Zhidong ZD-V+

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Zhidong V+ Gamepad.

The Zhidong V+ Gamepad is a video game controller gamepad for personal computers and video game consoles made by Zhidong and released in the 2010s. Its button layout is that of a PlayStation Dual Shock including a digital D-pad, two analog joysticks, four standard buttons, two shoulder buttons and two analog bumpers, a start and dual analog sticks, and a start, back button, and home button. It also has four vibration motors for games that support them. It supports both XInput and DirectInput modes and works on Windows (XP, Vista, 7, 8, 8.1, and 10), PlayStation 3, and Android (4 or higher) through an OTG adapter. It does not work on any Xbox or Macintosh devices. There is both a wired and wireless model. The wired model uses a 1.5 meter USB cable, and the wireless model uses a USB dongle for communication and a USB cable for charging. I have never used the wireless model.

Personal

I bought this gamepad because it was favorably reviewed online as being a very versatile gamepad for Windows. Although I was pleased with my Logitech F310, I wanted to see if there was anything better. After using it for awhile, I prefer the Zhidong V+'s vibration, but I don't care for their lack of support.

Notes

To toggle input modes, press and hold the Home button until the indicator light changes. Blue is XInput, purple is Android, and orange is DirectInput.

To swap the D-Pad and left analog joystick, push in on the left analog joystick and press back at the same time.

Review

Good

  • This gamepad ticks all the boxes. It has a nice layout, good feel, and works for a large variety of hardware and software.
  • It has a built-in ability to swap the D-pad and left analog joystick.
  • The gamepad uses the Xbox 360 device driver, so it will most likely work on your PC out of the box.

Bad

  • On more than one occasion, I have accidentally used the built-in mode change to switch it into a mode that is incompatible with my PC or toggled the D-pad and joystick.
  • The smooth black plastic doesn't offer as much grip as I would like.

Ugly

  • The device, and even the manufacturer, has no official online presence for support, drivers, or the manual. Thankfully, enough people have talked about it on forums, so information can be found.

Links