From the Vault — originally published May 19, 2010. Some links, videos or prices may be out of date.
Does this accessory really help to improve performance on FPS games? That is the very question that led me to order a set. FPS Freek is an attachment that snaps on top of your Xbox 360 or Playstation 3 sixaxis controller. The premise is that these attachments increase analog stick height thus giving the player more leverage that translates into increased precision when playing first person shooters and other games that require precision. Having had great success with the Real Trigger controller attachments I decided to bite and ordered them.
The attachments snap on top of your analog stick pretty easily and they do not slip off. You have to firmly pull them off to remove them. Also there are a few color combinations to choose from and I went with the all black version. It does make the controller look a tad bit weird with them on but the functionality make up for it. These are one size fit all and work on both stock Playstation 3 controllers and also Xbox 360 controllers. This is a bonus because you really only need to use one of the two packaged attachments per controller so you can put one of them on a Xbox 360 controller and one on a PS3 controller. Also a bonus for PS3 players is that it makes the analog stick concave which has a better grip than the convex standard form factor.
When first using the FPS Freek attachments if feels weird. For the most part these attachments double the height of the analog stick and it took me a good 20 minutes to adjust. The initial change was jarring visually because the FPS Freek actually does increase the analog stick sensitivity. The height leverage increasing accuracy claim is not just hype it actually does work. Initially I was using the same amount of pressure on the analog stick that I had in the past and the in game camera was moving very fast panning too much to the left and right. It was jarring. After fifteen minutes or so I was able to adjust and used less pressure.
The FPS Freek attachments actually do help aiming in FPS games because you are able to move further to the left and right with less effort on the analog stick. Also its easier to get your reticule on a specific point because of the added sensitivity. Based on my playing over a few days I think they work great and do help.
I played Battlefield bad Company 2, Uncharted 2 multiplayer and the Halo 3 Reach Beta with them and undoubtedly felt like the FPS Freek attachment did help my game. I did get my highest score and Kill death ratio ever in Battlefield Bad Company 2 while using them.
While FPS Freek will not transform a mediocre first person shooter to an elite one I do think that it does help increase accuracy and does make playing more enjoyable overall because it increases the level of control of the stick you put it on. I think they are totally worth the $15 price tag though $10 would be a better price. Players that love first person shooters should definitely check out FPS Freek attachments.
