Ok, so I finally got my paws on the Razer Onza Tournament Edition (TE)!
It is certainly a unique X360 controller. Its shape is very similar to the basic X360 pad with subtle ridges around the back. It has a rubberized texture all over the pad, which has a nice feel to it.
Let me discuss the triggers before I get to the face of the pad. The triggers are very pronounced, they curve out and actually have notches that extend beyond the pad itself. It took a little bit of getting used to for me since I have a habit of resting my index fingers just below the X360 pad's triggers, however with the Onza I had to stop doing that because my fingers would get caught on those notches, so I planted them firmly on or above the triggers.
Nestled above the triggers are the LB and RB shoulder buttons which click just like the X360 pad. Just abpove them you have another set of modifiable shoulder buttons LMFB and RMFB, which can be set to mimic any other button the pad on-the-fly, without any software. In total you have 6 buttons/triggers on the top of the Onza.
Now, the face buttons. They're back-lit in the traditional Xbox button colours but more surprising for me is that they're not traditional buttons at all! They're highly sensitive clickers like a mouse's buttons. This could be a good or bad thing depending on your preference. I've tested them out with basic gameplay and with button-mashing scenarios and they work really well overall, bringing it back to a matter of preference. Not really sure if they improved my response time in Quick-Time-Events.
The analogue sticks' tips are coated with a texture that gives them a silicon-like consistency, they almost stick to my thumbs. In the Tournament Edition of the Onza they also have dials that allow you to adjust their resistance or stiffness. They click in normally too.
The d-pad. That's where I'm conflicted about the Onza. The d-pad is actually made up of 4 individual buttons. It is essentially the complete opposite of the basic X360 pivoted d-pad. The good things is that any d-pad button presses are very deliberate, you won't be accidentally hitting diagonals; if you want a diagonal you specifically push the two appropriate buttons for the diagonal you want, works really well in Batman: Arkham Asylum when I'm selecting gear. On the down side, this breaks up any d-pad flow which would be necessary for certain games i.e. Street Fighter.
The position of the Start and Back buttons is now below the d-pad and right-stick. It's a bit of a radical location change that may take some getting used to since both the X360 and PS3 pads place these buttons closer to the centre of their faces, surrounding the HOME button.
All in all, the Onza is a pretty decent pad. At the same price-point of wired X360 pad it would make the better choice; any more than $50 would be asking too much for a wired gamepad (even though the Onza sports a 15-foot braided fibre cable). Also, may be worth noting that the Onza does have a slot for 2.5mm headphone jack.
My personal preference still goes to the X360 Special Edition transforming d-pad for its fantastic d-pad, wireless, and trigger-comfort. As far as wired controllers go it'll be tough to beat the Onza TE at $50 and $40 for the regular edition (TE has adjustable resistance analogue sticks, rubberized texture, and back-lit face buttons).
