First Impressions: Flex-Fire

Has there ever been a time in your life when you thought, ‘I could do or make that better’? But what do we normally do at this point? We go on with our lives, as the thought passes on and whatever it was we thought we could do better... well, it just never comes to be. But what would happen if you actually tried to make one of these changes? And what’s with all these questions and how does any of this relate to the Flex-Fire? It has everything to do with the new accessory and how one man’s idea of ‘I can make that better’ became reality.

Flex-Fire: History

Before we dive head-on into our impressions of Flex-Fire itself, let’s take a small trip back a few years before PlayStation Move was even thought about; a time when Nintendo’s Wii was new on the market and FPS gamers were snatching up Call of Duty 3, to see if the genre could be improved with motion controls. One such gamer, Adam Wickam, quickly realised that motion controlled FPS gaming on Wii had some major technical issues with controlling the field of view, gestures, character movements and so on, and he snatched up the Wii Zapper in hope of a quick fix to some of these issues. Sadly, he felt that it multiplied these issues instead, and that’s when he first thought: ‘I can make this better!’

Paying his way through college as a plumber, Wickam had a few plumbing supplies nestled up in his garage and after tinkering around for a while he devised a contraption that was similar to the Wii Zapper, but with some modifications. In his playtest his aiming was slightly off and he bent the barrel of the contraption to fix the sights: instantly he realised that what the Zapper was truly missing was the ability to ‘flex’ the barrel, alleviating the wide, tiring movements necessary to pan the camera. This idea sparked a surge of inspiration in Adam, and one that would push him for years to produce a revolutionary gun peripheral that could change the way we think of playing FPS games with motion controls.

12 different prototypes later, the formation of the company ProdaGen, PlayStation Move releasing and years of hard work and determination have finally come to fruition, and the end result is Flex-Fire. Wickam’s Flexible Aiming System Technology that he simply calls “F.A.S.T.” is readily equipped and with the power and precision that PlayStation Move offers, Move was a perfect fit for his invention. He chose the 2011 E3 convention to unveil Flex-Fire to the public eye with much success and has now sent his creation for its toughest test so far: the PlayStation Move experts right here at Movemodo.

Flex-Fire: Impressions

Placing our hands on Flex-Fire for the first time came with initial ‘wows’ all around. The red and black colours immediately make a bold statement that this is a confident competitor to Sony’s own Sharp Shooter. Not only does Flex-Fire house the Move and Navigation controllers to bring an actual gun feel to the shooter franchises just as the Sharp Shooter does, but the F.A.S.T. technology outfitted on the barrel of the gun is the ace up its sleeve (or should we say barrel?) But, does it actually stand up to Sony’s own Sharp Shooter? Well, we’ve put Flex-Fire through rigorous testing already, so let’s dig into our analysis.

It's designed similarly to a SMG/bolt action rifle hybrid, with the right side of the gun featuring a spring-loaded bolt to lock the flexible barrel in place, but still retaining the smaller SMG size for comfort. Inserting the Move controller into the barrel, sliding the Navi into the handle and using Flex-Fire is basically like using any other SMG gun peripheral for Move, but as soon as the bolt is disengaged the innovation becomes apparent.

Flex-Fire's barrel does just that: it flexes, but it's a sturdy flex that's neither too loose nor too tight. This ability comes with multiple advantages over the rest of its competitors – including Sharp Shooter – that make Flex-Fire worth adding to your Move collection. Previous SMG gun peripherals require the user to hold the gun up in the air and twist the body when making the wide horizontal movements to pan the camera, tiring the user and making extended playtime near impossible. But with Flex-Fire you can kick back and relax by simply flexing the barrel to pan the on-screen cursor — even pan the camera with the right settings — but for our preferred settings, it takes small horizontal movements to pan the camera with a slight flex, which is easily performed with Flex-Fire propped up on a knee for added stability.

For those familiar with other SMG Move peripherals, Flex-Fire will be easy to pick up and play, but for those well versed in Sharp Shooter, there is a steep learning curve here. While the flex elements are easily picked up, the lack of button bypass and the fact that many shooters for Move don’t currently allow for customisable controls means that the Trigger isn’t found on the Navi, but instead on the Move controller. While all of the buttons on both controllers are easily accessible – those with small hands can simply twist the barrel to the side for easy access (see image) – it still takes time to relearn which button(s) to press to aim and shoot appropriately. But the learning curve is definitely worth it, as being able to play for extended sessions with a gun peripheral is now possible, as well as other advantages that the flexible barrel bring as well: faster aiming, easier camera panning, lighter weight and an almost natural feel when aiming at an onscreen enemy are but a few examples, and of course, Flex-Fire's fearsome appearance makes you want to dominate online as well.

Outside of the flexible barrel and the spring-loaded bolt to lock the barrel into place, everything else on Flex-Fire is pretty much what’s to be expected: extendable stock, adjustable handle, etc. While we wish the stock was a bit tighter when extended, the overall quality is high, with the controllers fitting in their slots extremely snugly and a sturdy build to the gun itself. The flexible barrel is well designed and with all of our playtime, it’s just as sturdy now as it was in our initial playtest, so you’re definitely getting your money’s worth.

Are you tired of being exhausted from playing online shooters with the other PlayStation Move gun peripherals? Are you looking for a gun peripheral that has the competitive gamer in mind? Well, look no further than Flex-Fire. What started out as one man's sparked idea of “I can do that better,” has become a revolution for PlayStation Move. Head over to Flex-Fire's official website to place your order today ($29.99 + shipping) with shipping due to start on October 1st, 2011. We're told pre-orders are stacking up quickly, so if you’re itching to get flexin’, then get your order in sooner rather than later.