In professional eSports gamers will try and gain every advantage over their opponents that they possibly can, as long as they are sticking to the rules of course. For PC gamers this will mean optimising their keyboards and mice with numerous macros to help improve things such as reaction times. For console gamers (or even PC gamers who choose to use controllers over the classic keyboard and mouse combo) it can be a little trickier to gain an advantage without modding your controller, which in many tournaments would be an infraction upon the rules and result in disqualification. What they can do now though thanks to the guys at Imp Gaming is customise their controllers to battle one of the most dire problems that any console gamer can face, sweaty hands. Yep, that age old problem of your palms and fingers getting sweaty and slipping over the controller as the tension rises to unbearable levels can now be counter acted thanks to two brilliant products.
Trigger Treadz and Thumb Treadz, two simple creations that will combat sweat to help you keep on top of your performance whilst gaming competitively. Of course you don’t actually need to partake in eSports to use them, anyone who is competitive, hates losing and is tired of slippy fingers can grab a set and start to reap the rewards.
The designs for both products are very simple, you have the Trigger Treadz which are probably the more well known of the two items which are little pieces of rubber shaped to fit the trigger buttons on your PS4 and Xbox One controllers. There are two designs to choose from, all terrain and racing rubber (styled on a car tyre so more appealing to racing gamers maybe?) and you don’t have to hurt your brain thinking “which one should I pick?” as you will receive both sets in the post. Then you have the thumb treadz which are little covers that slip over the top of your analogue sticks, again they come in two designs; silicone ridge which can be described as a target design with a small circle in the centre which is encased in a larger circle within a larger circle within a…I’ll stop there, and there is the TPU dimple design which has lots of small dots across the top. Again you’ll get both sets in the post should you order some.
At first I was a bit dubious as to whether these little accessories would actually do anything significant to improve my gaming ability, as would anyone who stumbles across a new product. My main concern being for the Thumb Treadz as Microsoft and Sony already have a rubbery like grips on their thumb sticks to increase friction. However I must admit I did like the feel of the Thumb Treadz more than the standard controls, they seemed to be a little more comfortable and the TPU dimple design was brilliant because I had an itch on the back of my hand and it made a brilliant scratching device. But in all seriousness it did seem to have a little better grip but I don’t think there was a massive increase really, they just seemed to be more comfortable as it was almost like they massaged your thumbs.
As for the Trigger Treadz, I wasn’t as concerned about whether these would work instead of being more concerned about how well they would work. Just sticking them on your controller, which you must make sure is clean and dust free before applying, will offer some extra grip but nothing sensational. So if you’re just a casual gamer who plays a little here and there then it may not be the best investment you will ever make. On the other hand, if you are the type of gamer like myself who starts playing a game and several hours later is still sitting there playing that game (I blame Chris from Invision and Destiny for this) then you’re going the be getting sweaty palms and this is where the Trigger Treadz come into their own. As the sweat hits the rubber, it actually helps you keep grip of our triggers unlike with the normal plastic where our fingers would slip off. This prevents you experiencing unbearable tragedies in multiplayer gaming for example; in PvP mode on a FPS your finger slips off the trigger and you don’t manage to land that final bullet into your opponent’s chest before he kills you, or when you are neck and neck in a race that could end in a photo finish but your finger slips off the accelerator and your rival overtakes you by a fraction of his bumper.
So are these little accessories worth getting? For the casual gamer maybe not, but for those of you out there who have that competitive edge and will do anything to come out on top then yeah they’re worth it. Saying that if I had to go out today and get them again myself I may just possibly stick with the Trigger Treadz rather than the Thumb Treadz because I wasn’t as impressed with them but that is just my opinion so don’t take my word for it, test them yourselves. They’re a good quality product which so far during testing have shown to be very durable and have no sign of wear and tear. Best of all they’re an absolute bargain at £4.99 for Trigger Treadz and only £3.99 for the Thumb Treadz, and because you get two designs in each pack you can cover two controllers or even split the cost and share with a mate.
So if you’ve been bowled over by what I’ve written in my review you can purchase these yourself at http://triggertreadz.com/ (Please note I do not get anycommission for you purchasing through this link).
Disclaimer:All scores given within our reviews are based on the artist’s personal opinion; this should in no way impede your decision to purchase the game.
