Review - Tactslider's Tornado game controller


Do you have a mobile device? A Tablet perhaps? Or an iPhone? These days most gamers carry some sort of mobile device capable of some form of gaming. And while we gamers are desperate to get our fix, finding joystick controls for these mobile devices has been a less than pleasant experience. Well, I can honestly say that things are about to change.

Gamers are a fickle breed. We demand the best from our electronics and we demand it be reasonably affordable. In the Tablet/Cell Phone market, gamers have often been left with far too few options. Sure the games have been a full range of quality, but the peripherals have basically all just sucked. Especially when it comes to Joysticks. Logitech, Fling, Think Geek and many others have all tried and have all released what I can only describe as “Crap”. But now, there is a new player in the game. The Tornado. A joystick so clever, so clean, so well designed, that only an engineer could have possibly designed it. And that’s exactly what happened. Daniel Quek, an Engineer by trade, decided to do what all the major game and electronics peripheral makers have failed to do. He developed a Joystick for capacitive screen tablets and phones that actually works. 


The Tornado is a marvel of design. From the intricacy of the spring mechanism inside, to the miracle of engineering that makes it stick to your screen, yet lets it be removed with ease, the Tornado is impressive. It just works. This is a testament to Mr. Quek’s 5 long years of development and it shows. The Tornado feels comfortable under your thumb. Like a real game controller. Its’ smooth movements still leave enough tactile feedback to make the gaming experience feel natural. The Tornado is the most comfortable mobile control that I’ve had the pleasure of using.


I want to take a moment to discuss the adhesive nature of the Tornado. It’s interesting. The Tornado sticks to your screen as if it has some sort of adhesive on it’s back...but that’s really not the case. The Tornado adheres to the screen and doesn’t slide anywhere, however when you want to remove it, simply grab and lift as if picking up a coin off the ground and the Tornado is freed from your mobile device screen. All without leaving residue of any kind on your screen! If the Tornado feels like it’s slipping or sliding on the screen, just run some scotch tape over the back to clear off any particles and you are back in business. Best of all, the Tornado comes with a nifty holster that attaches to the back of your device and doesn’t let go.


It’s not all rainbows and puppy dogs with the Tornado. It isn’t great with every game. But the ones it DOES work with, work brilliantly. Dead Trigger, Soul Calibur, X-Men, Sonic The Hedgehog, and the list goes on and on.

Basically, capacitive joysticks all suffer from the same problem. The games that are developed for mobile devices don’t really have a uniform control system. This makes it difficult for manufacturers to create products that will work with everything you throw at it. The Tornado does a great job bridging the gap, but it is far from a catch all solution. Sometimes the on screen controls are too small, or too big, or just not responsive to the joystick. But then sometimes it’s just pure bliss.

UPDATE: This little guy works like a dream with Street Fighter IV on my Nexus 7! WooHoo!


If you’ve tried all those other joysticks and felt yourself wanting more, then you will want to try the Tornado. It’s 5 years of precision development that just feels oh so good under your thumb.

4.5 Geegamons!

Source: Tactslider.com

Just for good measure, here's a video of this little bad boy!

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