The right price if you can compromise

Gamesir’s controllers have regularly topped our lists of the best Android-compatible controllers, as they offer premium features at an affordable price. The Gamesir Nova pushes this trend to its limit, offering an impressive suite of features at a price that puts most other budget controllers to shame. However, it has made some tough decisions to reach its $35 price point.

Previously, my go-to controller was the Gamesir T4 Cyclone Pro, which is $15 more expensive than the Nova. Switching to the Nova for the review, it became apparent that while the Nova is undoubtedly an effective controller, you’re probably better off spending that extra cash on a T4 Kaleid or Xbox One.

Price, availability, and specs

The Gamesir Nova is available worldwide for $36 from Amazon and the Gamesir website.

Inside the box is the controller, a 1m USB-C cable, and a surprisingly nifty controller case. This black translucent shell clips neatly over the controller, protecting it from dust and scratches when not in use. Unfortunately, it doesn’t ship with a phone clip.

What’s good about the Gamesir Nova?

A feature-packed controller for a low price

For $35, the Gamesir Nova packs a lot of features into its retro-style chassis. Hall-effect sticks reduce the chance of drift over time to essentially zero, the rumble motors in each grip are subtle but effective, the 6-axis gyroscope adds motion control functionality, and the RGB effects are easily customizable. There are also programmable macro buttons on the back of the controller that add the versatility we’ve come to expect from Gamesir controllers.

I tested the Nova on PC and Android and found that gaming with the controller is a similar experience to controllers twice the price when you’re using it in the right environment. While you can’t customize the hair triggers, they are perfect for FPS games out of the box; they’re some of the most responsive triggers I’ve used yet. The rumble motors don’t provide as much feedback as I would like, but they don’t feel cheap; it’s a relatively subtle effect compared to more expensive controllers, but far better feeling than controllers at the same price.

The battery is a standout feature. Its 1,200mAh capacity means you can use this controller for days without charging it; I used it daily for over a week, splitting my time equally between wired and wireless connections, and didn’t once need to charge it.

Speaking of wireless, I noticed zero latency over Bluetooth, whether playing games on my Android tablet just before me or my Nintendo Switch across the room. If you don’t have a spare USB-C cable lying around, this is the mode you’ll want to use anyway, as the controller ships with a 1m cable that is inadequate for living-room gaming.

While it’s not something I tend to spend lots of time on, the RGB effects on the Nova are probably my favorite out of any controller I’ve used. They’re limited to two circles around the joysticks and you can toggle them between Monochrome, Breathing, Fantasy, Rainbow, and Radar effects.

Fantasy, in this context, means a shifting palette of colors that is easy on the eyes, and Radar lights up a section in the direction you’re pushing the joystick. The effects are easy on the eyes, and you can customize them in seconds; just hold the M button on the controller down and twiddle the joysticks. As someone who generally avoids RGB effects like the plague, I enjoyed customizing the Nova between games or loading screens.

What’s bad about the Gamesir Nova?

Uncomfortable for long sessions

The first problem I noticed about the Gamesir Nova was the unpleasant-feeling face buttons. While the travel distance is 0.6mm (the same as the T4 Kaleid), they feel heavy when pressed thanks to the membrane layer used instead of microswitches. The result is buttons that feel mushy and unresponsive. I found myself using more force than necessary to push them, tiring out my right thumb.

Speaking of using more force than necessary, the joysticks required more strength than I expected to use. I highly recommend remapping the controls of any game that requires you to push in the thumbstick to perform an action (i.e., sprinting in many FPS games), as my left thumb got sore after barely an hour of gaming. While I expect to get used to these issues over time, it’s not a good sign when your controller makes your hands ache after just an hour.

Remapping controls helped minimize these issues, but it’s a hassle, and there’s only so much you can do. While the hair triggers don’t suffer from this problem, they aren’t analog, which becomes a problem outside FPS games. Racing games are a particularly bad experience when using the Nova. Interestingly, the cheaper Nova Lite has analog triggers, making me question why they aren’t on the more expensive model.

Finally, the rumble motors, while effective, are built to mimic the Switch Pro controller. This means that while rumble effects are present on any platform, you’ll only get the full experience when playing on a Nintendo Switch. The rumble motors also feel less accurate over Bluetooth; you’ll need a 2.4 GHz adaptor for your PC or use a wired connection for the best experience outside of a Switch.

Should you buy the Gamesir Nova?

Not if you need a primary controller

The Gamesir Nova is a great backup controller or spare for couch game sessions. It does everything you need it to do, but if you’re looking for an affordable controller for long periods, the Nova doesn’t cut it. Its weaknesses become harder to ignore the more you use it. However, it’s a good choice if you need a controller for FPS gaming on a Nintendo Switch.

I’ve mentioned the Gamesir T4 Kaleid multiple times in this review for good reason. For $15 more, you get a controller that doesn’t have any of the problems of the Nova and has a few more features to boot. It’s significantly better value, so I highly recommend spending the extra cash on a controller that won’t frustrate you every time you use it.