Kontrolfreek Inferno and Galaxy Review

The PlayStation 4 is a magnificent console, hindered by a controller that is downright terrible in the department where it counts the most: The analogue sticks. Somewhere between concept and design, something went terribly, terribly wrong when those loco-motion sticks were wrapped in a rubbery membrane that were thinner than the skin of a liberal person visiting a 4Chan thread for the first time in their life.

It’s not uncommon to hear of complaints regarding these sticks, how their longevity is a bit underwhelming or how they just don’t deliver any quality that you’d actually expect from Sony. There are solutions however. Like buying a new controller every time you shred some rubber skin or break a stick, something I’m intimately familiar with every time I’ve tried to plug a headset into my Xbox One controller.

That’s an expensive option however. The alternative to plonking cash down on a new controller or top-notch third-party competitive piece of hardware however, is to throw some physical DLC onto your current input device instead. That’s where KontrolFreek comes in. We’ve touched before on their analogue stick extenders, easy to install gear that is aimed at giving you that extra millisecond in competition, a quick edge that doesn’t break the bank.

We got sent two new additions to the family: The Galaxy, and the Inferno which I’m convinced is named after an award-winning Jean Claude Van Damme movie. The Inferno sports a more devilish red design capped off by a swirl pattern, while the Galaxy offers a more rugged yet uniform design to keep your thumbs from going AWOL during a match.

Out of the two, I like the Inferno the most. It just feels right, more subtle and gentle on my fleshy inputs. It looks sexy, and a has a nice middle-ground between grip and slide. The red just pops beautifully on the PlayStation 4 Dualshock controller, something which pleases my eyes. The Galaxy is something else however. It’s not my preferred style, but I can appreciate what it aims to do.

With a snowflake design that encircles the pad with tiny little rubber daggers, this one is meant to keep your thumbs in place. You’ll definitely feel them in place, although I’m still not completely sold on the idea of having one stick extend slightly higher than the other. Tastes may vary however, so it could just be my particular preferences clashing here.

Otherwise, either pair is actually comfy and easy to snap into place. It’s so easy, even I could do it.

Last Updated: March 16, 2016