CLOSER LOOK
At first glance, the Onza looks like the black version of Microsoft’s stock 360 gamepad. A closer inspection will show that Razer has taken the stock design and gave it their personal touch. As stated earlier, the right side of the gamepad (where the ABXY buttons are) has the Razer triple-snake logo emblazoned on it. Similarly styled like the one on the Mamba, the logo doesn’t stand out much unless viewed in certain angles but still puts that extra swag in terms of looks in this gamepad. Compared to the original X360 controller, the face of the gamepad has sharper curves on the top leading to the shoulder buttons. The Back and Forward buttons have also been moved down below the D-pad and right thumbstick.
One of the main features of the Onza TE is its coated surface which increases grip. Feels good to hold and doesn’t have that sticky, dry feel than other coated or rubberized pads have. Another highlight of the Onza TE is its buttons which feature the same technology as the their gaming mice line. Also the fonts used for the ABXY are the Razer font.
Razer took out the rocker-type (as in movement, not the headbanging kind) D-pad and replaced it with a 4-button D-pad. This is a bit of a not-sure-if-want decision for some especially fighting game lovers who prefer the ease of motion and precision that a rocker or PS -type D-pad brings. I’m personally inclined to say that the decision to switch to such a design was for the majority of games that use the quick menu system via D-pad so a button-face would’ve made much more sense since the input would be more defined versus the default design which would tend to swing a bit.
Checking out the shoulders of the Onza TE, we see 2 pairs of shoulder buttons and a pair of triggers. The first 2 are the multi-function buttons which can be programmed on the fly giving superb flexibility to the Onza.
The Onza also features heightened and extended shoulder triggers for improved control.
Flipping the pad over we have another pair of buttons. These are the MFB program buttons and they are held down while you press the button you want to set to the corresponding MFB. I appreciate their well-thought out placement which allows the player to reach and hold them down during use without having to flip or fiddle with the pad. Might be a bit hard for peeps with smaller hands though.
The base of the controller sports a single audio jack. Also from this angle, you can see the one of the Onza TE’s primary, if not the deal-making feature, the adjustable tension rings on the thumbsticks.
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The Onza TE’s thumbsticks separate itself from any other analog stick before it by featuring tension rings which allow the user to precisely control the amount of movement the sticks make. Yes, On-the-Fly DPI switching would be a correct analogy in this situation.
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One other feature of the Onza TE is its light-up ABXY buttons which is a nice bonus. Another swag material you can flaunt during gaming sessions.
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The Onza features 4.5M length cables, enough length to snake its way from the TV, across the floor and to the couch. The cable is standard Razer material, made from woven fiber. One thing I found non-standard though are the plugs. Contrary to Razer’s typical gold-plated approach, the 360 and USB plugs are pretty normal. Though not a big deal, some fans (and haters) would cry foul at this minor detail.