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SteelSeries Stratus Wireless iOS Gaming Controller Launches with Lower $79.99 Price Tag

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steelseries_stratus2-250x166.jpg
Earlier this month, SteelSeries started accepting pre-orders for its Stratus gaming controller, one of several new MFi-certified controllers debuting with $99.99 price tags. As announced by SteelSeries today, the Stratus is now available and arrives with a lower price of $79.99.

The new pricing will be honored for all pre-order customers, although Apple's online store is still showing the higher pricing.
"The media and consumer reaction to the announcement of the Stratus Controller at CES really demonstrated the power behind this product, and the new category of gaming we can enable by working together with Apple," said Bruce Hawver, SteelSeries CEO. "More than ever, we see the power of this platform and we want to make every effort to make it accessible to as many consumers as possible. We have therefore worked closely with our retail partners and suppliers with the objective of lowering the retail price target without changing any of the terrific features of this product."
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Unlike competing controllers from Logitech and MOGA, the Stratus from SteelSeries uses Bluetooth instead of the Lightning port to connect to an iOS device. It features a console-like design with a directional pad, two analog sticks and four front buttons.

Eli Hodapp from our sister site TouchArcade was able to get some hands-on time with the Stratus and offered a detailed review evaluating the controller's performance in light of its competition. Though it loses points for its high price tag and small size, TouchArcade considered the SteelSeries Stratus to be "the best controller out there" for gadget addicts and early adopters, although users willing to jailbreak their devices may prefer a new tweak adding support for PlayStation 3 controllers.

Article Link: SteelSeries Stratus Wireless iOS Gaming Controller Launches with Lower $79.99 Price Tag
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2014/01/23/steelseries-stratus-79-99/
Alx9876

Alx9876

macrumors 6502a
Jan 26, 2008
519
37
NorCal
I rather use my bluetooth PS3 controller for free via Jailbreak.

Try a price tag no higher than $55 max.
 
E

energyboy

macrumors member
Jan 22, 2014
43
0
Price is still too high.

Price of a PS4 controller is $59.99. It shouldn't exceed that as its almost guaranteed to perform worse.
 
nagromme

nagromme

macrumors G5
May 2, 2002
12,546
1,196
Volume is lower than PlayStation, which affects cost--but economies of scale (and competition among options) will only improve.

$20 off is a start. Keep going :)
 
T

Thepoobear

macrumors 6502
Oct 30, 2013
282
0
Antares said:
If people don't buy the controllers, the manufacturers will just assume that people are not interested in gaming controllers for iOS and stop making them. :(
Click to expand...

Or that people won't pay that much for iOS games support.

If they can't turn a profit from a $30 controller, then there just isn't a market for this.

We'll see soon enough though.
 
O

OMGsus

macrumors newbie
Jan 23, 2014
1
0
The problem is they have been accepting pre-orders for almost a month now at $99.99 (one cent shy of their free shipping limit so you end up paying another $9 to have it shipped, which is a whole new level of BS). They haven't shipped out any pre-orders so they should be refunding everyone who pre-ordered the $20 Right? We will see.
 
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Icaras

Icaras

macrumors 603
Mar 18, 2008
6,344
3,392
OMGsus said:
The problem is they have been accepting pre-orders for almost a month now at $99.99 (one cent shy of their free shipping limit so you end up paying another $9 to have it shipped, which is a whole new level of BS). They haven't shipped out any pre-orders so they should be refunding everyone who pre-ordered the $20 Right? We will see.
Click to expand...

That is BS with the shipping price. Well I can't say that this isn't good news though. I definitely welcome the $20 price drop. But I think I'll wait first for the Apple store to drop it to $20 before making a decision to purchase. I can also get a small employee discount to counter sales tax.

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Carlanga said:
Wake me up when is $9.99 on a fire sale.
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Wow, How do these people even end up with Apple products to begin with? Perhaps a hand me down iPhone or something?
 
chibiterasu

chibiterasu

macrumors 6502
Apr 5, 2012
337
24
London, The United Kingdom
Slight problem for me is $80 in the U.S and £84.88 for us in the U.K thanks lads. So you think your all over paying, on that note google says that £84.88 is $141.16 so its a bargain in the U.S what are you all complaining about lol
 
Menel

Menel

Suspended
Aug 4, 2011
6,351
1,356
Icaras said:
Wow, How do these people even end up with Apple products to begin with? Perhaps a hand me down iPhone or something?
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It's simply not something he wants. It holds no value to him.

The beauty of iOS gaming is the spontaneous nature. Carrying a controller around, pulling it out, pairing it, then finding a place to proper your idevice screen... is cumbersome and inelegant.

If it was $9.99 in a fire sale, I still wouldn't want it, but I might pick it up at that price to tinker with a new tech gizmo to eventually go into a junk bin to collect dust.
 
C

curiosity

macrumors regular
Sep 3, 2013
188
0
I found the directional pad of all gaming devices on all but Nintendo's controllers to be inferior. Sony, Microsoft, Logitech. Does Nintendo have patents that make it impossible for competitors to come up with equal quality? I wonder if any of those new iOS 7 controllers, maybe this one, are of similar quality like Nintendo controllers, especially the directional pad.
 
mdelvecchio

mdelvecchio

macrumors 68040
Sep 3, 2010
3,151
1,149
Alx9876 said:
I rather use my bluetooth PS3 controller for free via Jailbreak.
Click to expand...

nobody can compete with an unlicensed solution.

Try a price tag no higher than $55 max.
Click to expand...

it's a new product -- they dont have the economy-of-scale associated w/ a major, major success like the PS controller. it takes time for goods to get cheaper.

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energyboy said:
Price of a PS4 controller is $59.99. It shouldn't exceed that as its almost guaranteed to perform worse.
Click to expand...

thats a first-party product. a third-party cannot make the same product for the same as a first-party, due to licensing. also, scale -- Sony has a lot of units in volume, reducing their costs greatly, allowing for a lower retail price.

if youve ever been a small company launching a new product, youll come to understand these things. rome was not built in a day.
 
springsup

springsup

macrumors 65816
Feb 14, 2013
1,221
1,209
energyboy said:
Price is still too high.

Price of a PS4 controller is $59.99. It shouldn't exceed that as its almost guaranteed to perform worse.
Click to expand...

Economies of scale will be lower against the PS4 controller, but the PS4 one also includes:

- Capacitive touch panel
- Rumble motors (incl. IP licensing costs)
- Analogue Trigger buttons
- Accelerometer + Gyroscope
- Headphone and expansion ports

... for $20 less. Other than that, can't rate it on things like build quality & feel because I haven't tried one, but it does look a bit plasticy from their own website pictures.

There's no way I'd pay £80 for this. Just no way. Even £50 is a lot of money for a controller.
 
stiligFox

stiligFox

macrumors 65816
Apr 24, 2009
1,483
1,328
10.0.1.3
I guess I'm the odd one out here, but I was planning on buying one of these already, so the price drop is quite welcome!

I do wonder if this will work with a Mac at all. That would be the bees knees. It's Bluetooth, so I don't see why not. Their website doesn't indicate if it does at all, and actually seems to say it doesn't. *rubs chin*
 
X

xPad

macrumors regular
Dec 15, 2013
228
184
stiligFox said:
I guess I'm the odd one out here, but I was planning on buying one of these already, so the price drop is quite welcome!

I do wonder if this will work with a Mac at all. That would be the bees knees. It's Bluetooth, so I don't see why not. Their website doesn't indicate if it does at all, and actually seems to say it doesn't. *rubs chin*
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It will. Barring some behind-the-scenes issue, all bluetooth MFi controllers should work with both iOS 7 and Mavericks.
 
Renzatic

Renzatic

Suspended
Aug 3, 2011
9,561
10,118
Gramps, what the hell am I paying you for?
mdelvecchio said:
it's a new product -- they dont have the economy-of-scale associated w/ a major, major success like the PS controller. it takes time for goods to get cheaper.
Click to expand...

I still don't think that's quite the case. The iCade 8-bitty, which had an even smaller potential market than this controller, sold for $30 at release, and was manufactured by Think Geek as a side project. A storefront that had no manufacturing presence, nor any previous experience. The only thing it's missing compared to this are the two analog sticks, which wouldn't raise the price by $50.

While I will say that $80 is a bit easier to swallow than $100, it's still a little too overpriced for what it offers.
 
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mcdspncr

mcdspncr

macrumors regular
Jul 2, 2011
160
200
Everyone on MR complained about the $99 price (myself included) and I'm very happy to see SteelSeries has listened. Maybe some of you have missed the last article about why it's so hard to make inexpensive MiFi controllers, but the combination of licensing, high quality parts, and limited Apple approved parts suppliers seems to be making this a challenging market to enter for now. But this new $79 price point is encouraging, especially considering this is a first production run with limited volume. Obviously SteelSeries was listening, and as suppliers become more diverse, volume increases, and competitors are forced to reexamine their pricing as well, I am encouraged that MiFi might become more accessible in the not too distant future!
 
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