PERFORMANCE, COMFORT, RELIABILITY
We test out the Onza for a couple of days with a heavy barrage of games. And just to see how heavy that test was, check out our Toycon Back2Beatdown event. Hundreds of people passed by to play and boy did the Onza TE got a beating. Since the games in the event were fighting games, the Onza had a good mashing but looking at it right now its still looking pretty pristine.
For performance, the Onza TE is a high-performing gamepad. The ability to adjust the stick movement allows for great level of control without fiddling around the options menu to change sensitivity. Another plus factor is the highly responsive buttons. Every keypress is well actuated and there is no lag in between presses. These buttons will take a mashing and survive. The programmable shoulder buttons also add superb functionality points for the Onza giving it an impressive amount of flexibility of use. One thing about the MFBs is that you can’t program the other shoulder button to the opposite MFB. Say you want to program the Left shoulder button to the Right MFB, no you cannot, and vice versa. This is a bit of a letdown, even though minor, many players will benefit from this function. Another thing people will almost complain outright is that the Onza is wired. For us, it ain’t a bad thing but a majority of gamers now find wireless a requirement. As this is an enthusiast targeted gamepad, getting a dead battery during a match is a huge no-no so the decision to go wired is well-justified decision on Razer’s part. To drive the point further, going wireless would’ve easily soared the price of the Onza TE to 100$+ as it would require tech used on the Mamba, which as reviewed in the past, is arguably the best performing wireless mice out there and is also one of the most expensive at $130.
As for comfort, first impression anyone would say is that the Onza feels really solid and well-proportioned. Versus the stock 360 pad, the Onza has a more distinct feel to it. The coating adds to that by providing a nice texture to hold on to. The shoulder buttons and triggers are also well within reach and feels much more comfortable to press. The ABXY buttons have that distinct tactile feel which is so familiar if you’re a Razer mouse user and that is a nice feeling of control right there. Overall, the Onza just feels nice to hold though the shoulder corners might not appeal to those that have big hands or have different holding styles.
The Onza TE is certainly one tough gamepad being put through our event and barely had any wear on the gamepad considering the intensity the contestants played in. The thumbsticks had a bit of scratches after the event but a quick rub took that away and what you see above are the photos of the Onza after being put through a beatdown. Dropped, banged, mashed and pulled, the Onza made it through which shows that length of time between CeBIT 2010 and its release weren’t for nothing. Those guys at San Diego eeked every ounce of performance they can onto the Onza and they succeeded.