After reviewing the GameSir X3 Pro, an interesting mobile controller with some good features, GameSir offered me their latest Super Nova controller for PC and mobile devices. This inexpensive controller is packed with good stuff, great customization, fantastic materials, build quality, feature-rich application, and more. Here are my thoughts.
Note: GameSir provided the review unit without any editorial input or review pre-approval.
What is in the box:
- Controller
- Charging station
- USB Type-A wireless receiver
- USB Type-C to USB Type-A cable
- User manual
It is nice to see a charging station bundled with the controller, especially when you consider the price tag ($49.99 or $41 at the moment of publishing this review).
First impressions
The GameSir Super Nova is superbly built. It is fully plastic, but the grip area features soft rubberized material with a diamond texture to it. GameSir struck a perfect balance here—after hours of gameplay, it does not feel sticky or irritating. Also, after nearly a month of use, it still looks and feels brand new.
The faceplate of the controller and its back are made of harder plastic that does not feel cheap. There are zero rattles or creaks, regardless of how hard you squeeze it. Build quality gets extra points if you consider that the faceplate is removable. You can take it off and replace it with another one, plus this lets you swap the AXBY buttons (if you want to use the gamepad with the Nintendo Switch), replace thumbsticks, and maybe clean the controller.
The Super Nova uses the correct asymmetrical layout (sorry, DualShock fans) with all the standard buttons plus a bit more. Note that the plus and minus buttons work as pause and menu, while the Home button triggers Game Bar (or Steam), and the screenshot button, well, takes screenshots. There is also a multi-functional M button that is used to adjust various settings of the controller, such as mapping the back buttons, adjusting stick dead zones, adjusting the vibration intensity, and more.
On the back of the gamepad, you will find hair trigger locks (two positions), two extra customizable buttons, a profile switch, and pogo pins for charging on the dock. You can also charge the gamepad with a USB-C cable (battery is non-removable).
Overall, the GameSir Super Nova gets a big thumbs up from me for its build quality and materials. It is so well-made, and it puts a lot of much more expensive controllers to shame. Oh, did I mention the two RGB strips? They look very nice, and they serve a good purpose in addition to being visual candy (more on that later). I am not a fan of RGB lights, but the implementation here is just right.
One more thing I should mention here is that the Super Nova is slightly smaller and slimmer than the standard Xbox Wireless Controller. Mind this fact if you have big hands. At first, the smaller size was definitely noticeable, but not to the point of being uncomfortable. While the controller does not "fill" my hands like the Xbox controller does (or the bigger Manba One), it is still very comfortable to use, especially if you hold your gamepad with your index fingers on the triggers, not the bumpers.
From the ergonomics point of view, the only thing I do not like is that GameSir placed the Menu and Pause buttons above the Home and Screenshot buttons. The Xbox Wireless Controller is much better in this area because the buttons are right next to your thumbs. In the Super Nova, though, you have to reach for the Menu/Pause buttons, and this often results in accidental screenshots or mistakenly opened Game Bar. This is a bit irritating, and it takes some time to get used to.
Inputs
I like that Hall Effect sticks and triggers are becoming the new norm. This technology prolongs the lifespan of the controller and prevents stick drift. The Super Nova, a very affordable gamepad, also uses Hall Effect tech.
In my Manba One review from last year, I complained about stick stiffness, and I am glad to see that GameSir figured its sticks just right. They have a simply perfect amount of tension, perhaps just a tad more than in the Xbox Wireless Controller, which allows more precise input (you can also combine it with additional customization like stick dead zones, curves, and more). Sticks have additional rings around them, and they feel very smooth.
Triggers also use Hall Effect tech. Their shape and form resemble those of the DualShock controller from the PlayStation 4 era. I like that they feel softly damped at the end, and there are no annoying plastic clicks when you push it to the very end. This applies to the rest of the buttons. They are nice to press with a slightly softer feel to them. They do not feel hollow and rattly like AXBY buttons on the Xbox Wireless Controller.
The only difference is the back buttons, which feel like micro switches with quite a loud, mouse-like click. They are big and easy to press, perhaps even too easy. I wish GameSir added a bit more heft to them to avoid accidental clicks. Also, I am a bit bummed that there are only two back buttons. I wish there were four of them, especially considering that you can assign anything to them from the GameSir Connect app on PC.
By anything, I mean literally anything. Mouse clicks, any button on your keyboard or num pad, keyboard shortcuts (like Ctrl + Alt + Delete), buttons from the gamepad itself, macros, and a lot more.
The Super Nova also has a gyroscope, which can be used in any mode (PC, Nintendo, or mobile). You can map the gyroscope to work as a stick, a mouse, or an overlap area. The app also lets you adjust dead zones, curves, activation method, buttons, motion mode, and a lot more. Flying or driving with the gyro is much more fun and engaging than with a stick.
RGB, customization, and more
The GameSir Super Nova has two apps for customization: one for Android and one for Windows (called GameSir Connect). Both are filled to the brim with various features. On Windows, GameSir Connect lets you customize lights, triggers, sticks, motion, button mapping, vibration, update firmware, and more. For most users, the amount of settings might feel a bit overwhelming at first, but spending some time and experimenting with all the toggles and sliders will help you find the perfect setup.
- Lights have four modes: static, breathing, colorful, and rainbow. In static/breathing mode, you can select the color you want (a lot of various colors) and adjust brightness.
- Motion settings, as I said before, allow mapping the gyro to simulate stick or mouse input.
- Trigger settings allow you to set dead zones, adjust the curve for slower or faster response, and select one of two modes for Hair Trigger: adaptive or fixed.
- Stick settings also have a lot to customize, including dead zones, anti-dead zones, curve, stick trajectory, and advanced mapping.
Other features include the ability to remap almost every button (only the Home and M buttons are non-remappable). Again, this includes not just any other button on the gamepad but any button on your keyboard or mouse, including shortcuts, turbo input, macros, etc.
Vibration intensity is also customizable. Motors are good, and they generate pleasant, non-rattling vibration. Only two motors in the grips are present, which is a small downgrade from the standard Xbox controller, which has two extra motors for triggers.
What I do not like about the GameSir Connect app is that it does not support profiles. With all this customization and vastness of settings, it would be nice to create different profiles with different settings for each game. Deep customization mandates this feature so that you can have a perfect setup for each individual game. What works in Forza Horizon 5 might not work that well in Call of Duty or Microsoft Flight Simulator. I hope GameSir will address this omission in a future update.
RGB lights in the Super Nova are great. Two strips of LED lights complement the design very well, plus they work as a charging indicator when you put the gamepad on its dock or charge via a USB cable. Red light means low charge, yellow is something in between, and the lights turn green when the gamepad is almost full. Those preferring a more stealthy look can turn off RGB for good. Personally, I like a static blue color—it goes very well with the blue faceplate.
Charging and dock station
The Super Nova charges with its dock station via pogo pins or with a standard USB-C cable. Unlike the gamepad itself, the charging station feels a bit cheapish material-wise, and it has no magnets to keep the controller in place. However, it makes up for that with some extra RGB goodness and an extra port for the dongle. You can stick the dongle into the dock without occupying an additional USB port on your computer.
When the controller is on the station, charging lights start on the dock and gradually move to the gamepad. It looks very nice, but I noticed that my charging dock appears to be missing a bunch of LEDs at the top. I'm not sure if that is supposed to be, since all promo materials display lights on the dock.
The gamepad has a relatively small, non-removable 1,000 mAh battery. You can top it up in about 2.5 hours (at about 5W), and it lasts for roughly 10 hours. You can play and charge it simultaneously, plus having a dock ensures your gamepad is always fully charged between sessions.
Connectivity and performance
The GameSir Super Nova supports three connection modes: Dongle, Bluetooth, and wired. When connected through a dongle or a USB-C cable, you get the advertised 1000Hz polling rate. In Bluetooth mode, the polling rate drops to 125Hz. Testers also showed a very good 0.1% stick error rate.
By the way, the controller has two built-in profiles, allowing you to keep it connected to your PC with a dongle and another device via Bluetooth.
I did not experience any Bluetooth connection issues with either my PC or my iPad. However, just like the GameSir X3 Pro, the Super Nova has identity problems on Apple Devices. It appears as a DualShock controller despite having Xbox input elements (this does not happen on Android, though). As for Xbox, no luck for console owners. The Super Nova does not work with Xbox or PlayStation despite being Nintendo Switch-compatible.
Conclusion
At only $45, the GameSir Super Nova is hard to beat. This controller ticks all the boxes for PC gamers. Well-built, good materials, rich customizations, good looks, durable hardware, decent battery life, charging dock, and RGB. It is also comfortable, has good performance, and overall is just delightful to use. To me, this is my new favorite controller for PC gaming and the one I enjoy using every day. And with Microsoft raising the prices of its controllers and consoles, the GameSir Super Nova is a must-have and simply the best gamepad for its price.
You can purchase the GameSir Super Nova on Amazon via this link.
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