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Do you consider “pro” controllers as “pay 2 win”?

Do you consider “pro” controllers as “pay 2 win”?

  • Yes

    Votes: 21 9.7%
  • No

    Votes: 175 81.0%
  • Undecided/No Experience With These Controllers

    Votes: 20 9.3%

  • Total voters
    216
Xbox Elite models, upcoming Dualsense Edge from Sony, and the litany of other models from SCUF and its competitors. Controllers that offer any combination of rear paddles, trigger locks, adjustable stick tension, and additional sensitivity settings and/or tuning curves, etc.

Very clearly offer a competitive advantage for the user, and I would consider them as a pay 2 win but unfair? Hard to say.

I have the Series 2 Elite for my Series X, have really got into tuning it for CoD as for late. Full locked triggers with the sensitivity set to max, full stick tension, and rear paddles set so I never have to use the face buttons to take my right thumb off the stick. Have noticed since I’ve really dialed it in, and this is anecdotal as I cannot back it up with data, but I am winning at closer battles at a higher rate now.

Anyway, thoughts?
 
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HeisenbergFX4

Gold Member
I am better using my Elite controller in shooters than using a standard controller so to a degree I would have to answer yeah
 
No...it’s the same buttons but a different layout. i have friends who hate the back buttons and some who don't. It's more a matter of preference.
Sure, but it could also be argued that never having to take your fingers off the sticks gives you a slight advantage, as well as triggers that both engage earlier and have significantly less travel allowing for follow up shots. I feel like just using my Series 2 in CoD is like having another attachment on my weapon that buffs the living shit out of “sim down sights”.
 

HeisenbergFX4

Gold Member
I wouldn't worry about it. The people buying them are trying to compensate for a lack of skill.
John Candy No GIF by Laff
 

Danjin44

The nicest person on this forum
I haven’t bought any of those Elite controllers, but if I did I only play SP games so my reason getting those controllers mostly going to be for comfort rather than having any advantage over other players.
 
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AV

We ain't outta here in ten minutes, we won't need no rocket to fly through space
Not whatsoever. If someone's original pad breaks and they can only afford a cheap replacement, would that not make all regular controllers p2w in a sense..?
 

22•22

NO PAIN TRANCE CONTINUE
Yes. Halo Infinite as excample. Nuff said. Even with 2 backbuttons youre a couple inputs away of being in full control. Smh
 
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A.Romero

Member
Is having a competent home network and good network connection Pay 2 Win?

What about a bigger screen? Maybe a pro console or a better PC?

Are sports teams paying to win when they can afford to provide better equipment and quality of life to its members?

More at 11.
 

HTK

Banned
Yes, but you can apply this across the board.

  1. Monitors vs TVs (Monitors have a reduced response times and input lag) This is changing with OLEDs however.
  2. Monitor or TV at higher hz/fps 120 vs 60
  3. Headphones vs Speakers
  4. Ethernet vs Wi/Fi
  5. Pro Controllers vs Regular Controllers
So plenty of pay to win to go around.
 

ReBurn

Gold Member
No. Its not like they actually make you a pro. They just call them pro because it's nicer than "wastes so much time gaming that a more durable controller is required."
 

Skifi28

Member
They're more about extra comfort, it's still not moving/aiming for you or has rapid fire. I'd rather have them for SP rather than MP to be honest.
 

GymWolf

Member
Nah, i would still be everyone's bitch in any high level competitive fast paced shooter even with a 500 dollars controller.
 

baphomet

Member
They're more about extra comfort, it's still not moving/aiming for you or has rapid fire. I'd rather have them for SP rather than MP to be honest.

It's more so that they give you the ability to never have to remove your thumbs from the sticks. They're not particularly more comfortable than a standard controller.
 

Skifi28

Member
It's more so that they give you the ability to never have to remove your thumbs from the sticks. They're not particularly more comfortable than a standard controller.
Perhaps comfort was the wrong word. I wasn't talking specifically about the ergonomics, more about using the customisable buttons and tensions to set everything up like you want it. It's not necessarily making me a killing machine, but it does make me feel so much better while playing.
 
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Kacho

Gold Member
No. Using a superior input device is always ideal. Similar to how m&k shits all over controllers for fps/tps.
 

HoodWinked

Member
haven't thought of it that way but they definitely give you an advantage as it unlocks a higher skill/ability ceiling.

so ya you are paying for an advantage so technically it is pay to win. but kind of in the way of higher refresh screens and faster GPUs also give an advantage.
 
The difference seems negligable in practice. The only noticeable advantage one could have against other players would be mouse and keyboard in an FPS crossplay game.
 
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Pro controller almost alway refers to one catagory of games, online., and one genre, shooters.

So we must break down the term pro.

Racer buy wheels, fighters but arcade sticks, (except smash bros, you need a GameCube controller)

So now that we narrow the target audience, pro controllers and the player who use them still suck.
 

22•22

NO PAIN TRANCE CONTINUE
Yes. Halo Infinite as excample. Nuff said. Even with 2 backbuttons youre a couple inputs away of being in full control.

ITT its obvious those that dont play games where easy acces to more buttons results in a smoother/more competitively overal experience. Stupid takes all around.
 

HeisenbergFX4

Gold Member
Pro controller almost alway refers to one catagory of games, online., and one genre, shooters.

So we must break down the term pro.

Racer buy wheels, fighters but arcade sticks, (except smash bros, you need a GameCube controller)

So now that we narrow the target audience, pro controllers and the player who use them still suck.
Youre Wrong John C Mcginley GIF
 

22•22

NO PAIN TRANCE CONTINUE
Controller = being in control. Let's add fuctions what require more input buttons to be in control. Oh wait. We don't add those.

Enjoy your handicap..
 

Robb

Gold Member
No, you still have to play and use your own skill. That’d be like saying PC players ‘pay to win’ because they can play using m+kb or play at higher fps than console players due to better hardware.
 
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Mr Moose

Member
Scuf jumpers on CoD are annoying as fuck but I don't really think of it as pay to win.
I had this thing

and later on the Dualshock official back button thing but didn't use them to jump (the FPS Strike Pack had some mod shit that you can use recoil control and crap like that, I tried it against bots and it was impressive but never used in MP, cheating is bad, mmmkay).
 

hinch7

Member
Nah. They are premium controllers sold for a big markup.

Saying that, back buttons should've been made standard for all controllers this generation. Its so useful having those extra paddles on the Steam Deck, and able to map them to what you want.
 

SmokedMeat

Gamer™
No. You both have the same aim assist.

Either you’re good or you aren’t, you’re likely not going to win more because you’ve got extra buttons.
 

flying_sq

Member
No, I just think they feel nicer. I almost only play SP games and might use one of the extra buttons to make some random thing more convenient for me.
 
No, I consider pro controllers correcting a mistake that console developers continue to make. We should have moved on from face buttons being the "main" buttons on a controller years ago.
 
No. You both have the same aim assist.

Either you’re good or you aren’t, you’re likely not going to win more because you’ve got extra buttons.
trigger locks are for sure a major advantage especially when tuned to be hyper sensitive. someone without that feature simply cannot bring up their sights or pull the trigger as fast as someone with those features.
 

HeisenbergFX4

Gold Member
trigger locks are for sure a major advantage especially when tuned to be hyper sensitive. someone without that feature simply cannot bring up their sights or pull the trigger as fast as someone with those features.
I will cook someone with my EBR in COD with trigger locks VS someone who doesn't have them
 
If they offer macros and what not?

Well it depends if the others in the competition you are (assuming this is for pro players) have access to the same features.

If you play alone? who cares, I always got myself "turbo" controllers back in the days and it just made some games playable.
 
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