Cooler Master ControlPad Review

Conclusion and Verdict

So I tried a few games and as far FPS and RPG games go the Controlpad felt natural. One thing I wasn’t prepared for what racing games. Using the ControlPad in place of a controller is going to take some practice. The aimpad worked great and I was able to calibrate the travel of the keys in game and it worked flawlessly. I just wasn’t used to it and my pinky finger felt like it was out of place. We all know the struggle of playing a racing game with WSAD but having ability to use the keys in place of a joystick and RT and LT buttons worked as intended. I just need to build those muscles in those fingers. If I barely pressed the keys I could visually see the response in the steering wheel and accelerator. If I barely pressed the key then the steering wheel only moved a little.

With a little bit of practice anyone could get the travel dialed in. I can see the ControlPad being great for those games that are FPS and also having driving in them. Games like Cyberpunk 2077 that has both, this ControlPad will be great. GTA V also and that game is on the list of supported games. I am sure as more games games come out Cooler Master will continue to add compatible games. A lot of games that aren’t on the list are still able to utilize the ControlPad. As example I launched Nascar 14 and although it is officially supported. There was an in-game calibration I went through and it worked flawlessly. Now for FPS games and alike. I could go from walk to run just by pressing the key more or less. This was a great feature. As far as programming this for a particular program take your time in setting up the macros if there isn’t a supported program. But you can as far as setting a key to increase or decrease brush sizes.

You are essentially giving your keyboard setup an extra 24 keys. This is great if you don’t want to tie up your current keyboard with a bunch of macros. The ControlPad has a great aluminum finish and feel to it. The included wrist pad is also very smooth and soft to the touch. The wrist rest is held in place by magnets. The magnets are little on the weaker side but keep it place while on the desk. One thing I did notice is the method used to attach the key caps. It uses the common cross insert. I was able to take keys from a different keyboard and easily put on this. Keep in mind the depth of they keys and the mounting base could differ and cause the overall travel to be decreased. So you will have just try it out to see if your favorite keycaps will work. Oh I almost forgot to mention the two two programmable rollers on the top. I will probably just keep those open to control volume and light brightness as they are by default.

You are getting mechanical keys but they are different than what you will be used to. There is no click. The key begins to register your keystroke from start to finish. I kind of would have like to have seen a little more overall travel for racing games but understand that would probably be to much in a FPS. Overall key flow felt great and the resistance was great. I ran the ControlPad through the calibration process and noticed a couple of key required a couple of presses to fully calibrate.

The Cooler Master ControlPad is available for $89.99 USD. You can buy the Cooler Master ControlPad for around USD $89.99 from Amazon – https://amzn.to/3kiSHkj

Pros:

Lengthy list of compatible games
RGB
Decent software
Included wrist rest
Limitless macro settings

Cons:

Would have liked to see extra WSAD keys included or some sort of texture difference on the keys intended to be used.

Final thoughts:

The ControlPad is a nice addition to any setup. The Aimpad technology is great for a plethora of games. The Aimpad will give you enhanced gameplay and program functions compared to traditional switches!

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