Finally, a stick extender that isn’t about over compensation. The KontrolFreek thumbstick extender for Xbox 360 is for those who already know how to play, it just helps them play better. I had a chance to try out the newest Halo 4 themed edition of the FPS Freek series, this one is labelled as INFINITY. I’m not too sure how that relates to Halo 4, but anyway, I strapped them on my Halo-themed controller and took them for a spin in Halo 3.
There is a bit of a knack to attaching and removing these nub extensions, you have to basically push them on hard as trying to be gentle with it made me frustrated, as they simply wouldn’t go on. Removing them is much easier, you just pull them off without much effort. Once they are on though you will surely notice the difference as this adds an extra 1/2 an inch to your thumbsticks.
What you can’t make out in the picture is the etched Halo logo within the concave part of the nub. This actually helps to provide grip and I did actually notice after alternating between having these on and taking them off that my thumbs did slip off the stick more without them. At first the extra height on my thumbs felt awkward, especially going from the right stick to the face buttons, which is common in Halo 3. Though after a round of matchmaking I barely noticed it and actually started to appreciate the extra length.
What the extra length is really for is the give the illusion of added precision as it feels as though you have more space to move the stick, forcing you to subconsciously move the stick less so you don’t over shoot your target. I actually noticed that I was aiming much better with zoom than I normally do, though without being zoomed in it almost felt as though my reaction was laggy.
Overall, I felt the added grip of these devices as well as the assumed precision you can get from extended use will greatly improve anyones game. I guaruntee anyone who tries them out for a short period of time will find them akward and clumsy but after a few hours you will wonder how you gamed without them. I would very much recommend these to any avid FPS gamer. They also have a Black Ops 2 themed set out as well.
Both the Halo (INFINITY) and Black Ops (HAVOC) thumbstick extenders can be purchased at kontrolfreek.com.
