GameSir has been on a roll lately, creating new iterations of theirvery successful G7 controller. While we’ve seen Hall effect joysticks onbeautiful wireless controllersandon highly responsive wired controllers, GameSir’s new Tarantula Pro is shaking things up quite a bit.
Diverging from the traditional Xbox controller shape, the Tarantula Pro is built for Playstation fans who want to play on Switch, mobile, and PC. The controller also offers a ton of customization, especially when compared toother Playstation controllers.
Game Rant got the chance to test out the Tarantula Pro controller charging station edition, which is $10 more than the standard, to see whether it holds up against real-life testing inTears of the Kingdom,Katamari Damacy REROLL,Mario Kart, and more. There’s a lot to love about the Tarantula Pro, even if it is targeted at a specific niche of gamers.
Box Contents
With the charging station edition, GameSir throws in a clear stand that the controller fits on perfectly, allowing the back to snap into place against the charger. It is a little flimsy, but it’s a nice touch for a small increase in price and the convenience of having an accessible controller charger.
Comfort & Design
As might be expected of GameSir at this point, the shell of the Tarantula Pro wireless controller feels pretty flimsy, and you can feel the vibrations of the rumble packs and other parts when you pick up or set down the controller. However, this light shell provides an equally light grip. The entire controller is really well balanced, with the center holding most of the weight, while the handles are almost shockingly less heavy. The texture on the controller is kept completely to the back, wrapping over the triggers and bumpers too. This texture isn’t as indented as many other controllers, but still helps you keep a steady hold of it, although it doesn’t do much for preventing sweaty hands.
The button layout is fairly standard, with even the back buttons being placed in the best spot: along the backs of the handles. The other extra buttons are a seriously unique offering, rivaled only by a few high-end controllers, such asSCUF’s Envision. The top center section offers three inputs alone, plus it doubles as an NFC touchpoint. Below that are four macro buttons. These buttons are easy to access, but are also very close to the menu buttons, which are smaller than average, making it easy to accidentally miskey when you’re trying to walk away from a game for a second.
One of the biggest draws for the Tarantula Pro wireless controller is its symmetrical design, which is usually reserved for Playstation controllers only. Players who prefer symmetrical joystick layouts are being left behind in the great controller arms race, as the Xbox-style asymmetrical layout is much more popular. The Tarantula Pro seeks to remedy this by offering a capable, competitive wireless controller designed for Playstation fans who are gaming on other platforms. While it is missing the big touchpad of the DualSense, this controller has a very similar shape and layout to the PS4 DualShock controller. Plus, the face of the controller has a cool, black and gray camo finish.
Connectivity
There isn’t much to mess up with bluetooth and 2.4ghz wireless connections, and GameSir once again establishes reliable responsiveness with the Tarantula Pro. It’s not the absolute fastest controller in the world, but as long as you aren’t in a serious competition, you probably won’t notice a difference between you and the competition.
That being said, getting connected was a bit of a headache with the bluetooth connection. At first, it simply would not pair to the Switch and eventually the cord had to be used to get the console to recognize it. After that, it connected seamlessly every time. However, even that proved to be a bit of a nuisance.
Once the Tarantula Pro had connected to my phone once, it would always try to connect, even when pressing the Switch-specific command. Because it was in Switch mode, it couldn’t actually be used with the phone, yet there were notifications popping up and cluttering my screen to tell me to access the settings to do things like get my keyboard setup with the controller.
In the end, while the connection was solid, it would have been a better experience if there was only one bluetooth mode, especially since the wireless dongle works perfectly fine.
Performance & Customizability
The plethora of extra buttons makes it immediately apparent that the Tarantula Pro prioritizes customizability, but the controller also offers plenty of functionality along with its more aesthetic touches. For instance, a small window below the ABXY buttons shows off a feature that is a bit of a gimmick: mechanical button swapping. Instead of simply remapping the ABXY buttons to accommodate both Switch and PC play, the Tarantula Pro physically swaps the buttons whenever you want to change layouts. When the controller powers on, you can hear the whirring of gears as everything gets ready for action. Despite this having no real practical advantage over remapping and being a possible failure point, the button swapping function is, surprisingly, very cool.
The 1200mAh battery is a bit lackluster, but allows for plenty of gameplay, even with RGB lighting turned on. While GameSir doesn’t provide specific battery life information, the Tarantula lasted through 20 hours of gameplay before needing a charge while on bluetooth, with the lights turned on all the way. This is in-line with similar controllers, though the battery life may vary based on other factors.
you’re able to customize not only the RGB settings, but also the majority of the button layout and even create macros. GameSir does have a mobile app, GameSir Nexus, that allows you to digitally customize your controller, though most changes can be done through the controller itself. The app and the on-board controls were useful for customizing the controller, though each had their own shortcomings.
RGB Lighting
Changing the lighting on the Tarantula Pro was much, much easier on the app than through the controller. While testing it out, it was not possible to change the lighting effect, of which there are six in total: Monochrome, Breathing, Fantasy, Rainbow, Radar, and Off. However, changing the brightness, color, and speed of the lights was straightforward on the controller. Using the app was much easier, as everything is right in your face and clearly labeled.
Once the RGB was set, it looked fantastic. The lighting is bright and bold, while the colors are accurate and don’t bleed into one another too much when in a multicolor mode. RGB controller fans will really love the Tarantula Pro, even if it does only offer RGB along the center of the face.
Button Remapping
Button remapping was a bit of a mess from the beginning with the Tarantula Pro. First of all, the instructions are not clear as to how to remap or program buttons, highlighting the wrong button and wording it so that it sounds like there is a separate macro button that needs to be pressed along with “the desired button to map”. There is no separate macro button, and the manual means instead that only the M Button and the desired remapped button make up the remap command. While the four C buttons could be considered “the macro” buttons, you can actually set a macro to any of the extra buttons, not just those on the face.
Despite this confusion, it’s tough to say anything negative about the remapping and macro settings. It’s awesome to finally be able to set macros on an affordable controller, and setting the macro accurately records your button presses. This means you could add a slight delay between button presses to hotkey things such as quick saving, dodging a specificElden Ringenemy, or switch between abilities inTears of the Kingdom.
There is a slight learning curve to these extra buttons, particularly the four C buttons but, regardless of how you decide to layout your keys, it’s so convenient that you’ll be used to it in no time. The only downside is the previously mentioned issue of the pause button being too close to the four main macros.
On the other hand, one missing feature proved to be pretty annoying: the app doesn’t let you create macros. You must use the controller to record macros, as the app only lets you assign one input per button, even the designated macro ones. You also can’t test the extra buttons to make sure they’re working, which is a weird omission from the app.
Verdict
The Tarantula Pro wireless controller from GameSir is a seriously unique offering. Not only does it bring a Playstation-style design to a modern controller, but it also goes above and beyond as far as customizability. One of the very, very few controllers that allows full on macros to be saved, this function is mostly well-executed and worthwhile to anyone who loves RPGs on consoles. Additionally, the physically switching ABXY buttons is a cool feature, while the RGB lighting is brilliant and easy to adjust in color and brightness.
Considering GameSir’s excellent track record with connectivity and durability, plus the lightweight feel of the controller, Playstation fans might have found their perfect match for PC and Switch gameplay. It doesn’t hurt that the controller is extremely affordable too, coming at just $70 when you order the controller with its stylish charging dock.
GameSir Tarantula Pro
The Tarantula Pro wireless controller is a fantastic gamepad featuring Mag-Res TMR joysticks and a wide compatibility, allowing players to game for hours at a time on PC, Switch, Android, or iOS. The biggest highlight of the controller is its 9 extra buttons, which is basically unheard of for controllers. While the buttons aren’t tournament-legal in most cases, they do allow for macro commands that can come in handy in single-player games such as RPGs. Everything can be customized on the controller itself, or using GameSir’s Nexus app.
Similar Products
If the Tarantula Pro doesn’t seem like the best fit for you, consider these other controllers which share some qualities, yet stand out with their own unique designs.
$50
$100
$52$65
FAQ
Q: How long is the GameSir Tarantula Pro controller’s battery life?
The battery life will vary widely based on RGB usage and connection method. During our testing, the RGB was turned to max brightness while the controller was connected via bluetooth, and the battery lasted about 20 hours before needing to be charged.
Q: Do all GameSir controllers come with Hall effect joysticks?
Yes, the current lineup of GameSir controllers all have Hall effect joysticks.
