"One stick movement = 10 pushups" - GameSir teases a controller with four back buttons and up to 40kgs of adjustable stick tension for April Fools, but its commitment to the bit is puzzling me

As a gaming hardware journalist, this is always the most dangerous day of the year to check for news in the morning. April 1st always brings us some fun "fake" concepts because of April Fools', but I always think it's interesting to see what various gaming brands think would be funny to throw out at fans for a laugh. GameSir, for example, has chosen to play on some of the features fans have been crying out the loudest for.

"Introducing GameSir Cyclone 4", said a post on GameSir's social media (We haven't had a Cyclone 3 yet). "The tempest we've been calling for is here". Honestly, GameSir is so prolific at releasing a new best PC controller contender each month, I genuinely believed it was launching something.

The hypothetical Cyclone 4 would have four back buttons - something I've been begging this brand for in my reviews of its controllers for years now. And it's not just me, one of the most common requests I see in forum posts on Reddit and social media comments is that people want more than two back buttons on this brand's products.

Similarly, to match up with the popular FlyDigi controllers that have adjustable stick tension, people have been asking GameSir to include twisting thumbstick adjusters, like the ones found on the FlyDigi Vader 4 Pro.

The Cyclone 4 GameSir has been teasing today has both of these features, but this is where the joke started to become clear. Apparently, the Cyclone 4 would have a range of 4-40kgs of stick tension, and "One stick movement = 10 pushups." For reference, some of the best gaming chairs weigh less than 40kg, so to use that level of stick tension, you'd need truly jacked thumb strength.

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Amazingly, the GameSir Cyclone 4 would have four face buttons and four D-pad buttons, with the brand saying "Super accurate input, when you press the A button, the A will be pressed within game." As a controller reviewer, this is the part that truly impressed me - four buttons that actually work with their assigned input?? I've never seen that before. Crazy talk!

Sarcasm aside, I did find it interesting that GameSir also said its April Fools controller would have a 4KHz polling rate: "Faster than your own thoughts. The controller is already inputting 'GG' before you even realize you missed the shot," the brand said. The latest version of the GameSir G7 Pro is launching today with an 8K polling rate, so one can only imagine the telecenetic speed of that controller, which you can actually pre-order today through GameSir's website.

It must be said, though, GameSir is clearly listening to the requests from its fans. The brand wouldn't know to joke about including four back buttons and adjustable stick tension if it hadn't been listening to feedback and seeing people call out for them. Even if this is all some big joke, one reaction on Twitter did bring up an interesting response from GameSir.

"Don't play with my emotions like that," said @Saltminder_99, to which GameSir responded, "Actually......👀"

Does that mean the controller is actually coming in some shape or form? I'm not sure, but it could mean that "something" with these kinds of features is being worked on. GameSir is committing pretty hard to the bit, even going so far as to make a retail listing page on its website that has an email invite to notify you via email when it becomes available.

Furthermore, most gaming brands are happy just to do one April Fools post and let it disappear into the ether with all the funny reactions. But GameSir has now posted multiple times about the Cyclone 4, which is certainly one way to get people like me scratching their heads about whether something's actually being worked on or not.

For more, take a look at the best TMR controllers, the best Xbox Series X controllers, and the best PS5 controllers.