PAX West 2023: PDP's REALMz Controllers Are A Unique Spin On Collectibles
PDP's latest offering of peripherals, their REALMz line, are a bit unique among other gaming products. Housing a high-quality figurine inside, the REALMz controller and headset aim to capture the essence of the game they represent.
At PAX West 2023, I stopped by the PDP booth to check these out in person. The REALMz line of products, which include both a headset and controller, brings Sonic the Hedgehog, Pikmin, and Transformers to life in their multilayered design.
The transparent shell gives way to a custom bit of artwork on the controller's PCB, such as the iconic Green Hill Zone from Sonic, Knuckles' Sky Sanctuary, or even just the green forested playground of Nintendo's Pikmin franchise. The Transformers controller highlights Optimus Prime, just in time for the new game, EarthSpark Expedition, this October.
The colorful PCB isn't just the only eye-popping feature; it's also the figurine trapped inside. Each REALMz product houses a high-quality figurine in the product that is tied to the theme of the controller, and it really shows that PDP is bringing all its skill in custom figurine making to bear. And it makes sense: PDP created all the figures for the Disney Infinity games.
Holding the controllers themselves, they don't feel nearly as heavy-duty as a higher-end Xbox or Switch Pro controller, but I'm not sure they need to. This isn't to say they feel cheap, either, but if you're looking for high-quality texturing and paddles on the back, you might be disappointed.
Each still comes with PDP-specific features, such as RGB lighting you can change through hotkeys right on the pad itself, or through the PDP app on your PC and Xbox. There are also Wired and Wireless versions of the Nintendo Switch controller, though Xbox and
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