Whether you’re a casual or hardcore player, success often comes down to consistency. Maybe you play the same game a lot, or approach different challenges with the same mindset. Maybe it’s just about the tools you use to get the job done. If it’s the latter, you can’t often go wrong with Thrustmaster, who have been producing consistently reliable, if not always dazzling, gaming peripherals for a few decades now. The wired Thrustmaster HEART Controller is a prime example of that.
The name is actually an acronym that stands for Hall Effect Accurate Technology (The R is just there because it sounds better than HEAT). It connects via USB cable, and has almost no visible embellishments beyond a slick two-tone design and some understated RGB lighting in a single strip to separate the black and white sides of the pad. It’s lightweight which, for a controller on the far side of £80, means it runs the risk of feeling a little flimsy when you first pick it up. Rest assured though, this is a quality build overall.
But of course the most important thing about a controller isn’t the appearance. While we like to have something nice to look at and ergonomic to hold, the proof of the pudding is how it feels to use, and the HEART controller feels lovely. Sized to match a standard Xbox controller, it sits snuggly in my hands as well as my sons, and he’s a lot smaller than I am. The stick layout is familiar and comfortable, and the grainy non-slip finish is great for long sessions.
Buttons feel tactile and just clicky enough to give you that tactile feedback, while the wired connection means you don’t have to worry about battery life, lag, or latency. It’s a nice long cable in the box, too, guaranteeing that you can play in comfort wherever you are. There are some extra buttons on the back of the pad which you can re-map however you need to, and their placement is pretty decent. If I have a complaint it’s that the triggers feel a little bit loose, and the bumper feedback is a little spongy, which I’m not a fan of.
That said, the bulk of the technology has gone into the sticks. Hall Effect functionality is almost a must-have feature now, to the point that I wouldn’t spend money on a controller without it, no matter what its other features are. Using magnet technology to track your inputs means not only are the sticks more responsive, but they’re far, far less susceptible to developing drift, which has been the bane of controller design for a while now. I also tried out a couple of Hall Effect modules for my Thrustmaster eSwap X2 controller, which is a wonderful modular gamepad that I’ve had a for a few years. It’s fair to say Thrustmaster know their way around analogue sticks.
One of the more useful features is the ability to re-map buttons without having to use the ThrustmapperX software. It’s easier if you do, of course, but having a re-mapping button right on the face is useful (even if it is easy to accidentally thumb instead of a menu button). I don’t tinker around all that much with button layouts as I find most games fairly intuitive anyway, but if you’re playing something overly complex or that really requires lightning inputs, it’s a very useful feature.
If you’re looking for a real workhorse controller that won’t let you down when it counts, you could do a lot worse than the Thrustmaster HEART Controller. It feels cheaper than it is, which may turn some of you off, but it’s a sturdy, reliable device with great feedback and an attractive design. It’s not super cheap, though, and you can find less-expensive pads with similar technology if you’re trying not to overstretch a budget.
