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GameSir Kaleid Flux: one-minute review
The GameSir Kaleid Flux is a wired controller in the mold of the official Xbox Wireless Controller, adopting a similar layout but with a few extra features and functions to set it apart.
The large front panel and asymmetrical analog sticks will be familiar aspects to many gamers at this point. However, the D-pad is one point of difference, as it adopts a more traditional four-prong design rather than a circular one a la the Xbox controller. It’s also gold in color, as are the trigger buttons.
The Kaleid Flux further distinguishes itself with RGB lighting visible behind the transparent front panel, which offers high levels of brightness. Like the best PC controllers, this can be adjusted and customized.
You’ll also find some extra buttons, including an ‘M’ (multifunction) button that can be used to make various tweaks when used in combination with other inputs. These include changing audio and mic volumes of connected headsets, toggling the analog functionality of the triggers, and configuring the RGB lighting.
This M button can also be used to assign inputs to the back buttons, which are located underneath the grips. This can also be done using GameSir’s Nexus software, which contains various other adjustments, including those for the analog sticks, triggers, vibration and lighting.
When gaming, the Kaleid Flux performs well for the most part. It feels light and comfortable, fitting my hands without issue. Although it’s a wired controller, it features a detachable USB cable, but thankfully the deep recess and secure hold of the port means there’s very little danger of it coming loose.
The face buttons are snappy yet well-damped, and so too is the D-pad, making for accurate and satisfying inputs. The back buttons are also easy to use, thanks to their tactile nature and positioning, which makes them hard to mispress. The sticks are similarly smooth and precise as well.
What’s more, the ability to set the triggers to always vibrate, with the intensity based on their travel, is a useful one, helping in situations where precise feedback is important – although the feel of this vibration isn’t the most pleasant sensation.
However, it’s a shame there aren’t more advanced tweaks available within Nexus, such as the ability to change the curve profile for the analog sticks. And while there is an option to swap the D-pad and left analog stick inputs, there’s no option to switch both sticks with each other, which I would’ve found more useful.
For a wired controller, the Kaleid Flux is a little on the expensive side. There are wireless gamepads with similar prices, such as the official Xbox Wireless Controller. It also lacks the same level of compatibility and advanced adjustments of some of its rivals, such as the Manba One.
The Kaleid Flux is by no means a bad controller, since it offers good performance and ergonomics, but you’ll have to consider whether you can live with its limitations given its asking price.
GameSir Kaleid Flux review: Price and availability
- $46 / £59 (about AU$75)
- Available now in a single colorway
- Wireless rivals are similarly priced
The Kaleid Flux costs $46 / £59 (about AU$75) and comes in one colorway: black with gold accents.
If you’re looking for one of the best Xbox controllers, then you can’t do much better than the official Xbox Wireless Controller. This nominally costs about the same as the Kaleid Flux, but it can often be found for less. However, it doesn’t come with a rechargeable battery – you’ll have to use AAs or pay extra for the optional rechargeable battery pack. The official software also lacks even basic customization options, such as button remapping.
If your heart is set on a Hall Effect controller, then the Manba One is a viable alternative to the Kaleid Flux. What’s more, it features more advanced customizations, including multiple curve profiles for the analog sticks. It’s also wireless and has Nintendo Switch and mobile support, yet the price difference (at least in the UK) isn’t much greater.
GameSir Kaleid Flux review: specs
|
Price |
$46.99 / £59.99 (about AU$75) |
|
Dimensions |
6.14 x 4.21 x 2.36in / 156 x 107 x 60mm |
|
Weight |
0.47lb / 212g |
|
Compatibility |
PC, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One X/S, Steam Deck |
|
Connection type |
Wired (USB-A) |
|
Battery life |
N/A |
|
Software |
GameSir Nexus (Windows only) |
GameSir Kaleid Flux review: design and features
- Wired only
- Useful multifunction button and back buttons
- Mixed software
The Kaleid Flux adopts a familiar gamepad design popularized by Xbox controllers, with its substantial front panel and asymmetrical analog sticks. However, it adds some panache with its gold D-pad and shoulder buttons, as well as RGB lighting, which sits behind the transparent front panel, offering plenty of luminescence should you want it.
The overall construction of the body is solid and the materials feel durable. This extends to the membrane face buttons, which are reassuringly damped and smooth in operation. Despite its solidity, the Kaleid Flux also feels quite light.Although the grips aren’t rubberized, the plastic has a dotted texture which I found offered plenty of grip during my play sessions.
The included braided USB cable is similarly well-made. Since the Kaleid Flux can’t be used wirelessly, it’s a little curious the cable is detachable, but thanks to the deep recess of the port on the controller, it’s very secure and I had no concerns at all about it coming loose in the heat of the moment.
You’ll find the usual gamepad buttons on the Kaleid Flux, including an Xbox home button in the middle. However, there are some extra buttons, including a share button just below the home button, and an M button, which acts as a modifier allowing you to adjust various settings on the fly when pressed in conjunction with other inputs.
You can switch profiles, adjust RGB effects and brightness, toggle the triggers between analog and digital modes, and adjust audio output and microphone volumes when a headset is connected via the 3.5mm jack. The M button is well positioned, making it easy to reach with your thumb.
The Kaleid Flux also has two back buttons located under the grips. These can be assigned inputs by using the M button or GameSir’s Nexus software on a Windows PC.
This software allows for further customizations, including button remapping and various other tweaks. For the analog sticks, there are dead zone adjustments and an option to toggle raw input mode. However, there’s no option to swap the left and right stick inputs with one another, which is a shame. You can swap the left stick with the D-pad, but personally I find this switch less useful.
For the triggers, there are alterable parameters for their travel distance, and you’ll also find a toggle for switching between analog and digital modes here too. Vibration intensity can be adjusted as well, and there are independent settings for trigger and grip vibrations, which is more than many other controllers and their companion software offer.
GameSir Kaleid Flux review: performance
- Good trigger feedback
- Reasonably precise sticks
- Some performance tweaks missing
The Kaleid Flux performs well when gaming. The aforementioned damped buttons make for satisfying yet snappy presses, with the D-pad being a particular highlight in this regard. Its long prongs also meant that mispressing certain directions wasn’t an issue for me, yet it still retains that rolling ability when adjacent directions need to be hit in quick succession – which made Tekken 8 more pleasurable for me to play.
Offering sufficient precision and feedback, the Hall effect analog sticks perform well too. It’s a shame, however, that their response curves can’t be altered, as they can on other controllers, such as the Manba One.
The triggers also employ Hall effect technology. They offer just the right amount of travel in my view, and allow for both precise, gradual actuation, which I welcomed when playing Art of Rally for maximum car control. However, they’re still amenable to snappy inputs when required.
Should you require more snappiness, however, the ability to toggle the triggers between analog and digital modes is a useful one, as it allows you to perform quickfire presses – useful in shooters where you might not need the full travel of an analog trigger. However, if you want to switch modes quickly you’ll be disappointed, as there’s some delay when using the M button method for toggling between them (it may prove quicker using Nexus instead).
The triggers also have a vibrate function, and in Nexus you can set the Kaleid Flux to override in-game settings and instead vibrate them whenever they’re pressed, with intensity based on their travel. I found this particularly useful for racing games, where the feedback this provided made accelerating and braking more tactile.
However, the nature of this vibration is a little strange, feeling more like a buzz, which isn’t the most pleasant sensation under the finger. Also, there’s a slight dead zone at the start, meaning the vibration doesn’t kick in until the triggers are a certain way along. However, both of these are minor gripes and weren’t enough to derail the experience.
One particular quirk of the Kaleid Flux I noticed (at least in the unit I reviewed) is that the left grip vibration was notably stronger than the right. This could be an issue with the motor, but regardless, this again wasn’t immersion-breaking.
Should I buy the GameSir Kaleid Flux?
Buy it if…
Don’t buy it if…
Also consider…
There’s no shortage of PC and Xbox controllers out there, so take a look at these two wireless alternatives.
| Row 0 – Cell 0 |
GameSir Kaleid Flux |
Xbox Wireless Controller |
Manba One |
|
Price |
$46.99 / £59.99 (about AU$75) |
$59.99 / £54.99 / AU$74.99 |
$69.99 (about £54 / AU$105) |
|
Dimensions |
6.14 x 4.21 x 2.36in / 156 x 107 x 60mm |
6 x 4 x 2.47 inches (152 x 102 x 63mm) |
6.1 x 4.3 x 2.6 inches (155 x 108.5 x 65.5mm) |
|
Weight |
0.47lb / 212g |
10.1oz (287g) |
10.4oz (295g) |
|
Compatibility |
PC, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One X/S, Steam Deck |
PC, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Xbox One, mobile |
PC, Nintendo Switch, mobile |
|
Connection type |
Wired (USB-A) |
Wireless (Xbox Wireless, Bluetooth), Wired (USB-C) |
Wireless (Bluetooth), Wired (USB-C) |
|
Battery life |
N/A |
40 hours (AA batteries) |
10 hours |
|
Software |
GameSir Nexus |
Xbox Accessories |
None |
How I tested the GameSir Kaleid Flux
- Tested for a week
- Played a variety of games
- Plentiful gaming experience
I tested the Kaleid Flux for about a week, during which time I used it to play a variety of games on PC.
I played Art of Rally – a racing game that provided a good test for trigger feedback thanks to the accelerating and braking controls – and Tekken 8, which is great for putting the D-pad and face buttons through their paces, since the game requires quick and precise inputs. I also played the Mafia: Definitive Edition to test the precision of the analog sticks when shooting.
I also made sure to use as many features and functions on the Kaleid Flux as possible, including the two back buttons and M button, and tried to make every tweak and adjustment on offer via GameSir’s Nexus software tool.
I have been gaming for over 25 years across a variety of platforms, and have experienced many controllers over this time, including models that I’ve reviewed.
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lewis.maddison@futurenet.com (Lewis Maddison)
