Most wireless game controllers designed to handle both mobile and PC gaming connect via Bluetooth. It's convenient, but Bluetooth isn't always optimal for desktop play due to latency and occasional pairing glitchiness. SteelSeries' Stratus Duo attacks that problem by incorporating 2.4GHz Wi-Fi as well as Bluetooth and wired.
At $60 (approximately £45 or AU$85), the Stratus Duo is essentially an updated Stratus XL. In addition to adding Wi-Fi, SteelSeries streamlined the design a bit and addressed one of the biggest complaints -- unreliable trigger buttons -- by switching to Magnetic Hall Effect switches, the type used by some of the Xbox One Wireless Controllers.Â
To make it a well-rounded mobile option, SteelSeries will also be releasing a $10 phone mount for it in mid-February, the SmartGrip.
It does take a hit on battery life: the Stratus XL is rated for 40-plus hours, while the Duo drops to 20-plus. Wi-Fi takes more power than Bluetooth, after all. But the Duo also has a rechargeable battery built in, unlike the XL. Like previous models, it's Steam-compatible.
Sorry iOS gamers -- it only works with Windows and Android.Â