Mad Catz C.T.R.L.R Mobile Gamepad

Design
The C.T.R.L.R$49.64 at WalMart is built much like an Xbox 360$249.99 at Amazon controller, with a pair of analog sticks placed unevenly on either half of the gamepad's face. The left (and higher) stick sits parallel with the four main face buttons on the right, and the right (and lower) stick sits parallel with the direction pad on the left. The face and shoulder buttons are all in the classic Xbox 360 configuration, with X, A, B, and Y face buttons, two prominent shoulder triggers, and two smaller shoulder bumpers. It even has standard Star and Select buttons in the center, flanking a large Mad Catz logo button that could easily be mistaken in shape and feel for an Xbox button.

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A compartment on the back holds two included AAA batteries to power the gamepad, and Mad Catz claims the C.T.R.L.R can provide 40 hours of continuous playtime before you have to replace them. The compartment also hides a micro USB port, but that port is reserved only for updating the gamepad's firmware; you can't use the C.T.R.L.R as a wired controller.

While its layout is very familiar, the C.T.R.L.R sports some additional distinctive design elements that set it apart from a standard third-party gamepad. A screw mount for the included smartphone holder sits on the top edge of the controller, between the shoulder buttons. The holder is an angled arm with two large jaws holding rubberized pads. The jaws pull apart with spring tension, and close securely around any smartphone you wish to connect. When the holder isn't mounted, the screw mount is unobtrusive and easy to ignore.

Besides the smartphone holder, the C.T.R.L.R features several controls unique to its multi-platform nature. A row of playback buttons (Play/Pause, Fast Forward, Rewind, Volume Up, and Volume Down) sit above the Mad Catz button, letting you use the controller as a media remote. A three-way sliding switch sits on the bottom edge of the gamepad, between the wing-like grips. This switch determines which mode the controller is in, for working with different devices.

Modes and Controls
The three different modes are each appropriate in different situations, depending on what you want to do and what device you want to use. The leftmost mode, GameSmart, functions as a Bluetooth gamepad for use with Android devices, including the Mad Catz M.O.J.O. and the Nvidia Shield Portable. The middle mode, Mouse, turns the left analog stick into a mouse-like controller for use with a PC. The right-most mode, PC, lets the gamepad work with computers just like GameSmart lets it work with Android devices.

As an Android device controller, the C.T.R.L.R works flawlessly. I paired it with an Nvidia Shield Portable and it worked just like the Shield's own built-in gamepad, complete with functional playback controls and the optional right analog stick mouse cursor control.

In my tests, the Mouse mode worked very well with my computer. The left analog stick moved the cursor around, giving me a pleasantly couch-friendly way to use the system.

Unfortunately, the C.T.R.L.R falters as a PC gamepad. Windows is prepared to work easily with an Xbox 360 game controller, and while it can detect non-Xbox 360 gamepads as basic HID controllers, and even correctly register their inputs, it has difficulty getting them to work with some games. Titles like Shovel Knight and Ducktales Remastered expect an Xbox 360 gamepad, and I simply couldn't get the C.T.R.L.R to work with them at all. Super Meat Boy recognized the gamepad, but I had to remap the controls manually. Jets N Guns Gold detected the gamepad as a mouse, even in non-mouse PC mode, and let me move the in-game cursor, but not actually do anything with my ship.

The free Mad Catz A.P.P. software offers key mapping for the gamepad's controls, but I found it awkward to use. This sort of problem can be fixed with a third-party input wrapper or program like Joy2Key, but it's disappointing to see spotty support out of the box for PCs, even with an official setup program. This has become a common issue, since most PC games now expect an Xbox 360 controller if a gamepad is used.

Gamepad Feel
Regardless of what platform you use, when the C.T.R.L.R works, it feels like a perfectly functional console gamepad. It's almost slavishly devoted to the time-tested Xbox 360 gamepad design, so console gamers will be right at home when playing games on their smartphones or tablets. The buttons and direction pad are responsive and the analog sticks feel sensitive without being twitchy.

The Mad Catz C.T.R.L.R might not be quite the catch-all gamepad the company envisioned, but it's an extremely capable controller for mobile devices—and, if you're willing to tinker with drivers, wrappers, and control mapping, can be a functional PC gamepad as well. It's a bit pricey at $50 with its spotty PC support and complete lack of game console and iOS compatibility, but it's an excellent accessory if you have any of the many devices with which it works.