Tronsmart

Tronsmart Mars G01 Wireless Controller Review

The Tronsmart Mars G01 wireless controller is the company’s sole gaming product but one that complements their TV box products well. Borrowing pretty liberally from the Xbox 360 controller’s design whilst packing in both Android and Windows compatibility (including D-Input!), is Tronsmart’s controller any good? Read our Tronsmart Mars G01 review to find out!

I want to say thanks to GeekBuying for sending me a sample to review.

Check Price at GeekBuying

What’s In The Box?

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Tronsmart have packed in an impressive collection of goodies inside the box:

  • 1x Tronsmart Mars G01 wireless controller
  • 1x USB Wireless Reciever
  • 1x Micro USB OTG cable
  • 1x Micro USB Charging Cable
  • 1x Carry Bag
  • 1x Instruction Manual

Tronsmart Mars G01 Review: Design

As I mentioned at the start of the review, the Tronsmart Mars G01 looks like the Xbox 360 and PS4 controller had a baby. It borrows heavily from the Xbox 360 controllers’ well-liked design whilst adding some tweaks for usability.

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The controller’s wings sit comfortably in the hands and the addition of rubber fins along the sides is a nice touch. They both assist with grip and help keep your hands cool if you get sweaty hands.

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There’s the full suite of buttons here. There’s two analog sticks, a d-pad, four face buttons and four shoulder buttons, two of which are analog triggers. Start and select buttons are also present.

The face buttons follow the Xbox’s ABXY layout and are made of clear plastic, with colored embossed letters. It looks fantastic.

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There’s also a Tronsmart button that doubles up as the power/mode button, as well as a set of four LEDs that show which mode the controller is in.

There’s also a micro USB port located at the top which is for charging the internal 600mAh battery.

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The Tronsmart Mars feels like its relatively well made, with a solid frame and comfortable form factor. I did find the triggers squeak a when pressed slowly but this doesn’t affect gameplay.

Tronsmart Mars G01 Review: Using It

As a 2.4Ghz wireless controller, setup is as simple as plugging in the tiny USB wireless receiver and turning on the controller by holding down the “T” button on the centre of the controller.

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The controller will automatically boot into the last mode it was on. Holding down the “T” button will toggle through the various supported modes including X-input, D-input and an Android-specific mode.

Most Android devices should automatically recognise the Tronsmart Mars G01 as a controller and be ready to use in supported games or emulators. I didn’t have any issues playing Beach Buggy Racing and Riptide GP2 on my UGOOS UT3S.

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Using it in Windows is just as easy, with Windows 10 recognising the controller as an Xbox 360 controller. I tested it out in Sleeping Dogs and had no issues. The triggers are correctly detected as being analog.

There’s also D-Input support for older games which is great. I fired up the original Grand Theft Auto San Andreas (before X-Input support was patched in) and everything worked as expected, though I did need to remap some of the controls.

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Speaking of controls, they feel nice and responsive, with satisfying actuation. The analog sticks feel good too. However, I found the d-pad was a little stiff. It didn’t affect my ability to pull off combos in fighting games, but it wasn’t as pleasant as other controllers.

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Range was good thanks to the use of 2.4Ghz. I didn’t have any lag or dropouts when gaming on the other side of my living room.

Tronsmart claims the battery should be able to get around 20 hours of gameplay from a single charge (reduced to 5 hours if using vibration is active). I wasn’t able to clock up enough hours to drain the battery but 3-4 hours of gaming and the controller was still going strong. There’s also an auto-off mode to save battery.

Should You Buy It?

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The Tronsmart Mars G01 is a good wireless controller that offers plenty of flexibility. If need D-input support, the Tronsmart Mars G01 is a good option, with the pricier Logitech F710 being the only other comparable choice.

The controller itself is comfortable and the controls generally feel great, though the need to plug in a USB dongle will be a pain for some Android phone/tablet users who may prefer the freedom of a Bluetooth controller.

Getting One

The Tronsmart Mars G01 is available from GeekBuying for under $30. Use coupon EYIUBVVW to get another $5 off!

Check Price at GeekBuying

Alternatively, it’s available from Amazon.

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