But if the controller shakes even slightly, the mount starts to wobble and your phone almost always winds up dropping off the controller. Under ideal conditions, with your arms resting on a table, the phone feels balanced and sits perfectly in front of your face. Even when fully inserted, the rods feel flimsy and unstable when carrying the weight of a phone, which makes sense when you note that some iPhones (like mine) weigh almost as much as the controller itself. The phone mount, which clamps around your iPhone and attaches to the controller via two slim metal rods that slide into the controller, is something of an Achilles’ Heel for the Nimbus+. Next to the pairing and battery buttons, there are two small holes, which allow you to connect the Nimbus+’s included phone mount.

On the other hand, when you do need to charge it, you’ll need to find a Lightning cable because it doesn’t come with its own charging gear. After using the controller regularly for over two weeks, I never had to charge it. According to SteelSeries, it should last up to 50 hours on a single charge. Speaking of power, the Nimbus+ gets great battery life. The LED also shows pairing status and, by default, lets you know whether the controller is on or off. The other shows you the controller’s battery status using the four-part LED indicator light on the front of the controller, just above the home and menu buttons. One triggers pairing mode, or you can hold down the Home button to pair, which is easier and makes the top button a bit superfluous. There are two system buttons on the top of the controller. There are a few extra elements on the controller, most of which are for system-level actions. Lastly, the clickable analog sticks are tall and snap back to position quickly. The triggers, perhaps the highlight, feature magnetic resistance that enables smooth action for the full length of their travel. The face buttons are snappy, and I’m a fan of the clicky, tactile response you get from the unibody D-pad.

Likewise, the core buttons and inputs all feel very good, especially for a mobile-only gamepad. I wouldn’t describe the controller as “heavy,” per se, but it’s enough that you may start to feel the weight in your arms if you play for hours on end without supporting yourself. The weight will vary by model, but my iPhone 12 Pro weighed in at 233 grams, so you’re almost doubling the weight. The controller with the mount attached weighs 282 grams, the same as the modern Xbox and PlayStation controllers. The full controller-and-phone-mount device weighs considerably more. It’s also very sturdy and well balanced: Given that, you might be surprised to hear that it’s lighter than average: At 246 grams, it weighs slightly less than the Xbox Series X controller (287 grams) or the DualSense (282 grams). The handles feature the same matte plastic finish SteelSeries uses on many of its mice, which acts as a very effective grip. Measuring 5.88 by 4.63 by 2.63 inches (WDH), it’s wide with long handles that sit well in your hands. In fact, the Nimbus+ is a well-made controller with a comfortable shape and strong design. There’s nothing wrong with trying to blend the two styles, in theory, but Nimbus+ makes only a few logistical changes to distinguish itself from its influences, giving it a strong knock-off vibe. The design seems hellbent on splitting the difference between the PlayStation and Xbox controller styles: It has Xbox face button lettering – “A,” “B,” “X,” and “Y” – but the bumpers and triggers are labeled “L1”, “R1,” “L2,” and “R2.” Its wide body and large handles scream “Xbox,” but the symmetrical thumbsticks read as “PlayStation.” There are three buttons in the middle – “Menu,” “View,” and a “Home” button marked with a picture of a house. The Nimbus+ looks about as generic as they come. Thus, while the Nimbus+ is a pretty great controller, it is hard to recommend. And while it works with Macs, it is no better than other, more popular gamepads. Increasingly, mobile-focused peripherals aren’t just buttons and analog sticks but a means of transforming your phone into a portable console. But it has a critical flaw, too: It comes with a phone mount that doesn’t hold an iPhone in place very well. SteelSeries’ latest Apple-only gamepad does a lot of things right: It has a good shape, well-made inputs, and very good battery life. The SteelSeries Nimbus+ is barking up the wrong tree.

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