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Smartphone gamepad with left and right separation, Turtle Beach Atom

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[smartPC사랑=남지율 기자] Apple’s ‘AirPod’ is characterized by completely eliminating the current wireless earphones and wires that were connected to a line on the left and right. AirPods quickly began to lead the wireless earphone market, and still maintain their position as icons in the world of completely wireless earphones.

There was a similar attempt to the AirPods in the gamepad. One example is the Joy-Con for the Nintendo Switch. The Joy-Con can be used as a complete game console by connecting it to the switch body, and if you separate it, you can enjoy the game with a gamepad in each hand.

This kind of attempt has been almost nowhere other than the Joy-Con for a while. By the way, Turtle Beach’s newly released ‘Atom’ gives the impression that it is similar to Joy-Con.

Xbox certified smartphone gamepad

The Atom (black/yellow color) used in the review is an Xbox certified gamepad. The red/black and black/blue color products were not Xbox certified. In the case of the black/yellow model, the home button is the Xbox button, and the other colored models include the Turtle Beach logo button.

The components include the gamepad body, pouch, USB Type-C to A cable, manual, and Game Pass Ultimate pass for 1 month. Game ticket vouchers are provided for black/yellow models only. Looking at the configuration alone, it seems that the black / yellow model is the most expensive, but there is no price difference with other colors. So, if you plan to play Game Pass games and the color suits your taste, the black/yellow model makes the most sense.

Atom basically ships with both gamepads combined. It is combined with a magnetic method and is significantly smaller in volume than other smartphone gamepads. Weighing 180g and coming with a pouch as standard, it’s a gamepad that doesn’t have many products to follow in terms of portability.

How about in real use?

Metal contacts are located on both gamepads, where power from the left gamepad is shared with the right gamepad.

Atom is a gamepad whose left and right sides are physically separated. Because the two gamepads communicate in the 2.4GHz method, the delay is reduced. The problem is that the battery is also built into two, one on the left and one on the right. But even so, the Atom can charge both gamepads at the same time with a single USB Type-C cable. Metal contacts are located on both gamepads, where power from the left gamepad is shared with the right gamepad.

Both gamepads can be charged simultaneously with just one USB Type-C cable.

Even in the actual charging situation, the charging LEDs of both gamepads were confirmed to be lit together.

The connection to the smartphone is made via Bluetooth. Smartphones can be installed with adjustable clamps in lengths from 67 to 92 mm. With the exception of products like the Galaxy Fold, most Android smartphones are combined without much difficulty.

When I played it myself, I felt like my smartphone had become a game console.

When I played it myself, I felt like my smartphone had become a game console. In addition to the Xbox Cloud, you can also play Android games that support gamepads.

How does the handling feel? The cross keys were a bit heavy, and it doesn’t seem to be suitable for fighting games. Instead, the input noise is quite low. The A, B, X, and Y buttons had excellent repulsive power and showed good compatibility with action games. The analog stick was quite large compared to what a smartphone gamepad is, so the control feel was great.

The shoulder buttons have a sense of depth, and click-type buttons are applied. It’s also worth noting that the trigger button is analog. It will also be useful for players who enjoy racing games.

Atom is an impressive smartphone gamepad with excellent portability and a compliant control feel. It’s unfortunate that it’s not compatible with the iPhone, but it seems to be very satisfying if you’re looking for a gamepad with excellent portability. The price is 119,000 won.