Being a console gamer for years, it has always been a must for me to have a good gamepad attached to my PC, simply because I know for a fact that a good gamepad will always give me better control and feel in many games than a keyboard ever could. Of course I'd be a moron if I used a gamepad for a PC-based first person shooter or a real-time strategy game, where the keyboard-mouse combo will give me the best possible control. I'm talking more in terms of third person action, those ever-dreaded console ports that always seem to have an issue with keyboard controls, and also racing games.

The market is filled with some cheap gamepads that would cost you a couple of hundred bucks, but be warned - these gamepads usually have the worst quality buttons that not only respond badly, but also don't last for even a month of regular use. If going for a gamepad, I suggest something that's perfectly ergonomic, has comfortable and responsive buttons and is built to last. Does the XFX Executioner fall in that category? Let's find out.

Build and Functionality
The XFX Executioner immediately reminds you of a PlayStation 2 Dual Shock 2 game controller with its similar design. The button pla and even the two analog sticks on the front face are reminiscent of the Dual Shock 2. What separates it from the DS2 is the presence of the turbo and clear buttons close to the center of the pad.

The Executioner is sized perfectly to be as comfortable in adult hands as it would be in a child's. The DS2 inspired design works very well and we didn't feel any strain building up even with regular continuous use of the controller. Driver installation was a completely no-fuss task, and I found the directional functions working perfectly without any inaccuracies once the drivers were in place.

The rumble function, which is the reason behind the Dual Impact moniker, can be easily configured in the control panel so there's no issue of wrist strain. However, if you feel that the slightest vibration is causing some mount of strain to your wrist, then I strongly suggest turning the rumble function off before it causes any serious injury.

The analog sticks responded well and are any day preferred to the D-pad for moving your game characters on screen. The buttons were pretty responsive, but simply not as fast as I'd like them to be. Though there was no problem of sticky buttons, they did seem a bit hard especially in games where you need to do some serious button mashing.





What disappointed me the most was the D-pad. The D-pad was supported on a thin stick to give it a more 'responsive' feel, but with the 8-way circular shape of the pad, there were many times when I accidentally pressed 'Up-Right' instead of just 'Right' and similar other errors during fighting games. The thin support also made the directional buttons feel flimsy and there wasn't enough force pulling it back to center position, which added a sticky-key feel to it.

Conclusion
Love it or hate it, with the ever-increasing flow of console ports hitting the PC gaming market, if you don't have a decent gamepad, you'll be missing out on a lot of potentially good games out there. For a street price of Rs. 800, the XFX Executioner does seem like a value for money controller with its abundant buttons and a good rumble function. However, though it has all the required functions, there's still a long way to go before they all perform perfectly. Hard buttons and the sticky D-pad don't really add up to the points either. It's a good gamepad to have for a casual gamer or for gamers who don't want a gamepad for continuous excessive usage.

Test Unit Sourced From: Prime ABGB Pvt. Ltd., Mumbai.