Play on your smartphone, as on the console - budget gamepad EXEQ Renegade

Playing on smartphones is not always grateful. Especially if it is a sports simulator, and the characters of the game are so small that it is difficult to hit them with your finger from the first time. But a very sensible solution appeared, to avoid these difficulties and to keep your nerves in perfect order. This article will discuss a new gamepad for Android and iOS smartphones.



▌Mooks of choice, search for optimal solutions.
Characteristics.
▌ Sync.
▌Soft and instructions.
▌Games.
Problems and solutions.
Disadvantages and advantages of the device.
Results.
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Playlist with tests of games on the gamepad EXEQ Renegade
Link to the official website

▌Mooks of choice, search for optimal solutions.

Playing on the console is good and convenient, but there are some downsides, for example, not always top-end hardware. It is comfortable to play on the phone only in sensory games like “birds” and “fruit ninja”, and in shooters, platformers and races you don't always want to use your finger on the glass.

I am a fan of various gadgets and pribluda, I decided to test this bluetooth gamepad EXEQ Renegade. A slightly strange name, but it fully reveals the whole essence of the gamepad. Renegate is a person who has moved from one religion to another ... If we divide the compatibility of this gamepad into religions, the number of supported OS, then this is true, this “defector” easily connects to iOS and Android. It is possible to connect to the PC.

Criteria for choosing a gamepad are simple: Price, number of keys, oblique sticks, the ability to buy it “in a stall opposite.”

So began ...


I decided on the price right away: a gamepad is up to 2000 rubles . This I can afford, and the amount that I do not mind the toy. The number of keys immediately dropped to the end of the list small 8-10 button gamepads, including models from the giant Samsung, and only xbox-like ones remained, the same criterion spilled out to the next item - the sticks should be tilted.
Why not the G910? It is nevertheless closer to the original “X” gamepad and is thick in places of grip, this is excluded for greater portability.
The choice fell on what has become available recently, the bluetooth gamepad EXEQ Renegade.

▌ Features



Number of buttons: 13 - (A, B, X, Y, L1, R1, L2, R2, L3, R3, START, SELECT, D-PAD);
The number of analog joysticks: 2, have the ability to press (L3, R3);
Additional keys - these are 5 buttons to control the player on your mobile device.
(sound volume -, back, play or pause, forward, sound volume +);
Connectivity technology: Bluetooth 3.0;
Battery: built-in battery 380 mAh, charging from USB-port;
Supported operating systems: iOS 4.3, Android 3.2 and higher;
Features: retractable holder for installing mobile devices (up to 9 centimeters wide);
Complete set: gamepad, mini USB-USB cable, instruction, warranty card;
Black colour.

The joystick is (IMHO) a slightly diminished and modified xbox360 gamepad with a retractable holder.


Inside the joystick there is a battery with a capacity of 380 mAh (I could not disassemble and watch due to the lack of a three-sided screwdriver), but for all the time I play (and these are 3 full-fledged smartphones), the gamepad battery could not be discharged.
The gamepad can work with devices running Android OS and iOS, the work is declared with c PC.

The most interesting element of the device is the mount for the smartphone.
According to the manufacturer, a device with a screen of no more than 5.5 inches can climb into this mount. In fact, it turned out that you can shove more, a device 9 cm wide is inserted without problems!

Coffee break in the form of a small video with the demonstration of the game Mortal Kombat Unchained on the PPSSPP emulator:



▌Sync
Synchronization of the smartphone with the joystick also does not cause any problems, the main thing is not to get confused with the modes!

The instructions set forth everything in detail, but I will give mine, which works for me.

1. Turn on Bluetooth on your smartphone.
2. To connect the device in the gamepad mode, you need to hold down the “X” + “Home” buttons and wait for the LED to quickly flash.
3. Then find the device using a smartphone, tap pairing.
4. Switch the input language to English, this can be done in the phone settings: settings -> language and input -> default keyboard -> Latin or English.
5. Disconnect the gamepad after synchronization by pressing the “Home” key, hold it until the operation indicator on the gamepad goes out.
6. Turn on the gamepad, press the arrows and reject the right analogue, if the gamepad is determined, then in the smartphone menu you can navigate using the gamepad.

The next time when you want to turn on the gamepad, it is better not to re-synchronize the “X” + “Home”, the gamepad will be determined itself, as it is supposed to simply turn on the “Home” key.

After switching on, the gamepad was determined, and I downloaded DEAD TRIGGER to check the progress of the analogs and key assignments in the settings. Time is ticking, but DT is still good:



And then I realized that it’s time to change the smartphone, 4.5 inches is not enough for games, the stylus simply does not fall into the settings items.

▌Soft and instructions

Instructions for working with Exeq Renegade (~ 1 Mb)
Instructions for Android Gamepad Assistant



A sort of alternative market with compatible software.
Applications for Android OS (~ 45 Mb)

▌Games

Many modern games automatically detect the presence of a joystick connected to a smartphone, for example:


Games for iOS platform:

All you need is to just run the game.

I tried to run a number of games with support for controllers, iCade in this is your faithful assistant.
The gamepad is quite comfortable, Soft-touch coverage.
Keys action, cross, analogs, hammers are where they should have been.
The thumbs from the analogs easily reach the keys of the action and the cross, the index fingers lie on L1 and R1, the middle fingers on L2 and R2.
Unlike many consoles, the keys are not very noisy when shaking.



Games for the Android platform:

About usability and trivia.
It lies in the hands confidently, the keys are all under my fingers - I like it, but I didn’t really like the tilt of the smartphone, I would like the retractable holder to have several more positions for fixing the angle of inclination.
It is not necessary to intercept the keys at all, in principle, the finger is raised, moved to the right or left, and you are already on the analogs or buttons.

In Asphalt 8, GT Racing 2, Riptide GP and Riptide GP2, it’s convenient to drive, many people say that it’s worse to drive a gamepad than to manage slopes, but I don’t think so. It happens that your hands are tired and you can't sit still, turn on your side and play, but no, the sensor will not work properly.

Platformers and arcades with support for gamepads work without complaints.

Several toys from the entertainment center






Disadvantages and advantages of the device.

There is no standardization in Android OS, and in vain, all buttons in games must match the same codes, and not in the way that one or another developer wants. Yes, now there are several areas in which developers from Nvidia and MOGA, OUYA, WAMO and others work, but this is not the case.
Without ROOT you can’t catch a fish from a pond! If the device is not rutovanny, then it is problematic to set up control in games, that is, if this cannot be done in the game itself, then you will not be able to adjust the control for yourself.

The battery is smart, holds for a very long time, the smartphone charged three times, and the battery was never discharged.
It works perfectly in parallel with the headset, so as not to disturb others.
Convenient to hold, soft touch coating and good ergonomics.
A complete set of buttons, as on the xbox 360 gamepad.
An additional row of multimedia buttons - 5 pieces, can be used as a remote from a media player in the docking station.
Light, slightly adds weight to the smartphone.
Connector for charging the usual microUSB. This is another plus, because you do not have to carry another charger with you.

Problems and solutions.

ROOT. If you do not have a root or you are afraid of it, then you can use the gamepad without it. There are many toys with gamepad support. All emulators, which I have tried, have the ability to customize the control as you like, and the abundance of keys will allow you to play the same N64 emulator, almost like on your own gamepad.

▌The result.

EXEQ RENEGADE is a really good gamepad.
It has decent functionality, you can connect to your Android / iOS device or computer.
In general, the joystick seemed to me quite interesting and unusual.