The gaming tech universe is incredibly competitive these days, but there’s always room for new and innovative entries from creators around the world. Hong Kong-based PB Tails are entering the controller arena with the Crush, a Bluetooth 5.0 enabled pad compatible with PC, Switch, iOS and Android. Fully customisable, it boasts Hall Effect sticks and triggers which will last you well into the next generation.
First impressions of the Crush are very good. Our review unit arrived in China White, and its glossy plastic face is matched by a matt finish rear. The PB Tails logo acts as your home button, and there’s a cool little logo wrapped around the underside of the right analog stick that tells you what it is and where it’s from. There are the standard assortment of Xbox-styled face buttons, and the analog sticks are similarly positioned in the Microsoft-centric asymmetric layout.
The cases are interchangeable, and held on with strong magnets, so there’s no danger of them popping off at the pointy end of a round of PUBG. The customisation further extends to the controller’s fully RGB lighting, with 256 possible colours. You don’t have an app to customise these, rather using a series of button and stick combinations in order to switch the colour, hue and brightness.
As standard, the buttons are individually lit with the Xbox’s colour, and they are legitimately pretty garish, but there’s further presets that ape the colour schemes of the Super Famicom and PlayStation to add a bit of retro or rival console cool. Alternatively, you can alter and customise the different sectors to your liking so they match up with everything else you own. It’s a bit of a learning experience – you hold the ‘T’ button alongside the analogue sticks or D-pad – and while it would have been nice to be able to use an app to have full control over every single button, it’s nicely implemented overall and easy to change on the fly.
I love how the Crush feels in your hand. The glossy front plate feels nice and premium in your hand, and the lack of a textured grip on the underside is actually quite refreshing. PB Tails claim that the material they’ve used is just as grippy, and in use I certainly didn’t notice my controller sliding or slipping beneath my hand any more than with a textured controller like the current Xbox Series X official controller.
The plus-shaped D-pad is enjoyably firm and responsive, and given that this is often a major failing in other controllers, I was really impressed by how well PB Tails have done with it. The pair of sticks feel similarly great underhand. They’re perhaps a fraction lighter than those on the official Xbox controller, and that means that they feel quicker and snappier in use. Hall Effect sticks use magnets, meaning that there’s no physical contact between the internal components, and as such they won’t wear out for a very, very long time.
With the success of Amazon’s recent Fallout show, it’s little surprise that after PUBG I fired up Fallout 4 to do a bunch of my testing, and through the epic gun battles and enjoyable exploration the PB Crush was a great companion. It’s interesting that they’ve constructed a lovely controller, but that they’ve decided not to opt for any additional input buttons like we tend to see on third party ‘pro’ controller offerings. It makes it feel more focussed in away, and with its customisation options meaning it can look unique and tailored to you, it’s an impressive package.
At a retail price of $54.99, the PB Crush’s main competition lies with the Nintendo Switch Pro Controller and the Xbox Official Controller. The inclusion of Hall Effect sticks and triggers mean that it’s liable to outlive both, and the dreaded Nintendo Switch Joy-Con drift could be a thing of the past in your household. The PB Tails Crush is also considerably lighter than the Xbox controller, and that means that it feels better across longer gaming sessions, reducing the feeling of fatigue.
