Review - SteelSeries Nimbus+ Is Best Apple Gaming Controller Yet

The Nimbus Plus Controller: A Game-Changing Accessory for Apple Devices

When it comes to gaming on Apple devices, there's no shortage of options available. However, one accessory that stands out from the rest is the Nimbus Plus controller, specifically designed for iOS, Apple TV, and Mac platforms. This premium controller offers a range of features that make it an ideal choice for gamers.

The Nimbus Plus Controller: A Sleek and Ergonomic Design

One of the first things you notice about the Nimbus Plus controller is its sleek and ergonomic design. The controller has a premium feel to it, with a textured grip on the front that provides a comfortable fit for your hand. The paddle flip-up on the front allows the controller to expand to fit any size of the phone, making it compatible with even larger devices like the iPhone 11 Pro Max.

The Back of the Controller: A Smooth and Secure Fit

On the back of the controller, you'll find a clever design that makes it easy to slide out the prongs, which attach securely to the front of the controller. This allows for a smooth and secure fit, even on smaller devices like the iPhone 6 or 7. The prongs are designed to be easily removable, making it simple to swap them out if you need to.

Battery Life: A Major Advantage Over Other Controllers

One of the standout features of the Nimbus Plus controller is its incredible battery life. With up to 50 hours of runtime on a single charge, this controller far surpasses other gaming controllers on the market. This makes it perfect for long gaming sessions or marathon playthroughs of your favorite games.

The Mount and Adapter: A Game-Changer for iOS Gaming

Another major advantage of the Nimbus Plus controller is its included mount and adapter. The mount allows you to securely attach your device to the controller, providing a stable and comfortable playing experience. The adapter is also included, making it easy to plug in your device without any hassle.

Using the Nimbus Plus Controller: A Smooth and Responsive Experience

We put the Nimbus Plus controller through its paces, testing it with a range of games on our iPhone 11 Pro Max. We were impressed by its smooth and responsive performance, which made gaming a pleasure. The controller's ability to connect wirelessly via Bluetooth also eliminated any lag or delays, ensuring a seamless gaming experience.

The Apple Arcade Advantage

One of the best features of the Nimbus Plus controller is its compatibility with Apple Arcade, a subscription service that offers access to a vast library of games on iOS, Apple TV, and Mac. With this controller, you can play your favorite games from Apple Arcade without any issues, making it an ideal choice for those who want to take advantage of this exciting service.

Comparison to Other Controllers

For comparison, we compared the Nimbus Plus controller to its predecessor, the previous-generation Image Controller. While both controllers have their strengths and weaknesses, the Nimbus Plus controller clearly outshines its predecessor in terms of design, performance, and features.

Conclusion: A Great Value for Apple Gamers

In conclusion, the Nimbus Plus controller is an excellent choice for gamers on Apple devices. Its sleek and ergonomic design, long battery life, and smooth performance make it a joy to use. The included mount and adapter also provide a secure and comfortable playing experience. At its price point, this controller offers incredible value for gamers who want the best possible experience.

Recommendation: Try It Out for Yourself

So, what do you think? Are you in the market for a new gaming controller for your Apple device? If so, we highly recommend checking out the Nimbus Plus controller. You can find it on various online retailers and get the best prices with our price guide. Let us know in the comments below if you have any questions or want to share your experience with this amazing controller.

Twitter: Share Your Thoughts

We'd love to hear from you! Follow us on Twitter at @Andrew_OSU, where we'll be sharing more gaming news and reviews. Don't forget to click that like button and let us know what you think of the Nimbus Plus controller in our latest video.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enwelcome everyone it is Andrew here from Apple Insider and this the SteelSeries Nimbus plus the latest version of the SteelSeries Nimbus that is specifically designed for Apple's platforms that is iOS TV OS and of course the Mac the Nimbus controllers have always been popular they've been always tailor designed for iOS and include a lot of features that you don't see when just bring over other controllers like using Xbox or a ps4 controller there's things that always just don't match up and don't always make sense these new controllers have been really designed from the previous generation iOS specific Nimbus controller and we'll look at a comparison of that towards the end on the front of the controller you can see we have the d-pad on the left the button keys on the right hand side two joysticks the options button the menu button and the home button in the center among all the different changes our new Hall effect sensors these new triggers have a much more fluid motion to them and they keep the same tension all the way through the buttons on the top those top triggers are very nice and clicky there's not a lot of movement to them and they have a good click as they're actually depressed and again those triggers feel just so fluid and just right while playing all the buttons here actually have a very nice click to them and that's what you need you need that little bit of physical feedback while you're playing games now there's some odd inconsistencies with certain games like we're playing for tonight you notice oh there's a square and an X versus an X and an A so there's just inconsistencies like that throughout the games that's more on the game developers rather than on the controller makers themselves the directional pad has been redesigned instead of being that round button with the AERS inside of it it's actually just a plus sign now though is still an eight-way directional pad so you have the up down left and right but you also have those angles as well there are extra kind of clicks into those spots so it is an eight-way directional pad here on the left hand side and of course we have the joysticks the joysticks have always been great on these controllers everything feels very fluid very smooth and in our testing there is almost no dead zone in the center of these there's always gonna be a tiny bit with joysticks but it is extremely small and largely imperceptible I don't think anyone's gonna have a real issue with that this is still obviously one of if not the best game controller for iOS Mac and Apple TV these also now click compare to the previous generation they are now depressive which adds O's l3 in our three buttons this thing charges up over lightning so no lightning cables included in the box just use the one that came with your phone or in my case my Mac Pro so just plug that lightning cable in and this is pretty incredible it ok 50 hours of battery life we have not tested for 50 hours but we have not had any issues batteries like with this controller I love just be able to charge it with the same cables I have for my iPhone or maybe an older iPad it's so much more convenient that way and you don't have to carry it around double-a batteries a minor gripe here is it comes out a little too easily we wish it was just a little bit more firm in there it's not too weak just completely but it just is a little light on that tension across the top here you can see the status bar it's used for pairing your phone so hold on that power button or the home button for just a few seconds turn it on for the first time then go into Bluetooth settings and if it doesn't flash right away you can hold the pairing button that's on the front of the controller those lights are also used to tell you what controller you are so if you're on your Apple TV you get four controllers put on there to show you which player you are in will give you your battery life from 25% 25 to 50 50 to 75 and 75 to 100 the SteelSeries nimis plus also comes with an iPhone mount here this is pretty awesome it is just an expandable mount we do wish the rails on the inside were metal instead of plastic because there is a little bit of give there but it feels very solid feels very smooth nice and premium to go with this controller there's little paddle flip up on the front it expands to fit any size of the phone we fit our iPhone 11 pro max without any issue whatsoever then on the back you just slide out these little prongs that go into the front of the controller this controller looks very similar to the Stratos duo which is for Windows Android and VR applications even though that controller only gets 20 or so hours of battery life and the phone mount is actually included separately you have to pay extra for that it's called a smart grip and it's sold separately whereas here on the Nimbus plus for iOS Apple Mac Apple TV all of that it just comes included in the box so another great value you're getting 50 hours of battery life and that mount that adapter included inside of the box once you've gone ahead and slid that into place just slide your iPhone in as you can see we had no issues with our biggest iPhone yet because easily into there ain't as you jiggle it around you're in the car whatever it is like there's not a lot of motion there it does move a little bit there's a lot of shaking but it holds it very secure controllers like this are great because you can use them with things like Apple arcade now it'll work with a ton of different games in the App Store but Apple arcade is special because for that one monthly fee you have access to all of these games there are a pile of games here at Apple that continues to release new games each week so for any gamers that are out there there are so many different options there are kids game there are adult games there's just a huge wide ranging gamut of games available your Apple arcade as well just the App Store in general so whether you're playing Sponge Bob or real racing or just want to jump into some fortnight there's definitely something you're gonna find on iOS or Apple TV or Mac there's gonna be perfectly suited to use this controller we definitely jumped into a bunch of games attested out there was no lag is connected over Bluetooth it was a very responsive it worked great I mean it was just so much easier to play these games for the controller versus just trying to use the touchscreen to do them especially pretending like fortnight or raising I just like having that more responsive nature and physical fuel of a controller some things are awkward like the fact that it really does fall over a whole lot if you try to put your phone on the front of in just don't want to smash your phone down too hard but really it is a huge improvement over the previous generation image controller here you can see them side-by-side and it does it makes a whole lot more sense now with this newer version we have obviously the controls here in the center all updated his overall design has been cleaned up and refined a bit definitely smoother overall we have the phone mount included the battery life sensors control sensors was redesigned it just really is an overall improved controller and pretty much every way those triggers have been overhauled the buttons have been changed a d-pad change the layout changed you have the clickable joysticks on there we will say that if you're looking at the joist or not the joysticks but that triggers themselves and this is gonna be a preference thing there's a little bit more movement in the previous generation there and there's older Nimbus controller you can see how there's a lot of movement here now it's not always the same tension and just you're kind of running on a spring versus the Hall effect of the new ones but the new ones are just a little bit shallower so some people may prefer the shallower triggers because they are quicker to pool and there's less tension on them some people may prefer the longer pull of the older generation and a little bit more attention on them I do love how this works across the Apple platforms you know your iPhone your iPad your Apple TV your Mac Apple arcades is already bringing all those games to all of those platforms so just an even better way to use a controller it's just such a great value it's easy to pair it's reliable has incredible battery life and the hardware is just top-notch and this thing is even more expensive than a ps4 or Xbox controller and for good reason it's literally specifically designed for Apple's platforms and it really shows there's no better controller right now you can pick up for any of those platforms but I want to know what you guys think let me know over on Twitter at Andrew underscore OSU what your favorite controller is hey everyone did you guys like that video be sure to click on that like button so we can create content that we know that you guys want to see and follow Apple Insider on all social media channels if you want the best prices on any Apple gear check out the Apple Insider price guide that is updated daily and until next time we'll see you laterwelcome everyone it is Andrew here from Apple Insider and this the SteelSeries Nimbus plus the latest version of the SteelSeries Nimbus that is specifically designed for Apple's platforms that is iOS TV OS and of course the Mac the Nimbus controllers have always been popular they've been always tailor designed for iOS and include a lot of features that you don't see when just bring over other controllers like using Xbox or a ps4 controller there's things that always just don't match up and don't always make sense these new controllers have been really designed from the previous generation iOS specific Nimbus controller and we'll look at a comparison of that towards the end on the front of the controller you can see we have the d-pad on the left the button keys on the right hand side two joysticks the options button the menu button and the home button in the center among all the different changes our new Hall effect sensors these new triggers have a much more fluid motion to them and they keep the same tension all the way through the buttons on the top those top triggers are very nice and clicky there's not a lot of movement to them and they have a good click as they're actually depressed and again those triggers feel just so fluid and just right while playing all the buttons here actually have a very nice click to them and that's what you need you need that little bit of physical feedback while you're playing games now there's some odd inconsistencies with certain games like we're playing for tonight you notice oh there's a square and an X versus an X and an A so there's just inconsistencies like that throughout the games that's more on the game developers rather than on the controller makers themselves the directional pad has been redesigned instead of being that round button with the AERS inside of it it's actually just a plus sign now though is still an eight-way directional pad so you have the up down left and right but you also have those angles as well there are extra kind of clicks into those spots so it is an eight-way directional pad here on the left hand side and of course we have the joysticks the joysticks have always been great on these controllers everything feels very fluid very smooth and in our testing there is almost no dead zone in the center of these there's always gonna be a tiny bit with joysticks but it is extremely small and largely imperceptible I don't think anyone's gonna have a real issue with that this is still obviously one of if not the best game controller for iOS Mac and Apple TV these also now click compare to the previous generation they are now depressive which adds O's l3 in our three buttons this thing charges up over lightning so no lightning cables included in the box just use the one that came with your phone or in my case my Mac Pro so just plug that lightning cable in and this is pretty incredible it ok 50 hours of battery life we have not tested for 50 hours but we have not had any issues batteries like with this controller I love just be able to charge it with the same cables I have for my iPhone or maybe an older iPad it's so much more convenient that way and you don't have to carry it around double-a batteries a minor gripe here is it comes out a little too easily we wish it was just a little bit more firm in there it's not too weak just completely but it just is a little light on that tension across the top here you can see the status bar it's used for pairing your phone so hold on that power button or the home button for just a few seconds turn it on for the first time then go into Bluetooth settings and if it doesn't flash right away you can hold the pairing button that's on the front of the controller those lights are also used to tell you what controller you are so if you're on your Apple TV you get four controllers put on there to show you which player you are in will give you your battery life from 25% 25 to 50 50 to 75 and 75 to 100 the SteelSeries nimis plus also comes with an iPhone mount here this is pretty awesome it is just an expandable mount we do wish the rails on the inside were metal instead of plastic because there is a little bit of give there but it feels very solid feels very smooth nice and premium to go with this controller there's little paddle flip up on the front it expands to fit any size of the phone we fit our iPhone 11 pro max without any issue whatsoever then on the back you just slide out these little prongs that go into the front of the controller this controller looks very similar to the Stratos duo which is for Windows Android and VR applications even though that controller only gets 20 or so hours of battery life and the phone mount is actually included separately you have to pay extra for that it's called a smart grip and it's sold separately whereas here on the Nimbus plus for iOS Apple Mac Apple TV all of that it just comes included in the box so another great value you're getting 50 hours of battery life and that mount that adapter included inside of the box once you've gone ahead and slid that into place just slide your iPhone in as you can see we had no issues with our biggest iPhone yet because easily into there ain't as you jiggle it around you're in the car whatever it is like there's not a lot of motion there it does move a little bit there's a lot of shaking but it holds it very secure controllers like this are great because you can use them with things like Apple arcade now it'll work with a ton of different games in the App Store but Apple arcade is special because for that one monthly fee you have access to all of these games there are a pile of games here at Apple that continues to release new games each week so for any gamers that are out there there are so many different options there are kids game there are adult games there's just a huge wide ranging gamut of games available your Apple arcade as well just the App Store in general so whether you're playing Sponge Bob or real racing or just want to jump into some fortnight there's definitely something you're gonna find on iOS or Apple TV or Mac there's gonna be perfectly suited to use this controller we definitely jumped into a bunch of games attested out there was no lag is connected over Bluetooth it was a very responsive it worked great I mean it was just so much easier to play these games for the controller versus just trying to use the touchscreen to do them especially pretending like fortnight or raising I just like having that more responsive nature and physical fuel of a controller some things are awkward like the fact that it really does fall over a whole lot if you try to put your phone on the front of in just don't want to smash your phone down too hard but really it is a huge improvement over the previous generation image controller here you can see them side-by-side and it does it makes a whole lot more sense now with this newer version we have obviously the controls here in the center all updated his overall design has been cleaned up and refined a bit definitely smoother overall we have the phone mount included the battery life sensors control sensors was redesigned it just really is an overall improved controller and pretty much every way those triggers have been overhauled the buttons have been changed a d-pad change the layout changed you have the clickable joysticks on there we will say that if you're looking at the joist or not the joysticks but that triggers themselves and this is gonna be a preference thing there's a little bit more movement in the previous generation there and there's older Nimbus controller you can see how there's a lot of movement here now it's not always the same tension and just you're kind of running on a spring versus the Hall effect of the new ones but the new ones are just a little bit shallower so some people may prefer the shallower triggers because they are quicker to pool and there's less tension on them some people may prefer the longer pull of the older generation and a little bit more attention on them I do love how this works across the Apple platforms you know your iPhone your iPad your Apple TV your Mac Apple arcades is already bringing all those games to all of those platforms so just an even better way to use a controller it's just such a great value it's easy to pair it's reliable has incredible battery life and the hardware is just top-notch and this thing is even more expensive than a ps4 or Xbox controller and for good reason it's literally specifically designed for Apple's platforms and it really shows there's no better controller right now you can pick up for any of those platforms but I want to know what you guys think let me know over on Twitter at Andrew underscore OSU what your favorite controller is hey everyone did you guys like that video be sure to click on that like button so we can create content that we know that you guys want to see and follow Apple Insider on all social media channels if you want the best prices on any Apple gear check out the Apple Insider price guide that is updated daily and until next time we'll see you later\n"