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[West Texas CEO]

There have been quite a few DualShock Controllers over the years, with a new DualShock being released with each generation. The overall shape of the controller has been altered slightly, allowing for a few new button arrangements and even some new buttons being introduced. Overall, I'd always preferred Xbox controllers over PlayStation, as they always felt a bit more comfortable. That is a semi-biased answer however, because until I bought a PS4 my consoles were always solely Xbox. But since I've purchased a PS4 I do prefer it to the Xbox One controls I own.

Only having the two PS consoles, I've only ever own the original DualShock Controller and the PS4 DualShock 4 controller.

Which one was your favorite overall?

 

[Bramble]

DualSense and it's not even close. Best features and best ergonomics and weight for me personally. Only disappointment is I cannot use my backbutton attachment on it.

 

[killatopak]

I don’t have a PS5 so I’m only able to choose DS1-4 and 3 is my favorite.

You can tell me that DS3 feels flimsier or less ergonomic than DS4 but my DS3 has never broken down on me or had short battery life. On the other hand my DS4s has a life span of two years before I get stick drift or soft buttons.

 

[Bankai]

DualSense really is amazing. Feels a little heavy at first, but the functionality really is something else.

On a sidenote, I still love the PS3's dualshock 3 d-pad. It's by far the best D-pad Playstation ever had. Even better than the PS5's.

 

[GymWolf]

Ds1 and ds2 because after that i discovered asymettrical sticks placement.

 

[HE1NZ]

DS3.

Best thumbsticks of all times. Infinite battery life. Very light, feature complete without intrusive gimmicks.

 

[ShirAhava]

#1 DualShock 4 v.2 (not the launch one that broke apart if you looked at it wrong) best all around controller the homer Simpson car of dualshocks

The PSX dualshock was also damn good

DS2, DS3 I had serious issues with battery life and then just stop functioning for no reason and then I couldn't find first party replacements while the systems were still being sold fuck those two honestly

Dualsense is ugly and seems to have issues as well but to be fair I haven't used it yet I know this is going to get a lot of votes because console warz

The SixAxis was kinda cool to use....for a day....shitty motion money grab

​

 

[Bo_Hazem]

DualSense is everything but better, so can't see others being better.

 

[bellome]

The Dualsense is on another level under many aspects.

 

[SJRB]

Ergonomics of the DualSense blows the other designs out of the water. It's an incredible evolution over the Dualshock.

The only issue I have with it is more software related than hardware and that's the yellow "mute" light is on at all times. I don't like that one bit and wish it was the other way - light on when mic is on. But that's a small detail.

 

[Zero7]

Dualsense by far, the most comfortable controller I've ever held. Nice balance between size and weight.

Dualshock 4 being my least favourite. Poor battery life, annoying light bar and poorly built

 

[Con-Z-epT]

The DualSense is overall the best for me.

The haptic feedback, adaptive triggers, improved speaker together with the new look elevate it to my first place.
The at best average battery life still feels like a slap in the face.


But i still like each iteration.

DualShock 4 has the best ergonomics to me since i have smaller hands.
And it introduced the touchpad which i really like.

DualShock 3 had awesome battery life and brought the six axis to the table.
It was still pretty weak plastic. If you twisted both hands away from each other it felt like you could break it apart easily.

The others i like for the nostalgia they bring me.

 

[OrionNebula]

DS2 I had serious issues with battery

You mean the dualshock 2 (wired) that came with every ps2?? How did you manage to do that?

 

[SoraNoKuni]

Stealth dualsense thread, if we liked a previous gen controller more then they would have hugely messed up.

 

[West Texas CEO]

Stealth dualsense thread, if we liked a previous gen controller more then they would have hugely messed up.

Nah, I know people who're still in love with the DualShock 2's heft and analog button.

Plus, PS5's aren't that pervasive at this point, but I still left the option to vote in.

 

[GaviotaGrande]

Dualsense is the first decent controller made by Sony.

 

[Burythelight]

Duel sense by far

 

[West Texas CEO]

Dualsense is the first decent controller made by Sony.

 

[Captain Toad]

Anyone who says anything other than DualSense is a damn liar (or hasn't yet used a PS5).

 

[R6Rider]

DualSense is amazing. I only wish it had a back button attachment like the DS4 has.

 

[HTK]

I love everything about the DualSense however the handles at the end have this sharp cut that stabs my pinky, and it's really uncomfortable. Everything else is great about it except that part for me.

 

[FunkMiller]

Anyone who says anything other than DualSense is a damn liar (or hasn't yet used a PS5).

 

[kunonabi]

Honestly I dont like any of them. Only decent Sony controller is the original PS1 controller. If I had to rate them:

Dual Sense > DS4 > DS1 > DS2 > DS3

 

[Naked Lunch]

DualShock1 is still the best Playstation controller. No gimmicks and the buttons still hold up for use today.

DS2's pressure sensitive buttons were never a good idea - made the controller mushy - and when you try to use one today, the pressure buttons have degraded beyond use.
I throw a celebration every time a PS2 game lets me use the PS1 controller - because not games all do.

DS3 is one of the worst controllers of all time. Worst triggers of any controller ive ever used. I had to buy a shitty 3rd party controller with better triggers just to play Gran Turismo.

DS4 and Dualsense: playing modern games, especially FPS, with symmetrical sticks is doing yourself and the game itself a disservice - inferior to the alternative.

 

[DevilMayFlyForAWhiteGuy]

I've never found PS controllers comfortable to use until PS4/DS4. While I haven't played a PS5 yet I'm willing to bet the Dualsense is the best just by looking at it.

 

[jm89]

Dualsense easily. Dualshock 4 feels cheap compared, and dualshock 3 lord knows how I used that for the PS3 gen.

 

[EverydayBeast]

Dualsense is the most efficient controller of all time that I enjoy I like the more space between buttons, there’s a lot going on with the Xbox controllers and Nintendo’s are all gimmicks.

 

[Con-Z-epT]

DS4 and Dualsense: playing modern games, especially FPS, with symmetrical sticks is doing yourself and the game itself a disservice - inferior to the alternative.

Highly subjective!

My stance is completely opposite. In my eyes it is way more natural to have the sticks in symmetric positions.
Since the technology is mostly the same through all manufacturers the core functionality is basically the same.

To say that the positioning of the analog sticks is inferior to one another is hyperbole at best.

 

[Con-Z-epT]

DualSense is amazing. I only wish it had a back button attachment like the DS4 has.

100% consent.

I also would like to see Sony doing a professional edition by bringing a customizable DualSense to market.
Variable colors, paddles, individual stick height and textures or increase in battery life.

It really wonders my why they haven't already with the DualShock 4.

 

[KellyNole]

Dual shock 4 was the first Sony controller that did not give me hand cramps. Dualsense made everything better than the DS4, so Dualsense for me.

 

[MiguelItUp]

For me, DualSense through and through.

As I got older the PS1, PS2, and PS3 controllers just felt lacking and too small. I was REALLY happy with the PS4 controller, but then the DualSense just improved on everything else.

I put SO much time in Demon's Souls, and that controller just felt better and better with time. Not even exaggerating.

On PC, I think I still lean towards liking PlayStation controllers more for third person experiences, and Xbox controllers for first person experiences. Every other genre is kind of up in the air.

 

[mansoor1980]

dual shock 2

 

[sackings]

DS2 and DualSense are the best, quality control issues aside. Not a fan of DS3/Sixaxis L2/R2 curved triggers. DualSense is pretty much a better DS4

 

[Imru’ al-Qays]

By the standard of their respective generations:

DualShock 1 was worse than the Saturn controller but better than the N64 controller. For games that actually took advantage of the left analog stick it was better than the Saturn controller but not by much, since the Saturn d-pad is actually not that bad for 3D movement. Almost no games this gen made proper use of the right stick.

DualShock 2 was better than the Gamecube, Xbox, and especially Dreamcast controllers.

DualShock 3 was worse than the 360 controller for most games (better for fighting games), obviously both were vastly superior to Wii waggle.

DualShock 4 is about even with the Xbox One controller and the Switch Pro controller.

DualSense is better than the Xbox Series controller.

The worst was the DualShock 3 for sure. Just a poorly designed controller overall: shit triggers, shit analog sticks, and a rough d-pad that hurt your thumb. At least it had good battery life. All the other DualShocks have been at or near the top for their respective generations.

 

[sainraja]

I never had any issues with any of the Dualshock controllers. It's been my favorite controller with each generation (but this point is no longer important to me because I feel like the Xbox pad now is pretty good too. I just didn't like the camel hump for the battery that the X360 controller had.)

I did like the DS1-3 controllers but eventually came to prefer concave sticks over the convex sticks that the DS1-3 had. I am pretty adaptable though so the controller would have to go out of its way to be uncomfortable for me.

 

[MeatSafeMurderer]

Nah, I know people who're still in love with the DualShock 2's heft and analog button.

Not just the heft and analog buttons (DS3 had those too)...but its rumble. Rumble post DS2 has always been weaksauce, to the point where I preferred just turning it off. Also the analog sticks, something changed between the DS2 and 3, the DS2's are firmer and of a better build quality, even after years of use.

 

[ksdixon]

PS4 pad feels comfier than PS5 to me. PS5's features in astrobot were cool though.

 

[Jaysen]

I thought it was the DualShock 4 because I hate the ergonomics of the Dualsense, but after using one for the first time in months this week, the DS4 feels like a poorly made toy.

 

[Krappadizzle]

Don't really like the build quality of the DS4 at all, but of all the ones I've used it's the best feeling in the hands. Will try DualSense one day I'm sure down the road when I eventually get a PS5.

 

[FloatingIslands]

Dualshock 3. It perfected the dualshock line. Best battery life and sturdy.

 

[Rodolink]

dualsense is fucking amazing, ergonomic wise is the best for me, i would replace the dpad and face buttons though, with those of the DS4 which just feel better.

 

[Dream-Knife]

I went with Dualshock 2 because I like the size of the controller and the domed sticks.

Ergonomically the dualsense is the best. They copied the ergos of an Xbox controller but with symmetrical sticks.

 

[akaFullmetal]

They started well on psone and have made incremental changes every gen and I think the dual sense is almost perfect now.

 

[Spukc]

Prolly the first because that fucking pos didnt break when you looked at it

 

[Con-Z-epT]

I can't get over the GIF.

It made my day so much better. Is it a fox?

 

[BusierDonkey]

I have every Dualshock made in the house, I've only held the Dualsense once and I'm sure feature-wise it's better than the others but the DS4 feels much better to hold than the Dualsense. The DS4 doesn't feel as good to hold as the Switch Pro, WiiU Pro, Xbox 360 or more recent Xbox controllers though. On top of that I also prefer offset stick placement or symmetrical like the WiiU Pro controller.

The OG PS and DS1-DS3 are among my least favorite pack-in controllers. They were very small in my hands, I didn't like the ergonomics and the analog triggers were just the worst, even with attachments. I didn't like the stick shape and I never liked the segmented d-pad Sony uses. The DS4 was a huge step up in ergonomics but had some issues of it's own.

 

[MasterDerico]

People voting on a 6 months life gamepad, well done...

For me, ds2,3 and 4 are all awesome. But i wont give my vote, sell my truth, and say DualSense is the best. It's good to play, but best ? Best is a composition of all factors, including longevity.

 

[TexMex]

For the Dual Shock, every generation has been better than the last. So Dual Sense is king.

 

[Aenima]

Dualshock 4 was already a massive improvement compared to other dualshock controllers, Dualsense is an improvement over DS4.

So Dualsense is easily the best controller Sony ever made.

 

[waquzy]

Dualsense, nothing else comes close.