May 18, 2011
When I attended PAX East in Boston I noticed a booth selling the XtendPlay by, Xwerx. It was the strangest looking controller add-on I had ever seen. I almost passed it by, but boy am I glad I didn’t. This older gamer would have been stepping over gold without picking it up. And picking up the XtendPlay was all it took. Once it was in my hands I knew I had found something special.
XtendPlayis designed to reduce fatigue in the hands, wrists and fingers during gaming sessions by improving body ergonomics and hand positioning on the controller. The XtendPlay guides a user’s grip to remain in a more natural position; wrists straight and palms flat. Air flow channels have even been added to grip points in order to eliminate sweaty hands while playing. The design is simple and efficient, formed from a single piece of Soft-touch fleXlite. Divots in the top of the product are where it attaches to a console controller. XtendPlay is available for both Xbox360 and PS3. For the purpose of this review I used the Xbox 360 version.
Copyright Xwerx
The bulk of the product was initially off putting until I picked it up. It was then that I realized the size allowed me to rest my controller comfortably on my mid section. I didn’t even need to build my usual pillow armrests on the sofa to get comfortable. I decided to give the XtendPlay a true test, Pork Chop Platoon Clan Night. Pork Chop Platoon Clan Night is a five hour Call of Duty gaming session that we have every week around here. That week we were playing Call of Duty: Black Ops. Here is how it went.
My hands felt great while playing. I usually have to put the controller down to wiggle my wrists and finger to get the blood moving, but not with the XtendPlay. I also noticed an immediate change in my play style. Because the XtendPlay placed my hands in a less stretched position, I was able to move the thumb sticks and press buttons with less effort. The net gain of this was that my skills actually improved because my fingers could react faster. I had to turn down the aim sensitivity because my new found movement had me overreacting, but when I found the right balance, I was a killer.
Copyright Xwerx
I went to bed after playing for several hours without a break and had no pain or tightness in my hands, arms or wrists. But I knew that the next morning would be the true test, because after long gaming session the next morning my hands are cramped and even swollen. When I woke I went down stairs and opened the refrigerator, it was then with my hand wrapped around the door handle that I thought, hey that feels good. Yes, the XtendPlay prevented my dreaded Saturday morning ”hand hangover.”
Copyright Xwerx
I used the extend play for three more weeks and logged 30+ hours with it on titles including Call of Duty: Black Ops, HALO: Reach, and Bulletstorm. The benefits of using the XtendPlay remained consistent. No cramping while playing and no post gaming fatigue.
The XtendPlay was too good to keep to myself and I knew just who to share it with, B1gBluMunky. Munky, a long time member of Pork Chop Platoon, was recently diagnosed with Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. His doctor even told him that it could mean he would have to cut down on the video games…UNACCEBTABLE! Older gamers need to look out for one another. So, I sent the XtendPlay out to Munky as soon as possible, knowing that it had a good chance of making gaming pain free and fun for him again. He kept a log of his first few days with the XtendPlay which you can read below.
Day One: Unboxed, scratched head, read note from SonicMonoxide and got to work. First thing I notice is that it looks like it will be too wide. I got it into my hands and it’s a more comfortable wide. Spent the day learning to hit home runs in MLB 2k11, no interference with timing, and my hands never started to sweat because of the cut outs to allow my hands to breathe.
Day Two: Still suck at hitting homers, but my hands are very comfy, don’t sweat, and I found the sweet spot to posture – resting the foam on my legs makes holding EXTREMELY comfortable.
Day Three: No more messing around. Got in rounds of Homefront & MW2. Due to the way I hold a controller with the extra width of the foam I re-learn how to snipe, and found it to be more accurate, something about the width makes me use the bottom of the sticks. It seems to help me slow down and be patient.
Day Four: More Homefront sniping. Progressed past being too slow and found a solid comfort zone where I’m no longer even realizing that I have something big, green and sexy attached to my controller.
Day Five: Got some open world in with Just Cause 2. Played for and hour with the pad, then tried to play for an hour without it to see any differences. I only make it 15 minutes before I put the XtendPlay back on, the extended foam that props the controller is a must have now.
Overall Experience: Love it, flat out. The learning curve is minimal. The comfort level is fantastic. I was worried that since I dont have the biggest hands it would be an issue, but not so. The change of thumb placement for the way I hold the controller with the XtendPlay helps not just with comfort, but increased my overall gameplay accuracy. I would say that even folks without any hand or wrist issues would find this a comfortable fit.
-B1gBluMunky
Xwerx really has produced a controller add-on that does what it says it will do. At PAX East I was able to speak with Mark Sparling, COO of Xwerx and part of the genius behind XtendPlay. He told me that he was simply looking for a way to make the console controller more friendly to the human hand so that gaming could remain relaxing and fun. In his words, “Gaming is what you do to relax, it should never hurt.” I couldn’t agree more, Mark.
Pricing out at just 19.99 and available directly from Xwerx, the XtendPlay is well worth the investment for an older gamer looking to get back those young gamer hands of the stand up arcade days. If you have a teen or kid in your life who games then consider it for them as well so they never have to know the horrors of “gamer claw.”
A free copy of XtendPlay was provided to Pork Chop Platoon for review purposes, but this reviewer was going to buy one regardless.
Good review Sonic, At that price would be well worth a purchase.
Great review Sonic, I’m glad you didn’t pass it by either, gonna have to try that.
Well written and enticing review.
Got to have one for the LAN!