Over the course of the last few years, GameSir have gone from an unknown wannabe, to a gaming accessory powerhouse. Mostly having dealt with mobile controllers that allow players to get on with some Game Pass play, they’ve slowly and surely wormed their way into the gaming subconscious.
But they are a brand that have also pushed a couple of more standard controllers to market too, with the T4 Kaleid more than suitable for anything away from the Xbox ecosystem. That may seem a strange omission, but part of the reason that controller isn’t Xbox focused is due to the GameSir G7 Controller, fully kitted out with a Designed for Xbox vibe.
It’s that controller which has allowed GameSir to continue on their upward trend with the GameSir G7 SE Controller, licensed for Xbox. At first glance, this may seem like a slightly revised, newly skinned G7, but there are just enough new additions to warrant a bit of a look. Emphasis on ‘just’.
The standout change from the G7 to the G7 SE is in the colour of the controller. Going from all-black (with detachable front plate should you so wish), this one is white from front to back, top to bottom, and it looks great. With pale grey thumbsticks surrounded by aqua detailing, there’s no doubt that the colour combination is a good one. White face buttons (coloured ABXY), as well as a solid white D-Pad and Menu buttons help complement things further. And yes, the triggers and bumpers continue that white trend.
That said, the G7 SE comes with a detachable faceplate, much like its sibling. Whilst nothing is included in the box, should you wish to go hunting down GameSir for additional fronts, the opportunity is there to do so. For us, we think that pure white aesthetic is one that shouldn’t necessarily be broken up.
Everything feels good in hand too. This is a well-contoured, grippy little controller with plenty of tactility to the controller arms. There’s further texturing on the lips of the thumbsticks, the triggers and bumpers too; pulling on those Hall Effect sticks or triggers rarely ever allows for slip. In fact, the triggers are pretty impressive, the face buttons hardly ever miss – although perhaps a bit of ‘click’ to them would be appreciated – and GameSir are selling this with anti-drift thumbsticks that should hold up for a good five million cycles. For those reasons alone, we’ve no real issues.
The D-Pad is also fairly soft to action, but again it works well. And once more GameSir have tied this up with on-controller volume controls. Holding the ‘M’ button that is front and centre of the controller, and then pressing the D-Pad in a direction will see you able to adjust your volume levels on the fly. Up and down controls the main volume, whilst left and right deals in the game/party chat side of things. It all works, pretty much perfectly without fail and is something we love to see integrated into a controller. It certainly saves having to dip in and out of Xbox settings or fiddling around with on-ear volume controls.
Of course, there’s a 3.5mm audio jack plus well-placed mute button for all those audio needs too.
For many though that ‘M’ button will be of most use with the programmable back buttons. A trend which has come in on the back of the brilliance of the Xbox Elite controller and its many alternatives, whilst we’re not huge fans of button configuration, there’s no doubt that many see it as an essential part of gaming.
The back buttons on the GameSir G7 SE are pretty neat, albeit with only two in place. Sitting right underneath your middle finger as you grip the controller, whether you set these for gear changes in the latest racer, as a jump mechanism in something like Mr. Run and Jump, or something entirely different, these ones feel good in hand.
But just as appreciated is the fact that GameSir have installed two lockable switches to these buttons, ensuring that if you don’t feel the need to utilise them, it’s easy to switch them off, keeping away from any stray press. Honestly, we love that switch, especially as there have been times when we’ve accidentally hit those back buttons on our fully pimped out MegaModz controller. The two switches here on the G7 SE are just massively appreciated.
So what else do we have? Well, there’s the now standard GameSir App that will allow you the chance to mess around with the quad-rumble motor set-up and to run various profiles if you so wish. And there’s the included USB-C to USB-A detachable cable that powers the controller. But really those are both elements of the GameSir world that we have now come to know and expect. Is that cable an issue? Nah, not at all – at some three metres in length, there’s no big deal to be tied into your console. Well, not unless you sit further than that from your console.
Ultimately, the GameSir G7 SE Controller is a decent little upgrade on the standard G7, if only for the rather neat colour scheme and the inclusion of some brilliant back button switches. Is that enough to warrant a new controller purchase? Probably not, and if you are happily getting on with the standard GameSir G7, you’re probably best off staying put. But if you are in the market for a new wired controller at a decent price, give the G7 SE a consider.
Huge thanks go out to GameSir for providing us with the G7 SE Controller for Xbox for review. Grab one for yourself from GameSir direct or via Amazon. Expect to pay something in the region of £49.99.
