Review: GameSir Kaleid & Kaleid Flux wired controllers - High performance, annoying quirks

Following on from the rather successful GameSir Nova controller which I reviewed not too long ago, today, I bring you the latest K1 Kaleid & Kaleid Flux. Some of you may be wondering, and yes you wonder correctly,

GameSir already has another controller with the same name, the T4 Kaleid. As confusing as this might seem, many retailers still sell the old version, though GameSir have removed the T4 from its website.

The new duo can be bought as a set or individually, they are also wired only as they are officially licensed Xbox controllers.

Only one colourway is available for each, the Flux comes with the gold accents shown above, whilst the non-Flux is stealthier.

Both variants are transparent but not completely clear due to a dark tint. The T4 Kaleid had fully clear plastic offering a better view of the decorated internals.

Specifications

As you can see, the only real difference between the two is the use of membrane face buttons on the Flux model.The price between each is so small that the choice on which to buy would ultimately boil down to which button type someone prefers, though here's the thing...

In the hands

Comparing both controllers back-to-back made me realise something was wrong here. Whilst the controllers themselves feel almost identical to how official Xbox controllers feel, the buttons on the Flux feel cheap and mushy, not what I was expecting at this price. I just finished reviewing the EasySMX X05, a controller that costs around £24 and also sports membrane buttons that feel infinitely superior to the ones on the Flux.

Here is a video demonstrating what the buttons on both sound like, I've added the EasySMX X10 as well since that also has mechanical face buttons:

I just can't imagine why the Flux exists with poor quality button feedback at this cost when far cheaper controllers exist with better feedback and the same performance in wired mode.

The non-Flux on the other hand is excellent. Tactile mechanical buttons that feel like quality engineered components that will last a lifetime.

The vibration motors between both controllers are the same, with both sharing the quad-motor setup. The top two motors are by the triggers, and they aren't really used in any games I played, you must activate them to sync with the grip motors using the GameSir app:

Honestly speaking? I found the trigger motors to feel rubbish, too jarring in feel and too distracting and taking away from the trigger actuation control due to the annoying buzzing that comes from them like an electric toothbrush resonating my fingers.

The grip motors are very strong though, much stronger than on the X10, here's a demo:

The hall effect sticks are the highlight, GameSir has judged the height and spring tension almost perfectly on both controllers. I like the texturing on each stick cap, too. The grip is excellent.

Xbox-only gamers will be pleased to know that the bottom of both controllers is a headset jack, just like on the official console controllers:

The feedback from the shoulder and triggers on both controllers is also fine. I found no issues with the trigger stops and there was no post-stop travel on both models.

Both controllers have backside R4 and L4 buttons that can be mapped to any other button on the controller, the same way as on all GameSir controllers. This can be done via the app or using the M function button.

The D-pad on the Kaleid deserves a mention due to how good it feels. The mechanical clicky feedback is excellent and reminds me of the GameSir Cyclone Pro I bought recently. The Flux model's D-pad however feels mediocre and once again mushy like some of the other buttons.

Style over substance?

I think there has been too much focus on the translucent casing with both controllers. Apart from the Windows app, which is excellent (more on this later), the new K1 series Kaleids don't really do anything spectacular.

The selling point seems to be the RGB and cool decoration on the multi-layer PCB which can be seen now. Look at this video to see what I mean, it was recorded an hour after I'd wiped the controller with a microfibre cloth to remove the fingerprints and dust:

Notice how much dust has accumulated on the surface, and how many micro-scratches and scuffs there are. The controllers haven't been anywhere other than on my workstation and gaming area! If this is what happens after just a couple of weeks of casual gaming, then imagine what this plastic will look like in a year.

Red, Green Blue

I found the RGB to be a bit gimmicky after the novelty wore off. Playing in dim lighting often felt distracting, too. The lowest brightness level is not achievable from the onboard brightness controls, you must use the GameSir Nexus app to set a lower brightness, but note that the moment you adjust the brightness using onboard methods, the brightness will revert to the default level again. Annoying!

There are a lot of customisations to the RGB lighting, though, like cycling colours, individual colours for each light bar and so on, but as mentioned, it's all a bit too much for my personal liking, though I appreciate many out there like a bit of visual jazz on these things.

As a Star Wars fan, though, I did try to use the Kaleid lights with a certain colourway before deciding even that was too distracting:

GameSir Nexus app

The good news is that the Nexus app on the Windows Store is genuinely excellent. It's quick to load, quick to adjust settings and is intuitive to use.

It's a breath of fresh air from the mobile app that I always found finnicky, whilst other controller brand apps are even worse. The app also handles firmware updates and additional functions that are not possible using the on-board M button shortcuts.

Both Kaleids had firmware updates pending at the time of review, and the update process took a couple of minutes. I would give the Nexus app top marks here, it's just a shame that the Nexus app does not support all GameSir's controllers, some must be configured via the mobile app, whilst others are only supported by an older GameSir controller app also on the app store.

My view is that everything under a brand's product line should work under one roof, otherwise it adds frustration and confusion.

Performance

There isn't too much to say here honestly, these are wired controllers with a 1000Hz polling rate. They perform exactly as you would expect, perfectly. These are Xbox licensed controllers, but as I don't have an Xbox, my testing was exclusive to the PC in both native games and emulation.

I found no issues with perceived latency or connection stability. It's not even worth posting Gamepadla results here as there isn't anything new that is any different to any other controller that we haven't seen already.

We seem to have reached a peak where stick accuracy, trigger actuation, latency and performance has reached a level where the differences are not perceptible to human fingers and eyes and things appear to border on diminishing returns.

The choice ultimately comes down to how these two controllers feel when in the heat of a gaming moment, and for that I think the non-Flux offers the superior experience.

As I said earlier, the Flux probably shouldn't even exist. It executes membrane buttons poorly. I cannot think of a reason why anyone would buy it at this price when much better membrane button controllers exist for less with none of the issues that both Kaleids have.

Issues?

Several, the USB-C port for starters is deeply recessed, meaning only the GameSir supplied cable will fit in there to make a connection. I have a whole host of cables from UGREEN to Anker and official OEM cable and none of them fit inside this recess.

This would not have been a problem if the GameSir USB cable was lighter in weight and slightly shorter for desktop use at a PC, or a second cable was supplied meeting this specification. The cable is good quality, for sure, but it's very long and rather heavy, which means it gets in the way often.

I have a lightweight paracord cable that came with my gaming mouse, this would have been perfect for this job, but the Type-C end doesn't fit because of that deep recess.

The Flux had random connection issues with the Nexus app, I could never get to the bottom of it but a bit of research online showed others experienced the same too. The no-Flux had no such issues, and the bulk of my playtesting was with the non-Flux anyway as it's just the better controller of the two.

Conclusion

The non-Flux is the controller to get if the styling of the new Kaleids take your fancy. The Flux model just doesn't cut it with poor feeling mushy membrane buttons and an iffy connection to the Nexus app.

If you are after RGB lighting that looks cool after a bit of customisation, as well as mechanical face buttons, then the K1 Kaleid is a strong bet. But if you need the freedom of wireless and to be able to use whatever USB cable you choose if wired is needed one day, then neither can be recommended.

As it stands, the K1 Kaleid and Kaleid Flux do the job, but at a premium with some issues that must be tolerated along the way.