Best gamepads under $100 from AliExpress

When buying a TV-Box, people mainly look first at the ability to play streaming

services (such as Tootube, Netflix, Megogo...), IP-TVand torrents. But it turns out that almost all set-top boxes can also play games. After all, in most cases, this is the same android. Some simple games, such as chess, Arkanoid or Pac-Man, can be played using the included remote control, but racing or shooting games will no longer work. On the one hand, you can take a PlayStation gamepad. But buying a manipulator that is three times more expensive than the console itself is somehow strange, isn’t it? But it’s also not worth buying crafts from a Chinese basement for less than $20 - you won’t get any pleasure from the games. What we will pay attention to when choosing a gamepad:

  • Price: up to $100, but not less than $25.
  • Blind zones of the sticks. This is the amount of angle you deflected the stick to and the game hasn't responded yet. No one takes measurements with a protractor, only subjective sensations.
  • Additional buttons.
  • Ease of grip, materials, design.

Additionally, we will pay attention tocompatibility with various devices: PC, smartphone, various consoles (for example, Nintendo Switch). Although this is not the purpose of this text, but suddenly you want to play with the touchpad, not only on the set-top box.

 

IPega PG-9118

Let's start with the old IPega PG-9118.Now it has become very cheap (about $25), almost to the limit, below which you should not buy a gamepad. Nevertheless, this is a very good touchpad, worthy of attention. The sticks have almost no dead zones. There is a replaceable pad on the cross, pretty good and comfortable buttons and triggers. 10 hours of active play from a single charge. Of the shortcomings, given the price, perhaps only that there is no dongle to connect to a PC.

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GameSir T1s

Inexpensive entry-level touchpad, now worth itabout $30. It has excellent compatibility. Wide body that is comfortable to hold, especially for men's hands. Minimum dead zones. There is an indicator of connection modes. 8 hours of active play from a single charge. The disadvantage is the "Inexpensive" quality of workmanship.

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GameSir T4 Pro

Pretty good touchpad for about $40.Extended multi-platform, almost all popular gaming platforms are supported, and the dongle supports set-top boxes, which reduces the lag compared to connecting via Bluetooth. Transparent beautiful body with backlight. 4 additional buttons on which you can "hang" the missing actions. The bracket for attaching the smartphone is mounted separately, which can be both an advantage and a disadvantage. GameSir T4 Pro has a six-axis gyroscope, which will be welcomed by pilots of flight simulators and car racing. The almost complete absence of blind spots and more than 10 hours of active play from a single charge will also appeal to everyone.

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Flydigi Apex 2

This is a fresh and relatively expensive ($80) model.touchpad. Flydigi Apex 2 is compatible with almost all platforms. Made very well. Included is a high-quality case. Replaceable sticks complete with different heights, 3 pairs. Grip rubberized handles. 6 additional buttons, two of them in the trigger area, a great solution for shooters (for example, you can put a grenade throw button next to the trigger of a firearm). The device has a movable XYB block that duplicates the operation of the stick (for example, you can hold X and continue to “turn your head”). Naturally, the relatively expensive touchpad has a six-axis horoscope. A great candidate to buy if you are happy with the price.

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GameSir G4 Pro

Great design and build for $50. Comfortable grip.Reconfigurable buttons on neodymium magnets, you can swap between A, B, X, Y buttons as you are used to or depending on what you connected the touchpad to. There are also 4 additional buttons. Adjustable pressure triggers. There is a six-axis gyroscope. Asymmetric motors add realistic 'recoil'. Separate screenshot button. A large battery pulls over 20 hours of active play from a single charge, which shows an LED level indicator. Among the shortcomings, we note the weak illumination of the buttons and the absence of the air mouse mode.

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