GameSir’s G7 SE Xbox Wired Controller takes an already good piece of gaming kit and gives it an upgrade.
The GameSir G7 SE is, as the name suggests, a new version of the G7 which we covered earlier this year. We concluded that, though there are cheaper third party controllers available, “if you’re a hardcore FPS player with eSports aspirations the GameSir G7 could be a real game-winner”.
The G7 SE adds in a handful of new features, the most heavily-trumpeted of which is Hall Effect sticks. These sticks use magnets rather than microswitches. And, compared to both the G7 and the original Xbox controller, they feel fractionally more responsive.
But the real benefit is the sticks are less likely to be less prone to drift. Even the official Xbox Elite controller, which costs nearly three times as much as the G7, don’t have that feature. It’s a serious selling point for the G7 SE. On top of that, while it has the same rear buttons as the G7, there are now switches to lock those buttons down. We’ve never accidentally pressed the rear buttons on any of our controllers but if you’re a pro gamer, you might well appreciate that risk being eliminated.
Being a wired controller, you can’t use an app to meddle with it, as you can the GameSir T4 Kaelid. So if you’ve not got a PC to hand, that could be a dealbreaker. You can still turn hair triggers on and off via the controller itself, but things like editing the joystick zones and so on requires a PC. The controller does also work on PC, but we ended up using it primarily on Xbox. It got us through a lot of Exoprimal matches, that’s for sure.
It comes with a removable, paint-friendly cover – though unlike the T7 which has two, you only get one colour, white. But it’s still a great, clean look. The same can’t be said of the cable because it’s one of those white fabric covered ones.
It looks gorgeous, but based on our experience with the Sades A2 the cable will eventually go a bit grey. The good news is that the cable is detachable and it’s easily long enough to reach all the way back to most sofas. But at the risk of cranking the G7 SE’s price up, we’d have liked to have an extra black faceplate and black cable.
The GameSir G7 SE controller isn’t a massive upgrade over the regular G7, but it’s one that should give the controller’s durability a boost. You might find its wired connectivity off-putting, but this is still an excellent controller, offering pro-grade features at a budget price.
