Controller grip is not something I personally feel I’ve ever had a problem with. Of course there are times where my hands have got a bit clammy, but never have I felt the need to invest in a produce to improve the grip of any controller I’ve owned. Getting the opportunity to review iMP Tech’s Trigger and Thumb Treadz would prove to be an interesting venture. I wasn’t convince that these items on my controller would change my viewpoint on my need for grip on a controller. But I think I may have had my mind changed on the matter.
The only other product of this nature I’ve ever owned before was a camouflage effect rubber cover for my Xbox One controller. I’m not sure if it was meant to functionally provide additional grip, or just change the look of it, either way it wasn’t very well made. It was loose on the controller and was too thick which made pressing the A, B X and Y buttons a bit more difficult. I used it for about an hour, and half an hour of that was just courtesy because it was a Christmas present from my girlfriend, and I didn’t want her to feel too disheartened (see, romance isn’t dead is it?). Arguably this experience has further added to my scepticism around these items.
It is fair to say though, that the Treadz products have surprised me. Both the Thumb and Trigger Treadz come with two separate designs in the packs. Thumb Treadz have ‘Silicon Ridge’ and ‘TPU Dimple’ options, and Trigger Treadz come with ‘Racing Rubber’ and ‘All Terrain’. It is great to be able to have a choice of which ones to use. I would say however, that the thumbsticks are much more interchangeable than the triggers. The triggers used an adhesive to attach (there seems to be some stickiness remaining when the grips are removed/changed which is not ideal), where the sticks are applied with no adhesive.
I had a good play with all the options to get a good feel of everything available. And it is a 50/50 outcome, quite literally. The Silicon Ridge thumbsticks – which aesthetically give the sticks an N64 analogue stick vibe – I found to be a bit of a loose fit. The rubber compresses and de-compresses during gameplay, and there felt like there was a slight move now and again between the grip and the stick itself. This made for some uncomfortable gaming at times, and felt like I had less grip than I had before, a bad start then. Thankfully the TPU Dimple option is worth the entry price. If I didn’t know better, they look and feel like they are part of the controller. The fit is perfect, and I don’t think I could go without them now. My thumbs don’t feel like they are going anywhere, and I like the look they give my controller. They won’t be going anywhere anytime soon.
It’s the same scenario with the Trigger Treadz. The Racing Rubber option looks nice enough, but I don’t think it really provides anything more than an aesthetic addition. While the texture obviously felt different, I didn’t feel anymore grip that I had done previously. On the other hand, the All Terrain grips were great. They look good and I felt that I had more control over the triggers. It is a shame that these aren’t as interchangeable as the thumbs (though it is understandable as to why), because I tried these first and the stickiness isn’t quite as strong as it was to begin with when going to change back.
Overall iMP Tech have a successful product here. And for the price (£3.99 for Thumb Treads and £4.99 for Triggers) they have created an affordable and genuine grip improvement product that will also give your controller a facelift. If I have come away happy not thinking I need additional grip, someone in the market for a product such as this will definitely be satisfied.
You can head over to http://www.teamtriggertreadz.com/ to order yours now, and use our exclusive code ABS10 to get yourself 10% discount on an already great value product. You can even keep your eyes glued to AG for an opportunity to win yourself a pair in the coming weeks
**Thank you to David Warrilow from iMP Tech for providing us the product to review**