You wait for ages for a bus to come along, and then two arrive at once. It’s not something you’d expect in the controller world, but GameSir are absolutely smashing things out of the park right now. Not content with the already well-featured and excellent Cyclone 2 – which we were only just able to review – GameSir has just launched another multiformat controller, the Super Nova. In many ways they feel like opposing sides of the same leaf, giving gamers a choice of subtly different controller designs. Well, as long as they’re GameSir controllers.
The Super Nova looks and feels amazing. There’s a lot to be said for a controller that you hand to someone and they immediately respond with generous oohs and aahs. The Super Nova is that controller. The weight here is just right, with enough heft to feel premium and powerful without it feeling like you’re manhandling a brick. At 263g, it shaves a little bit from the Official Xbox Controller’s 287g, which makes it less of a chore through long stints, but has enough heft that you’re not wondering what you’ve spent your money on.
There’s also rubberised grips that wrap all the way around both arms so that your hands feel absolutely set in place when you’re playing – here it’s definitely a step up from the Cyclone 2 which has textured plastic instead. In terms of immediate feel, the Super Nova is the new GameSir king. You’ll be even more impressed when you discover that it’s less than £50.
Visually, the two are distinct, but fairly similar, especially in how they both feature RGB strips running around the controller. The difference with the Super Nova is that they’re not hidden away, whereas the Cyclone 2’s strips are within the body, shining through the translucent plastic. Personally, I think the Super Nova is the better looking of the two, the LED strip providing a hard line between the body and the arms of the gamepad, but it’ll very much come down to individual preference.
The included charging stand continues the Super Nova’s RGB lights, and one of the nicest touches is the way that they line up and cycle as a complete circuit when you put the controller on the base. The base gives you an extra USB-A socket too, which can play home to the 2.4Ghz dongle, keeping everything neat and tidy. There’s also Bluetooth built in and wired support, meaning the Super Nova works perfectly across PC, Nintendo Switch, mobile and Smart TV platforms.
There are some key differences between the Super Nova and the Cyclone 2, and primary amongst them are the buttons. The Super Nova says it uses ‘silent’ buttons, but they’re fairly traditional membrane buttons across the board, including the D-pad. It’s a step down from the microswitch-equipped Cyclone 2, but they are much quieter if that’s important to you. They do feel nice and solid, and work perfectly well, and the ABXY buttons are slightly larger, making them easy to locate in the heat of the moment.
You can also physically move them around, which is ideal if you want to swap to a Switch-centric face button layout, with the magnetic faceplate lifting off easily so that you can access the internal components. You can replace the analogue stick tops too, though there are no additional parts included in the box. I should note that you need to be in a settled environment when you take it apart, as I nearly lost my X button while popping everything out. You definitely don’t want to lose one of them!
As with the Cyclone 2, and the majority of the latest controller releases, the Super Nova uses Hall Effect analogue sticks and triggers. Not only are they more precise – the Super Nova’s two analogue sticks both achieved 100% accuracy on Gamepad Tester – but they will last for a very, very long time thanks to the wizardry of magnets. If you’re the kind of person who’s worn out multiple Xbox controllers and Switch Joy-Con, the Super Nova is an ideal replacement, and at this price it’s an easy choice.
If you play a lot of FPS – I’ve continued to be mildly average at Overwatch 2, but I’ve seen more Play of the Game awards than ever before – then the inclusion of trigger lockouts will be perfect for you. This is something I adore in controllers; shortening the length of time to activate the trigger means that your response time is quicker, and in a head-to-head shoot-off against someone without lockouts, you’re the one who’s going to win. The Super Nova’s lockouts are more traditional than those seen in the Cyclone 2, and as a result they feel sturdier, but at the cost of losing the microswitch element that GameSir including there.
You’ve also got two back paddles, and they’re well placed beneath your fingers but firm enough that you won’t activate them unintentionally. It’s easy to program these on the fly, or you can dig into this and other functions in the GameSir Connect software. Just like the Cyclone 2, I’d be slightly wary of hitting the update firmware button – there’s a known bug lurking around that soft locks your controllers, requiring a reset via the rest button on the back – but beyond that it’s a deep and extremely useable piece of software.
Around the back, you’ve also got a selector to move between Bluetooth connections and the 2.4 GHz dongle, and while it’s nice to have that physical action, it’s very closely inlaid into the rear of the controller, and a little tricky to activate. While the Bluetooth connection is relatively snappy, it can’t compete with the 1000Hz polling rate of the 2.4GHz dongle. It means that the Super Nova is wickedly fast, and when you add together the feel, the features and the responsiveness, you find a ‘pro’ controller in all but name.
At £50 – or even cheaper if you shop around – the Super Nova is incredible value for money. The clearest competition for the Super Nova is, of course, its sibling, the Cyclone 2, or indeed Gamesir’s wired offering the G7 SE. They’re all packed with Hall Effect sticks and triggers, and various other ‘pro’ features while undercutting the standard offerings from everyone else. As much as I like them, you can’t compare a Switch Pro Controller to the Super Nova, and if you’re looking for a Switch controller in particular, Gamesir’s latest is the one you should get.
