Razer Hydra unboxing & first impressions

Will motion controllers have a home in your PC gaming landscape? Read first impressions and check out pictures and video of the Razer Hydra, Razer's newest gaming controller for PC gamers.

What it is
The Razer Hydra combines the features of a gamepad and motion controller into two ergonomically shaped controllers vaguely similar to the Wii’s Motion controller and Nunchuck combo. Each Hydra controller is similar to a large, more ergonomic Wii ‘Nunchuk’ with a thumbstick and a total of eight available buttons: 5 buttons around the base of thumbstick, as well as 1 bumper, 1 trigger, and the thumbstick itself (which can be pressed).

View slideshow: Razer Hydra

The Hydra isn’t wireless and it’s designed to be used relatively up close to your PC—within 2-3 feet, or about the distance most of us PC gamers probably sit from our monitors. The base station doesn’t require line of sight to operate with the controllers so you could tuck it behind a monitor if you were so inclined; however, the base station also serves as a holder for the controllers so it’s best to place it somewhere convenient if out of the way. The Hydra’s cables are easily long enough to lean back in a chair and get comfortable.

The Hydra offers ‘true 1:1’ motion control which is supposed to be accurate to within a millimeter of movement—in other words, accuracy more in line with your tried-and-true PC gaming companion, the mouse.

Portal 2 DLC
Included with the Hydra are 10 levels of Portal 2 DLC specifically crafted for the Hydra. These extra levels take advantage of the Hydra's motion controls and let you do a variety of interesting things. For example, you can pick up, stretch and shape cubes, which can be used to cross chasms when used as a bridge, or more interestingly, press two buttons simultaneously in different parts of a room (when combined with some well-placed portals).

You can also do things such as grab and 'drag' portals along with you as you move, and rotate portals as well. Overall the new levels add a new level of complexity and entirely new ways of thinking about how to solve the puzzles. Unfortunately, the lack of commentary by Wheatley or GladOS make them less colorful than the main game.

[Watch me use the Razer Hydra in Portal 2 in a video.]

First Impressions: I may eat crow
I’ve been a bit vocal about my skepticism as to whether or not motion controllers have a place in the PC gaming landscape, but after playing through the bundled Portal 2 levels and with a handful of other games for a few hours I may just change my mind.

Why? Because the Hydra offers the best aspects of a gamepad and very near the accuracy and flexibility of a good keyboard and mouse (courtesy of its motion controls) in an impressive, flexible, and powerful package.

There’s also something to be said for being able to lean back away from the desk and get a little more comfortable when you’re gaming. Sure you can do this with a gamepad, but you sacrifice a lot of accuracy and control options if you eschew your keyboard and mouse for one. This isn’t a big deal for some games (fighting games and racing games, for example), but it’s not an alternative most PC gamers would consider for FPS (first person shooter) games or (possibly) even action games.

In short, the Razer Hydra combines the best features of a gamepad with accuracy and options more on par with your keyboard and mouse. In addition, according to Razer’s Web site the Hydra software will eventually allow you to reconfigure the Hydra’s buttons and controls to suit your own preferences—possibly up to and including macro support.

The Hydra isn’t perfect for all games but seems well suited to FPS games, action games, and probably most games for which a gamepad would work well. It’s also great for casual games such as World of Goo, which can be played with just one of the Hydra’s controllers while you kick back and relax. I ran into trouble getting it to work properly with Left 4 Dead 2 (another supported title)—the right controller worked for aiming, but nothing else would work. I’m still trying to solve this issue and will address it in the full review.

Overall Impressions: Impressive, but you’re not a Jedi yet
After spending a few hours with the Hydra I’ve come away pretty impressed, but I need more time to put it through a wider range of tests for a complete review. Early impressions are positive—and admittedly more so than I expected. I’m starting to think that a Razer Hydra may be an excellent and very useful addition (albeit expensive at $140) addition to your PC desktop.

The Razer Hydra is now available through Razer's online store.

Razer Hydra features:

(Per controller, 2 included in each Hydra set)