If you’ve never heard of Massdrop before, it’s basically a web site that manages group buys. If you were a member of a car forum a decade or so ago, you’ve probably got all sorts of group buy PTSD as you stupidly threw your PayPal cash into a pool of guys importing ridiculous parts for your car but how can you say no because it’s such a good deal and how can you handle not having JDM parts and… Yeah. Massdrop sort of does the same thing, except instead of PayPaling some random dude, it’s all administered via an actual legitimate company who pools a bunch of people together who want a specific thing, cut a deal with the manufacturer to get ’em cheaper, then ships them all out to buyers. I rarely do Massdrops as I’m usually too impatient, as some Massdrops (particularly if you get in early) straight up won’t ship for months. But, in browsing knives, keyboard caps, vaporizers, and the other dumb junk that Massdrop is packed with I actually found a super relevant drop which also ends really soon.
As of this writing, there’s 12 hours left to get in on getting the SteelSeries Stratus XL for $32.99 shipped. It originally started at $37.99 but enough people have joined the drop that they’ve unlocked the lower price. Considering they’re selling on Amazon for $69.97, this seems like a crazy deal for an MFi controller. Anyway, for some silly reason, linking to stuff on Massdrop is really hard as they don’t show you items unless you’re logged in.
Assuming you’ve never used Massdrop before, click this link and sign up. Once you’re signed up, either just search for SteelSeries Stratus or click this link. Plug all your order info in and they’ll ship you a SteelSeries Stratus XL on January 4th. (Remember what I said earlier about the waiting?)
If you’ve been waiting to buy an MFi controller for one to get really cheap, now is the time to buy. The closest thing we’ve seen to this is the smaller SteelSeries Stratus being sold for around $30 on sites like meh.com. This is the full size version which we liked when it first came out almost a year ago. If you want to spend a few more bucks, I’d pick up the SteelSeries Nimbus instead, as the Lightning charging capabilities is pretty sweet, but it’s hard to say if that’s worth the $20 premium over this controller.
