GameSir Tegenaria Lite review – budget king

The vast majority of GameSir’s controller line-up over the last year has been aiming at the more premium side of things. While generally still not reaching the crazy prices of PlayStation and Xbox “pro” controllers (the G7 Pro notwithstanding), cheap options have become fewer and far between. This is why I was excited to see the GameSir Tegenaria Lite, which features a PlayStation-style layout — despite the style, this controller does not work on PS4/5 — and premium features at a £20 price point.

Tegenaria Lite Specs

• Connection: Wired only
• Working Platform: Switch, Android, iOS, PC, Steam
• Sticks: Hall Effect
• Triggers: Membrane analog triggers
• ABXY Buttons: Membrane
• D-pad: Membrane
• Polling Rate: 1000Hz
• Colours: Gray, White
• Extras: Two back buttons, turbo

Design and Usability

On the visual side of things, the GameSir Tegenaria Lite is clearly aiming for a DualShock look. You have symmetrical sticks, a d-pad and triggers very similar to the DualShock 4 (though the former is all one piece), and even a gray option that should trigger some PS1 nostalgia. It’s actually funny seeing the DualShock 4-style design, since the lack of a touchpad makes the centre look somewhat empty in comparison.

That’s not to say this is a bad looking controller, far from it. I’m a big fan of the more subdued design, lacking any crazy RGB or extra buttons on the front. The symmetrical layout is also uncommon for GameSir, and one I wish they’d try out more often.

The Tegenaria Lite is comfortable and easy to grip, despite only featuring a slight texture on the back. Everything is easy to reach, outside of the central buttons which perhaps could have been brought outwards (the sticks get in the way when you try to press them.) It really does feel a lot like holding a DualShock 4, if lighter due to the lack of a battery.

Speaking of which, this is a wired-only controller as mentioned earlier, but it’s also one where you can’t remove the cable at all — for context, most wired GameSir controllers let you remove the cable freely when not in use. While far from a deal-breaker (this is a budget option after all), it does mean that transporting the Tegenaria Lite can be a little more awkward.

Sticks and Buttons That Punch Above Their Weight

One aspect that I was presently surprised with is the face buttons. Despite being membrane, they don’t feel overly mushy like some other GameSir offerings. You always know when a button has been pressed, and there’s enough resistance to give a clicky feel without being overly stiff. They’re genuinely just good, rivalling what you’d see on any first party controller.

I also think that the d-pad is fairly decent, if not overly remarkable. It’s not as mushy as some recent membrane GameSir controllers, with the slight pivot in the centre being mostly to thank for that. I wouldn’t rank it too highly (8BitDo’s membrane d-pads feel far nicer and precise), though it’s still an upgrade over official DualShock controllers.

Meanwhile, you know what to expect with the sticks if you’ve tried out a few GameSir controllers. The Tegenaria Lite features solid Hall Effect sticks with nice grippy tops that are always a joy to use. It’s worth mentioning that for this controller specifically, they’re on the lower end when it comes to tension. Whether this is a good thing or not is up to personal preference, though I prefer this style for non-FPS games.

Everything else is better than what you’d expect for a £20 controller, though nothing crazy. The back buttons are positioned well, meaning you’re unlikely to press them accidentally. They can be mapped to single buttons, though no macros as far as I can tell.

On the top, you have shoulder buttons and triggers that are quite similar to the GameSir Super Nova. They’re visually similar to the ones you’d see on the DualSense, with L1 and R1 also feeling similar too. The triggers are slightly less impressive, only offering a small amount of travel. They’re also not Hall Effect, which could potentially lead to durability issues later down the line.

GameSir Tegenaria Lite Review – Final Thoughts

The GameSir Tegenaria Lite is a really solid controller, one that’s made all the more impressive due to its price. At £20 (and an even cheaper $20 in the US), there’s not much else that can compete with this quality to price ratio. With support for the recently released Switch 2 as well, this makes for a respectable option if you want to use something other than Joy-Cons without breaking the bank.

---

We purchased a GameSir Tegenaria Lite for this review. They’re available via the GameSir website and Amazon UK.

^{Disclosure: Some links in this article may be affiliate links, which means we may earn a small commission if you make a purchase after clicking on them. This is at no additional cost to you and helps support Rice Digital!}