The real experience, however, was gaming on a smartphone with the controller. While an Xbox One controller on PC still feels much better, the Stratus Duo still performed well and I noticed no input lag or experienced any frustration from inputs not being recognized. On the Pixel phones, I played Fortnite, Sonic, and a couple other games. In all cases, the controller connected as expected with no issues.ĭuring testing, I played a number of games including Forza Horizon 4 and Gears of War 4 on the PC. We tested the SteelSeries Stratus Duo on a desktop PC, gaming laptop, and the Pixel 3 and Pixel 3a XL smartphones. Once connected, using the controller is just like using any other controller and the controls will vary based on what game you’re playing. If you need to pair to a new device or re-pair with your existing device, simply press the wireless button until the LEDs flash to enter pairing mode once again.
On first use, all four LEDs should be flashing and you should see Stratus Duo listed in your Bluetooth devices.
Should the connection fail, you can press and hold the wireless pairing button until the controller indicates it is paired with a player number LED.įor Bluetooth devices, namely Android smartphones, after you turn the power switch to on and the wireless selector so the blue background with the Bluetooth symbol is showing, you’ll be ready to pair the controller to your phone. Finally, switch the wireless selector so the green background with the wireless symbol is showing and you should be good to go. Next, power on the controller by switching the power switch to on. When using it wirelessly with a PC or laptop, plug the included 2.4GHz wireless USB adapter into a full-sized USB port on your computer. There are three ways to use the Stratus Duo: wired, wireless, or via Bluetooth. It feels strong and sturdy and there isn’t any flex if you try to twist it while holding onto the grips. Side-by-side joystick layout aside, the SteelSeries Stratus Duo is pretty comfortable to hold, even for longer gaming sessions with an Android device mounted on it. The switches, buttons, and ports on the back of the SteelSeries Stratus Duo game controller. The wireless mode switch has a green or blue background depending on where it is switched to while the power button has a green or red background. These are, from left to right when looking at the back, the wireless mode switch, wireless pairing button, Micro-USB port, battery level button, and power switch. There are also a few other switches and buttons not normally found on controllers. These are actually pretty fat and wide, but are comfortable and easy to find while playing games. Finally, for the front of the controller at least, the SteelSeries logo is debossed into a slanted cutout across the top.įlipping the controller around to the back, you’ll find your R1/L1 should buttons and R2/L2 analog triggers. Above these buttons are four narrow LED indicators to indicate which player you are if you’re playing with multiple people. The letters on the gloss black buttons are matte black and there are four colour indicator dots in the middle of the button array.Ĭentered above the joysticks are your back/select button, home button, and forward/start button. Above and to the left of the left analog joystick is the 8-way directional pad while the X, Y, A, and B buttons sit to the upper right of the right joystick. This means the dual analog joysticks sit parallel to each other towards the grips. Unlike the Xbox One controller layout, the Stratus Duo features the side by side joystick layout. The SteelSeries Stratus Duo PC/Android game controller.
No software needed – pair and play on Windows, Android, Oculus Go, and Samsung Gear VR via Bluetooth or the USB Wireless Adapter.Easily game on the go with any Android or Windows device.The SteelSeries Stratus Duo has the following features and specifications:
Read on for our full review! Specifications Our SteelSeries Stratus Duo review takes a look at a Bluetooth controller with Wi-Fi for use on mobile devices or your PC.
With mobile gaming on the rise and companies like Google and Microsoft promising even more game streaming with services like Stadia and Project xCloud, companies are continuing to break out Bluetooth mobile controllers.