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  • There is no perfect controller…

    …But I do have a list of features I would want my perfect controller to have based off all the controllers that have ever been made :

    • TMR joystick modules (successor to Hall effect sticks)
    • adjustable tension springs and locking mechanism for varied stick cap types (Xbox Elite series 2 does most of this but uses magnetic caps which would interfere with the TMR sticks so ball bearing connections or other option would be preferable)
    • 6 DOF / gyro sensors + infrared camera (Wii Motion Plus)
    • Adaptive haptic triggers (PS5) which can be toggled to hair trigger mode via switches (Xbox Elite series 2)
    • multi-touchpad on face (PS5)
    • analog face buttons (DualShock 2 controller had this but only a few games utilized this… the best example was the PS2 era Metal Gear Solid games)
    • customizable “per-button” color assignment / micro OLED or e-ink screens so button graphics can be swapped (PBTails new controller does the per button RGB color assignment)
    • USB-C / 4 wired connectivity + charging
    • baseplate contact-charging (PS5 controller has these so you can set them on charging docks)
    • hot swappable battery pack + AA battery holder pack or ability to not have a battery on at all when connected via USB-C (Xbox 360 controller had this)
    • swappable non-magnetic Zinc-alloy faceplates (PBTails new controller has these)
    • removable back triggers with dedicated button assignments (like the Steam Deck’s L4/5 and R4/5 buttons; not just cloned face buttons like Sony and XBox do)
    • integrated microphone with hardware toggle (PS5)
    • proper “separate keys” d-pad… not the mushy type
    • touch-sensitive surfaces for every button and stick (Meta / Oculus Quest controllers do this)
    • per-finger-joint touch sensitive grips for each finger segment (Valve’s VR controllers did this)
    • the ability to separate the halves of the controller so that each hand could hold one half independently and have them track similar to most standard VR controllers (think combining the switch controllers and Quest controllers)
    • NFC communication (Amiibo-stuff for example)

    If any single controller did even half of this, they’d easily be the GOAT.

  • not a separate controller but the steam deck controller.

    if that doesn't count then it's the Stadia controller.

  • I have been playing videogames since 1992. Went through almost every controller design possible. From the modern ones, I never liked the layout from the playstation so sticked to Xbox. At the moment I'm using a GameSir T4 Kaleid and absolutely loving it. Mechanical buttons and hall effect joystick are very nice. Since I've had it only for a year I can't say anything about reliability. Most reliable Xbox controllers in order are Xbox classic controller S, 360, One. After that every single one is bad IMO. Series controller start to drift pretty fast, same as both elites. So at the moment my most favourite is the Xbox One controller 2nd revision (1708) also known as Xbox one S controller but if the GameSir won't break for the next couple of years it will be the top one for me.

    I hope more first party controllers will get a proper higher tier version with real reliable parts like everything hall effect and mechanical buttons...

  • PS2. Before all the unnecessary extra expense got added in.

    • I'm not sure what you are referring to here. The Dual Shock 2 was the standard PS2 controller throughout its lifetime.

      Do you mean the OG PlayStation, which had the standard controller, then the dual analogue stick, and finally the Dual Shock with the two analogue sticks plus rumble?

      I liked the analogue sticks, loved Katamari. Rumble didn't add enough.

      • I like the sticks and rumble. By extra stuff I meant like haptic triggers and stuff like that in the newest controllers.

        The old standard Playstation controller. With sticks and rumble.

        I own a Series S. And I've been looking for a PS pattern Xbox controller forever. But I've never found one.

  • To be specific, the Xbox One Elite controller. I really liked the Series 2 but it fell apart on me. I never had much issue with the original. I'm a glutton for punishment though, and I'd get another Series 2. I don't mind working on them so it isn't the biggest deal

    I really love the Switch Pro controller, but I wish it had analog triggers. I also have love for the GameCube controller. I am at home with the N64 controller, but I can't say it's a favorite

    It's probably because I have bias, but I've never cared for any of Sony's offerings. Something about the sticks doesn't feel right with both being at the bottom

    • My series 1 ended up developing a pretty bad flaw with the input chip and is dead-dead. It also developed a sticky X button right away, which I could repair but went back to not being perfect. The Series 2 has been more reliable, but I also use it less.

    • I grew up with the PS Dualshock and Dualshock 2 controllers. They were all I ever knew as a kid. But, I absolutely prefer the XBox layout now as well. Something about it just works better for me. On the other hand, my wife also only knew PS growing up and she just can't get used to the XBox layout.

      • I can switch between any controller and not think about it. My poor partner has to try to keep up with what console or PC and controllers we are using

  • Oh, how long do you have.

    First of all, favorite for what? For accesibility reasons if it's not a dual stick game I am defaulting to a fightbox-type device these days. I favor a WASD configuration, rather than a thumb-for-up configuration and I currently favor a tiny, minimalist haute board box with cherry switches (blue for buttons, greys for WASD). It's great, it lies on my desktop and it causes minimal strain even in high APM games.

    For dual stick stuff, it again depends. Is this a shooter where aiming is a factor? Because then I'm gonna want some gyro. The DualSense is amazing to hold, just bonkers build quality. It is heavy and ugly as sin, though. It also doesn't work perfectly with every PC game, so it feels like a hassle to use it as my default. There's the KK3, which has gyro in Switch mode and seems to be less fussy than the DualSense. Plus they are trying to sell their hall effect sticks to third parties, so those are very smooth. It is a jack of all trades, though, and I actively hate KK's dumb extra button configuration, with start and select all the way at the top, I keep pressing the screenshot buttons by accident.

    If there's no twitch aiming, and thus no major need for gyro, Victrix's Pro BFG is fun. It has modular design where you can put the dpad on either location. The dpad isn't great, but hey, the fightbox's there for that. It does have a six button configuration, too, if you're a controller fighting game guy. The best feature, though? Replaceable eight-way gates for the sticks, Gamecube-style. If you're a Smash guy or emulating Gamecube it's such a no-brainer high end replacement.

    But honestly? Honestly?

    The JoyCon.

    I know people hate the JoyCon, but the idea of a split controller is amazing to me, and everybody else who has tried to do it, Lenovo Legion Go included, gets it wrong. The big handles aren't the answer without a middle segment to hold the controllers. The two little boards are fantastic for 3D action games, the amount of tech in such a small frame is astounding and the button-based dpad is so good I'm using fightboxes on the regular now. It's a shame there are some reliability issues, but I would buy a device just like it for PC tomorrow if they could sort out connectivity reliably.

  • I haven't tried everything out there, but so far nothing I've tried is true perfection. The controller I use as daily driver for my PC is an Xbox 360 controller, which I find extremely nice - except for the D-pad. It also lacks the fancy tricks of the PS5 controller - a controller I Iike less for ergonomics but love for stuff like haptic feedback.

  • Although I grew up with Playstation controllers in my hands, ever since I tried an XBox 360 controller I never went back. I've been using XBone controllers on my PC for years now, and I just love the ergonomics of them in my hand, the clicky D-pad, the rounded buttons. I've always hated the PS dpad, it hurts my thumb. Now, I probably won't keep buying "original" XBox controllers, but anything with that shape and feels that comfortable in my hand, will be my choice.

  • I picked up a Gamesir x2 recently and it really ticks all but one of the boxes for me. It's a liiiiittle too big to carry around in a pocket, and a liiiittle too small if you've got bigger hands, but its still great at what it does.

    • +1 for the Gamesir, completely dropped sitting at my desktop. Now my main screen is for shows and the secondary is for game streaming through SteamLink.

      I grabbed the X2 because it seemed the most compact without sacrificing triggers or joysticks, but I now think the G8 would have been a better choice with the larger grip

      • Yeah I'm thinking the same. The X2 was my pick because I wanted something the size of a DS, but its just a little too big for that. I'll be picking up a g8 to replace it later since it seems like a better fit for using around the house.

  • I can't say I've ever really liked a controller, so I never experimented with fancy ones. The one that was the most fine was the ps controller. the joycon was ok until drift kicked in. The xbox controller made my hands hurt after too long. I think if I'd had more xbox games back then I would have gotten more into controllers to find one for my tiny hands. I mostly prefer a keyboard.

  • The PS5 controller is pretty sweet.

    But the PS1 Dualshock is the original version of that, and has influenced basically everything since. It's the Ocarina of Time of controllers.

    That second analogue stick fixed everything to do with cameras in early 3D games.

    For VR it's the Oculus Touch. Takes everything about the classic Dualshock design and adds hand tracking.

  • Right now, a kind of weird one: the Bridget MX, from SGF Devices. It's a 3D printed, all-button controller for fighting games. They don't make that specific model now (it was a very early one), but this is the closest to it: https://sgfdevices.com/products/bridget-pe

    At first I thought that not having a joystick would make games kind of boring. Like, too practical, not enjoyable. But no, it's actually fun. Kind of like tapping out notes on a piano. It uses low-profile mechanical keyboard switches, and I have some stiffer, clickier switches on the way right now.

    It's meant for fighting games (Street Fighter, etc.), but I've used it for some 2D platformers and it worked great for those, too.

    A non-3D-printed, less cheapo one would probably be even more fun to use, but I think I'll stick with this one for now.

137 comments