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What is it?

While it’s obvious that they can’t properly spell either control or freak, what KontrolFreek can do is make little pieces of rubber and plastic that you snap onto your controllers to subtly modify the way they function. Sound complicated? Really, it isn’t.

What we’re looking at here is two products that they offer. One’s called FPS Freek, and the other is called SpeedFreek. As the names imply, FPS Freek is primarily aimed at first person shooter players, and SpeedFreek is aimed at improving your control in racing games. Both products are attachments for the analog sticks on your PS3 or 360 controllers, and both fit snugly on either controller. They’re too large to fit the smaller sticks on Wii Nunchuk controllers, Gamecube controllers, or Wii Classic controllers, meaning they won’t be helping you with Metroid, The Conduit, or Tatsunoko vs Capcom.

FPS Freek

The science behind FPS Freek is nothing particularly new. By increasing the height of the analog stick, you increase the sensitivity. If you move your thumb a sixteenth of an inch on the standard stick, you’re moving further than if you’re doing it using the FPS Freek. Couple this change in motion with an adjustment of the sensitivity in your FPS, and it makes it easier to make very fine adjustments in your view. As a real world application, I used FPS Freek to play Dead Space on my PS3, and flailed around helplessly for a while until I realized I actually had to adjust the way I was playing the game. Dead Space doesn’t allow you to adjust the sensitivity on the sticks, so players need to adjust that themselves. In my case, that meant paying closer attention to my movements until I adjusted, which took only about a minute or so once I understood what I was doing wrong. The end result is I have much improved precision, especially while aiming. In Dead Space, that makes a huge difference for me. It’s easier to carve your enemies up when you can aim at the right spot.

FPS Freek was also useful in Half-Life 2, which I played on the 360 as part of The Orange Box. That game boasts a highly adjustable sensitivity slider, which means you can adjust the game to your existing play style and then enjoy greater precision.

The official FPS Freek product detail page is right here.

SpeedFreek

The SpeedFreek controller accessory is a round bracket that snaps onto the top of your control sticks. Wide curved plastic flares out from the sides and upward. The concept here is that you can apply minimal pressure with your thumbs, even operating the sticks with your finger relaxed across the stick, without losing precision. The main demographic for this one is racing gamers, who can use the additional motion distance (as in FPS Freek) to help with steering, something I’ve always been bad at. The other advantage is, as the name implies, speed. Being able to snap your finger across the stick without flying off the other side is great for cornering.

My options in racing games are limited to… Burnout Paradise. But hey, what a limit! While it took some tinkering to get FPS Freek working for me exactly the way I wanted, SpeedFreek was an instant improvement. I immediately noticed the improvement in control, and found myself tearing around the city picking up trophies like nobody’s business. The only problem I had was that the right stick on the DualShock 3 is closer to the face buttons than it is on the 360′s controller. As a result, the SpeedFreek attachments get in the way of the square button. Fortunately, the right stick is only used for the camera, which I never touch… so I simply snapped the attachment back off the stick, which made the emergency brake much easier to use.

One thing I was concerned about was that the teeth on the SpeedFreek attachment seem to dig into the DualShock 3′s sticks a little bit, as the heads on the PS3′s sticks are deeper than those on the 360. I didn’t notice any damage, but I’m a little worried that repeatedly applying them and removing them may eventually start to wear down the edges of the thumb pads. It’s something I will be watching for.

The product details page for SpeedFreek is right here.

The bottom line

The FPS Freek makes a definite difference in analog gaming, particularly in aiming in first person shooters. It improved my aim in Dead Space noticeably, which is something I’m going to find very helpful. I even like the feel of these add-ons, to the point where I leave them on the controller by default, even if it’s not helping me play. At $10, it does exactly what it’s supposed to, elegantly and at a low price. Five out of five.

SpeedFreek made a marked improvement in my driving in Burnout Paradise. I did less accidental crashing, achieved more jumps, hit more billboards, and cornered more accurately. This addon is ugly, and on the PS3 controller it can get in the way of the square button. I love it for steering on the left stick, but would not want to use it for anything on the right. Of course, this is not an issue on the 360 controller. I am worried about the teeth cutting into the PS3′s analog sticks. At $10, it’s an effective product with some concerns on the DualShock 3. Four out of five.