I was quite surprised to find that I could plug in the receiver, drop the batteries into the controller, and then just start using the controller. I did press the (Connect) button on the USB receiver before trying to use the controller, but that was out of habit from using wireless devices which had to be synched up before they would work. After (later) reading the instructions, I discovered that the controller and receiver are, in fact, paired at the factory. I could have simply plugged it in and started playing. My pushing the (Connect) button actually made the controller re-synch with the receiver, but it occurred so quickly that I didn't realize it was happening. At any rate, setup is quite simple.
The feel of the Cordless Freedom is nice. It weighs a little bit more than the stock PS3 controller and helps to make up for the lost weight due to the lack of inclusion of the vibration motors. There is also a slight (though uniform) texture to the surface that, along with the more contoured design, feels good in the hand, even after long periods of gameplay.
The one test I almost didn't do, but stumbled on by accident was trying this controller with a PlayStation 2 title. As it turns out, this controller won't work with certain PlayStation 2 games that require Dual-Shock Analog controllers. If you're not replacing your only controller or you're not into PS2 games, this might very well be a non-issue for you, but it's worth mentioning, for those who are upgrading to the PS3 and still play old PS2 games or, for that matter, still play (and review) newly released PlayStation 2 games.
The Cordless Freedom is really a mixed bag; what it does, it does well. However, there are things that you would expect that the Cordless Freedom simply doesn't deliver on. You do get...
