Tech Olive

When we began testing, we didn’t expect to notice a difference with the SpeedFreek right away, but we did. During our first lap around the track with these attached to the controllers, the change was clearly noticeable and the change was good. Sure, the changes weren’t monumental, but being able to adjust the car’s steering much more precisely than if we had just been using the bare thumbsticks was sweet. The SpeedFreek attachments really improve response and precision, even within the first 5 minutes of using them. It does seem a bit needless that you get two attachments, one for each stick, because you generally only use one thumbstick for steering, but it’s nice to have the two, even if you only use one.

With a solid increase in performance at such a low price, it’s hard to believe that something so small and simple could have any issues in the mind of a gamer, but we managed to found a few things to complain about. First of all -and this is just a minor thought- KontrolFreek should develop these attachments in all the colors of the current Xbox 360 controllers, or the controller’s thumbstick colors, but in all honesty, white as the only color choice is better than a flamboyant or neon color like yellow or pink. The next issue is this: The attachments are designed (and work fantastically) for one genre. If you want to play anything other than a racing game, it is possible to do so with the SpeedFreek attachments, but you’ll want to take them off and this could get a bit tedious, having to switch/remove the attachments whenever you switch games.

We found the SpeedFreek attachments to not only to be more precise, but also much more comfortable. It was nice just having our thumb rest on the thumbsticks rather than putting some pressure on them, making your thumb uncomfortable. We found that using only the sidewalls of the SpeedFreek to turn made gameplay more enjoyable and relaxing.

The Good: In your first lap around the track with the SpeedFreek attached, you will notice a clear difference in your performance and ability to make small alterations to your driving line. Because it’s such a small attachment, the price is kept relatively low, thus making it an easy choice.

The Bad: We would have preferred that the plastic have a color choice matching the controller’s thumbsticks, or even the body of the controllers. When changing to a different genre game, you will need to be constantly removing and adding the attachments, making this quite a chore.

Overall: 7 Olives