Mint. I'm using it via Steam Input on Linux Mint 22.2 to play Steam games. On Linux I currently have no control of the RGB, but it's fine; I just forget about it most of the time. I didn't buy it for the RGB, I bought it for the Hall Effect sticks and triggers, and the micro-switch buttons and D-pad. After booting my Linux Mint system, the Xbox logo button is not lit-up and the analog sticks on the controller are not detected until I disconnect it and reconnect it. Then the Xbox logo button lights up and the analog sticks are detected until the next reboot. (The other buttons, oddly, continue to work fine whether I re-plug it or not, it's just the analog sticks.) Linux Mint doesn't see the controller inputs outside of Steam (I might be able to fix that but haven't bothered since I don't play any games outside of Steam) but Mint does see the headphone/microphone jack on the controller as a sound device when the controller is plugged in. I often use it as my preferred headphone jack since the controller has a long cord. (Holding the M button while pressing the D-pad up or down adjust volume.) Anyway, it's a great controller so I'm buying a second one.

Totally worth it. Better than console brand controllers in every way. Be sure to download the Gamesir nexus app and update the firmware and you won't have any issues. You can also calibrate the joysticks and triggers easily in the app. My primary use is only on Windows 11 gaming PC. Pros: - Responsive and spam able x,y,a,b buttons. - Triggers and joystick can be calibrated to avoid dead zones via the Gamesir Nexus app - Triggers are accurate as advertised. You can even test it in the app, down to 1% pressure/usage. - Price is better than overpriced console controller - LED's look great - USB cord is long - Great vibrations. Just as good as console controller. No noticeable difference. May even be better. Cons (if any): - I personally don't like buttons behind the controller which I accidentally hit while holding but is an added feature that some people may find use. - Can be a new experience for those used to console controllers. Not sure if these buttons are exactly mechanical but they are as responsive. Some may confuse this with cheap feeling (chiclet style?) x, y, a, b buttons.

I purchased the GameSir T4 Pro because I already had a GameSir G3W and really liked the build quality, but wanted something wireless. I also wanted a full-sized controller with a few extra buttons. The two additional trigger buttons under the controller work well for N64 and Genesis emulation, as well as FPS games. Personally, I wish the controller were a little bigger. I previously purchased a SteelSeries Nimbus I returned almost immediately because it was far too small to fit my hands. Comparatively, the GameSir T4 Pro is more comfortable. Back when I was a teenager, I used to really dislike huge controllers - like the Dreamcast, original Xbox, and Sega Saturn controllers. They all felt like unwieldy platters I'd sooner eat off of than use as game pads, but even back when I had smaller hands, I could get used to them. As an adult, there's no getting used to controllers which are too small; the result is always accidental button presses and impercise control. While the GameSir T4 has required some getting-used-to, inaccuracy hasn't been a problem. Build quality is excellent - just like the G3W. The plastic is thick and the controller doesn't bend under stress. The button action is smooth, analog sticks are solid and don't drift, and the Dpad is very high quality. One thing I've always noticed with most 3rd party controllers is that the buttons generally slide around or stick in place. That's not a problem on Gamesir controllers. My only two gripes are that the RB and LB shoulder buttons are placed a little too high for easy access, and the M1 and M2 buttons underneath the controller are very clicky. Okay, I have one more gripe actually; Compatibility. I purchased the M4 to pair with an Nvidia Shield TV Pro, and while it does connect, it's pretty finicky. While the T4 Pro does list compatibility with Windows, Mac, Android, and Nintendo Switch, each connection is achieved in different ways, which can be a bit complicated. It actually comes with a radio frequency USB dongle that has to be plugged into Android devices to connect. That's not an issue with my Nvidia Shield because it features standard USB ports, but compatibility over Bluetooth will highly depend on which version of Android your device runs, and the included USB dongle may be troublesome for folks wanting to use the T4 Pro with a smartphone running a recent version of Android. I've also noticed that despite a full battery and connection to the RF dongle, disconnects are pretty frequent. If you set the controller down for more than a couple of minutes between game titles, it'll completely disconnect and need to be resynced. That wouldn't be an issue if the controller featured a quick-connect button, but GameSir has opted to use cryptic button combos to turn on the controller and connect it with various platforms. Each platform requires a different button combination, and it's tough to keep those memorized when swapping between Android, Windows, and game consoles like the Nintendo Switch. I think it's pretty rad the T4 Pro is compatible with so many different platforms, but getting the controller connected and keeping it connected are a bit of an annoyance. I've got to say, though - I was surprised when I opened the box and found out the T4 Pro does indeed include a USB-C charging cable. That's one of the many reasons I've returned previous controllers. If I'm spending $35-50 on a game controller, I don't want to make a second trip to the store for an additional $20 charging cable. Kudos, GameSir! Thank you for being considerate! The Gist: All things considered, I think the GameSir T4 Pro is an incredibly well-built controller and features an attention to detail rarely found in other 3rd party game pads. I could easily be fooled into thinking the T4 Pro was manufactured by a 1st party company like Nintendo, Sony, or Microsoft; it feels that good. Connecting the controller could be easier, and it'd be nice if the RF could work across the 5GHz band since 2.4GHz is usually pretty saturated in tech-savvy households, but I can't say I've ever experienced a disconnect mid-game. I have noticed some input lag on specific platforms like Android, but I believe that has more to do with my Android devices then the controller itself. It's neat that the T4 Pro supports built-in button-remapping on specific platforms, but good luck doing that without reading the manual every time. I would suspect most players are going to opt for a software remapping solution instead. I do find it a bit troublesome that there's a potentiality slipping and hitting the wrong combination of buttons while in a game could result in accidental button remapping. What's worse is that once the controller is accidentally reprogrammed, there's no simple button combination to reverse the effect. If you're on-the-fence about a purchase, I would highly recommend GameSir's entire product line; not just the T4 Pro. I've purchased multiple controllers from GameSir, and they've all been a joy to use.

This controller is amazing, and I’ve been through pretty much all of the paces as far as controllers for Xbox goes. Elite Series 2, Scuf, Gamesir G7, modded original controllers, and even some PC controllers using an adapter. This beats ALL of them. The Elite Series 2 and Scuf are still the best for the “look and feel”, but as for the function, this controller is the best. The buttons are mechanical, which feel amazing to me. This difference means that instead of the button slowly depressing and then at some point making contact and giving input, a very specific amount of weight will make the button go down immediately, potentially giving you a tiny boost in reaction time. All of the buttons are mechanical, except for the home button, remappable buttons on the back, and the thumbstick buttons. Next, the thumbsticks and triggers. They are next level. The part you’re going to notice most is the thumbsticks, as you’ll be able to lower your dead zone in all games to zero or 1 without getting any drift. That is simply impossible on a normal thumbstick, since the standard margin of error for the dead zone of those style sticks is usually around 7%, meaning you’ll get drift in some direction anywhere under that number. Having no dead zone means every single tiny movement on the thumb stick is very accurate, allowing you to control recoil and aim better. Third, the look and feel of the controller is actually really good! As I said before, it doesn’t beat the Elite 2 or Scuf at all, but the clear plastic is surprisingly thick and has a quality feel. The mobo is on black PCB which looks nice. And the lights are an added touch, with a ton of customization, all the way down to making multiple color “phases” for one lighting profile so you can make all sorts of patterns and stuff. Overall, this controller is going to be the #1 all around controller in my books for a while, probably until Gamesir releases something else or maybe if Microsoft actually decides to make an Elite with hall affect sticks. We shall see There is, however, one critical flaw. On the current firmware, my controller sometimes turns my Xbox back on when I shut it down. It seems to happen intermittently so there may be a specific thing I’m doing that I’m not aware of, but that means it could probably happen to you too. The only way to stop this loop is by unplugging the controller. Furthermore, when the console is successfully turned off, the controller won’t wake the console up from sleep unless you plug it in. Pretty annoying but a price I’m willing to pay for a great controller. I’m hoping this could be fixed with a firmware update, but we’ll have to see.

I had two basic requirements. One, have hall effect sensors (for at least the joysticks.) And two, have low latency via USB. Gamepadla shows this controller as one of the fastest USB gaming controllers and so I had to check this one out. I didn't care too much about wireless options because I prefer to play competitively with wired controllers. Customization and calibration via the T4K app from the Microsoft Store is very intuitive, useful, but not required. A lot of the basic customizations and calibrations can be changed via specific button combinations shown in the user manual. But using the app allows you to change the controllers default 250Hz polling rate and bump it up to 500Hz or 1000Hz. I uploaded screenshots of some of the results from Hardware Tester and Gamepadla for reference. Pleasantly surprised how well this controller performs. Gamepadla latency tests speak for itself. Hardware Tester shows the joysticks at an almost perfect zero while at rest. (Try getting a value that close to zero with a brand new Dualsense Edge or Xbox Elite.) When using the default joystick settings (RAW mode disabled), the circularity is almost perfect with a 0.4% error reading. But this makes some games that don't benefit from perfect circularity harder to play, such as Rocket League and possibly some fighting games. Raw mode enabled allows the controller to get a more square deadzone. While the controller doesn't have a premium feel like the Xbox Elite Controller, what makes up for that is the clicky tactile buttons, hall-effect joysticks/triggers, and customizability. Holding the controller did take a little getting used to and did not feel quite right at first compared ot the Xbox Series or Dualsense controllers. But it is starting to feel more natural after using for a few hours. Other than that, this controller is well worth the $40. Would probably have paid a little more than that if I was able to purchase it in store.

This review was rewritten 6 months after purchase, to add the benefit of hindsight and also to edit down for conciseness and clarity FUNCTIONALITY: 5/5 There is nothing fundamentally wrong with any of the parts on the controller. In particular it has a very good D-Pad, which is a part that is often neglected and doesn't work well in most cheap controllers. Its D-pad operates precisely and has a "clicky" feel that gives good tactile feedback. If you use the D-Pad heavily and need precision, this may be a selling point. DURABILITY: 4/5 One of its main selling point uses a Hall Sensor instead of a potentiometer in the analog sticks and triggers, preventing drift and greatly extending the lifespan of those components. Does that mean the controller is super durable? Well, unfortunately a chain is only as strong as its weakest link, and the face buttons seem to have unexceptional (though not terrible) durability. Six months in they still work, but A and B are starting to feel and sound noticeably "creaky". This creaky feeling is a sure sign they're starting to wear out and it's only a matter of time before they stop working right. I'm still giving it 4/5 in this category since it did survive 6 months of one of the most button-intensive workloads a controller can be subjected to (modded Celeste). So maybe 6 months is all that could be reasonably expected, and games that don't use the face buttons as heavily probably won't wear it out nearly this fast. NINTENDO SWITCH COMPATIBILITY: 3/5 I mean... it can connect to the Switch. And it even has a functioning gyroscope, so it can technically play any switch game the Nintendo Pro Controller can. HOWEVER, the T4 has analog triggers similar to an Xbox style controller instead of simple button-triggers like a Switch controller. For times when this is unnecessary and gets in the way, the T4 normally offers a "hair trigger mode" that disables analog functionality in favor of making the triggers as sensitive as possible... except, the hair trigger mode DOES NOT WORK AT ALL in Switch mode. Attempting to apply the "enable hair trigger input" as described in the manual will fail in Switch mode; instead it just sets the trigger as "turbo" (auto-mash) which is not really desirable. This makes this controller sub-optimal for some really demanding switch games that use the trigger inputs a lot, such as Splatoon 3. CORD LENGTH: 2/5 For a purely wired controller -- which needs its cord to be used at all, not just to recharge a battery -- the included 2 meter cord really isn't long enough to play in front of a television unless it's a small one. Thankfully it uses a detachable USB-C cable, and replacing it with a third-party 10ft controller cable (JSAUX brand) entirely mitigated this issue. But replacing the cord obviously costs extra money, so still really not ideal. LINUX COMPATIBILITY: 4/5 I probably shouldn't base a rating on this since it was never advertised as supporting Linux at all. Still, it works pretty much perfectly both in Android mode and in the (undocumented) generic DInput mode which can be accessed by holding down "B" and the Home button. On the other hand, trying to put it in Switch mode and run it on the Switch driver actually somehow crashed the entire system, forcing a hard reboot. I've never seen anything like that happen with any other Switch controller (which have always worked fine for me), or with any other kind of USB peripheral for that matter (usually if they don't work they fail gracefully without crazy side effects). So I have no idea how that can happen, but Linux users should definitely avoid pressing Home+Y to enable Switch mode on this controller OVERALL RATING: 3/5 It's not a terrible controller, but the advertised Switch mode being kind of a second-class citizen was a real disappointment. Also the bundled cord was inadequate and forced more money to be spent, and the durability wasn't quite what it was cracked up to be. But underneath its drawbacks it's still a pretty decent controller for the price, just due to the absence of most of the blatant severe defects you typically see in cheap controllers; it can still provide truly excellent precision control for some use cases.

Honestly the best 3rd party controller I've ever used for pc gaming. The customization software is incredible, size isn't too large for my smaller hands, comfortable to hold for long gaming sessions, and the buttons all feel nice to press. My only issue is I keep accidentally pressing the center screenshot button and it causes a lot of gaming interruptions, but thats more of a windows xbox gamebar problem than a problem of the controller or software. If i ever need a new controller i'd look for buying another of this one first.

If you're a PC user, please update the controller before attempting to use it, or you may face a disconnect/reconnect issue. However, you really should do so, because this controller far exceeds a lot of other controllers of its class. My biggest problem has been snapback, the control stick flicking in the opposite direction momentarily when released. For the first time in years, I've found a controller that doesn't do it without having to completely destroy the inner dead zone of the sticks. This was tested on Monster Hunter Rise, a game that's been infamous for difficult detection, and I had to force it to happen for it to happen. Lifetime of the sticks, it's too early to tell, but Hall Effects get a good rep for a reason. Buttons are responsive and quick, with a nice satisfying click to them that never gets old. Both triggers and bumpers are solid, with triggers having a software hair trigger mode that turns them analog. Very nice indeed, though a bit unusual of a choice. Perhaps a cost-cutting measure, against creating limited trigger movement? The D-Pad is serviceable, not really for fighting games but it does fine for choosing options as need be. There is an option to swap the stick reading to the D-Pad in the app, which is an interesting choice to make that I'm glad does exist. The actual software is very low-impact, functional, and non-intrusive. You can remap everything you need to remap in it and adjust your choice of LED and then it's gone, out of the way, and easily forgotten - and that's how I like it. Too many gaming companies' software are just garbage bloatware that barely functions. In, settings, out, and done. It's really how it should be. Either this controller deserves to be more expensive, or the rest of them need to come off of the price a bit. I'm pretty sure it's the latter. Need yourself a good PC controller? Start here.