It’s comfy (though I am very familiar with xbox stick configuration), well finished with a rubberised feel, the sticks (and triggers) are wonderful and there are a couple of interchangeable ones in the box, it’s xbox, so games just recognise it and work with no fuss (presuming they have controller support). It’s the best controller I have used, easily.
There is some underside flippers, for more button controls, but I don’t use them as they require signing into and MS Store app to configure, but other than that, its great, though yes, pricey.
Oh and for PC, you will need to use it wired, unless you throw down another 10-20 for the separate wireless dongle.
It’s true that barely any games support it out of the box, but I thought the Ps4 controller was well-supported in Steam’s Big Picture Mode. You set it up and any game that has Xbox controller support will map to it. I haven’t tried it myself yet, but is that not the case?
Google SCPToolkit. It’s a driver that will convert your PS4 controller to an XBox One controller. Then the only drawback is that games refer to a-b-x-y, instead of square - circle - triangle - whatever. But, the default setups in game are much more solid.
On a side-note, SCP also supports PS3 controllers, and I still use mine with my PC, wireless too.
I use the PS4 controller regularly in Steam Big Picture mode (Beta), both wired and with the wireless dongle. Maybe the PS4 support hasn’t left beta yet?
I love the PS4 controller more than the 360 controller. Is the xbox one controller better?
It depends. The first run of Xbone controllers have really bad shoulder buttons. The newer revisions are better.
I still can’t get over how good the xbox 360 controller has been. Using that for years now. Ruined by a terrible d-pad, but for retro games I use a usb snes-like controller with a better d-pad.
I am currently using an old, wired 360 controller on PC, and while it works, I also feel that there should be something better by now. Reading through the (relatively) recent replies in this thread, the verdict appears to be that the Elite might be an upgrade, but both here and online I find loads of references to the poor quality of the hardware. Combined with the price, I’m hesitant to try it…
So, has anything changed in the last 3,5 years? Is there a pc-controller available today that is clearly superior to the wired 360, and also reliable? Or should I just stick to my old and trusted current controller?
I would stick with the wired 360 controller, that’s still what I use most of the time.
So bonuses:
Xbox One controllers are nice, they have better feedback in the triggers compared to the 360 controllers, which racing games use very nicely. But the LB/RB buttons go bad quite frequently. I’ve had two RB buttons go bad on me.
Xbox Series controllers are nice, much improved d-pad over the 360 and XB1 controllers. I much prefer to use this one over the XB1 controller if I’m going to use the d-pad in a game, plus the LB/RB buttons still work fine after a year of high use, which is a good sign.
Xbox Elite 2 controller - Yeah, I got a used one, and the hilarious thing is that the refurbished unit I got for $88 came in a state where the RB button didn’t work at all! So I had to sadly return it. But yeah, it felt amazing in my hands, but besides the RB button not working, the padding they had on top of the controller that felt so nice seemed to be coming off. So I only had it briefly but it created a really positive impression (as well as a slightly negative one).
PS4 Controller - These are nice, a million times better than the awful sixaxis and PS2 controllers for first person shooters and racing games. But I do prefer the Xbox controller family.
Overall I tend to use the wired 360 controller on the PC 90% of the time. And switch to the Xbox Series controller if I’m going to use the d-pad extensively or the higher quality triggers in a racing game.
I’ve been reading up on PC controllers, thinking of replacing my 10 years old Logitech gamepad (to its credit after thousands of hours it is still working). According to my research, the best PC controller is…
PS5 controller. Xbox controllers are fine, but personally breaking symmetry and switching the position of D-pad and left stick is unforgivable. PS5 controller improves on PS4 controller with haptic feedback, so it doesn’t just have to rumble but can give other kinds of physical feedback. If this catches on there will be lots of games taking advantage of it. Even as a vanilla gamepad, it looks sexy and by all accounts solidly built.
I have been tempted by the PS5 controller as well. But feedback at Digital Foundry and other places seems to be that Astro’s Playground used it really well (the additional haptic feedback and adaptive triggers), but no other games have really taken advantage of it well. So I’m still keeping an eye on that. if more PC games come that use it well, I might get one. I prefer the asymmetry of the Xbox side.
If the wired 360 controller still works fine, and you don’t care about wireless, I’d just stick with that. The Xbone/Series and Elite controllers are better, sure, but not so much better to be worth spending the money on just because. PS5 controller would also be possible, but it doesn’t play as nicely with most Windows games as Xbox controllers do. If you don’t mind some inaccurate button prompts, though, it should be fine.
I have used the PS4 and 5 controllers, and that’s really my only complaint. Sometimes I had to use DS4Windows but with SteamInput these days I can’t remember the last time I had to use that.
I have small hands and prefer the PS style to Xbox, but if that wasn’t the case I would probably just stick with xbox for the slightly better integration.
Thanks for the replies! I do prefer the PS controllers to the old Xbox 360, as far as size, layout and comfort are concerned. But I also want to make sure the controller is compatible without any issues or additional modding (not my strongest side…), and I thought that would not be the case. If I am wrong about that (as Gendal says), and the issues aren’t any bigger than inaccurate button prompts, then a PS5 controller would probably my best bet. Going to look into that!
I’m already on my second PS5 controller that’s exhibiting stick dead zone issues. I’m not hard on them but they get a lot of use - even still, wearing out two controllers in a little over a year makes them tough for me to recommend.
The wired 360 controller is a workhorse. So reliable and long-lasting. Going on 15 years of daily use now. No issues. I wish I could buy more, instead of just having the one I got back then.
I’ve yet to give up my old wired xbox 360 controller just because of the offset sticks. My thumb rests much more naturally on the offset one than it does on a ps4 controller. This probably just comes from getting used to it… my right thumb has no issue apparently…
I replaced my 360 controller because the USB slot got bent to the point it doesn’t reliably stay connected. I wound up going with a Turtle Beach Recon. It’s a nice replacement for a series X or One, and if you connect a 3.5mm headset or earbuds then it has on-device audio controls. So far, so good.
So some time back I wanted to replace my aging and slightly drifting 360 pads on PC so, knowing they were built like tanks, decided to buy a pair of Xbox One controllers. Both of them, when connected wirelessly or wired kept missing A button presses so they were promptly sent back and that was that. No more Xbox One controllers for me. Shame too because they felt great. Since then I’ve been looking for good replacements that will work outside of Steam.
I’ve been looking at the 8BitDo Pro 2 controller. 8BitDo have their own Bluetooth adapter but it only allows one controller to connect to it which increases the cost if I’m buying a pair (I play a fair bit of local multiplayer so need options) so would buying a different Bluetooth adapter or card be a better idea? Would I be able to connect multiple controllers to one? And would I have to faff with third-party software and drivers and stuff if I foregoed 8BitDo’s adapter? I’m wary of weak signals and losing connection but also don’t want my PC’s USB sockets stuffed with 8BitDo bricks. Wired is more convenient but… no more wires, please. My old world 360 pad receiver has been absolutely flawless whereas the Xbox One controllers really struggled beyond a metre away from my old PC (the mobo Bluetooth was probably bollocks).
So… any advice on the wireless situation for multiple controllers?
I bought a wired Razer Wolverine v2 and the 20th Anniversary controller recently.
For mobo BT make sure you have the coaxial wire things or there is no reception at all. BT is laggy compared to the native USB receiver did you try rhat
I didn’t get any USB receivers for the Xbox One controllers (additional cost and I wanted to try the mobo BT first but encountered the A button issues anyway). My new PC doesn’t have BT unfortunately, the one thing I overlooked. The Wolverine looks good, will investigate.
