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IGN: The Best Video Game Controllers

Tschumi

Member
In my personal experience it's probably:

1 - ds4
2 - GameCube
3 - og xbox
4 - dualsense
5 - ds3
6 - Xbox Series s controller
7 - ds2
8 - ds1
9 - n64
10 - Dreamcast (hurt my fingers)
11 - sega megadrive
 
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GymWolf

Member
Imagine having one of the most shittier controller ever at number 3, oh ign you are the ignorant who keeps on not being ignored enough...
 

Tschumi

Member
I don't know why people hate ds4, i played with them for years and never had a problem. Never had to buy new ones. And mine were second hand to begin with. Loved the improvements over previous dualshocks.. yep..

I guess it's possible that, like with many things, YouTube content creators beat up their controllers until something broke then made a narrative about it for the interweb to eat up?

I often hold that cyberpunk never bugged, as hard as content creators made it seem, in my 200 hours of play across two platforms (ps4 pro and mid range pc), and that they probably used third party software to disable the ai at funny moments or something to cook a blooper video...
 
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GymWolf

Member
I don't know why people hate ds4, i played with them for years and never had a problem. Never had to buy new ones. And mine were second hand to begin with. Loved the improvements over previous dualshocks.. yep..

I guess it's possible that, like with many things, YouTube content creators beat up their controllers until something broke then made a narrative about it for the interweb to eat up?

I often hold that cyberpunk never bugged, as hard as content creators made it seem, in my 200 hours of play across two platforms (ps4 pro and mid range pc), and that they probably used third party software to disable the ai at funny moments or something to cook a blooper video...

Because it's a shit controller?!


Stick rubber that peels off

Shitty usb port location and how flimsy it is

Ultra shitty battery life

Useless gimmicks like touchpad and light (i know it's used for vr, but for the 99% of people without vr is just useless and annoying in a dark room)

Mediocre building quality if you don't have the hand strenght of a 5 years old.


Between ds4 and joycons we had probably the worst gen ever when it comes to controllers, even the xone pad was inferior to the x360 one.

I had 2 ds4, barely used since i mostly play on pc and they still had all the flaws i listed.


I had to buy a nacon revolution 2 pro for my ps4 because the ds4 was that bad.
 
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Tschumi

Member
Because it's a shit controller?!


Stick rubber that peels off

Shitty usb port location and how flimsy it is

Ultra shitty battery life

Useless gimmicks like touchpad and light (i know it's used for vr, but for the 99% of people without vr is just useless and annoying in a dark room)

Mediocre building quality if you don't have the hand strenght of a 5 years old.


Between ds4 and joycons we had probably the worst gen ever when it comes to controllers, even the xone pad was inferior to the x360 one.

I had 2 ds4, barely used since i mostly play on pc and they still had all the flaws i listed.


I had to buy a nacon revolution 2 pro for my ps4 because the ds4 was that bad.
Alright.

My stick rubber never peeled off. the usb port was never flimsy and didn't bother me. i liked the light to know when it was charging/charged, turned its intensity down in console settings. I never thought the touchpad was bad, few games that i played used it as anything but another button or two in my experience. My controllers never broke and my hands are strong as any serial masturbator's hands would be.

My controllers also never ran out of battery

So i guess you had bad luck. Or i had good. Whatever. Do you live in a really hot county? The rubber grip on my SteelSeries mouse detached a few summers ago...
 
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kingfey

Banned
How does duel shock 4 is better than xbox one/x360 controller?

Xbox one/360 are very smooth to use. Compared to duel shock 4. Especially with the way they fit your hands.
 

GymWolf

Member
Alright.

My stick rubber never peeled off. the usb port was never flimsy and didn't bother me. i liked the light to know when it was charging/charged, turned its intensity down in console settings. I never thought the touchpad was bad, few games that i played used it as anything but another button or two in my experience. My controllers never broke and my hands are strong as any serial masturbator's hands would be.

So i guess you had bad luck. Or i had good. Whatever. Do you live in a really hot county? The rubber grip on my SteelSeries mouse detached a few summers ago...
Dude, all of these are extremely famous and common problems like the drift in the shitcons, especially the sticks, the battery life and how shit is the usb port, if you put you controller in a flat surface while charging it's gonna break because the position is shit, they learned with the ds5 at least.

Try to squeeze and torque a bit your ds4 and then try the same with a x360 or even the inferior xone one and see if it feels the same build quality to you...

Ds4 to ds5 must be the biggest jump in quality ever when it comes to controllers, and i don't even cream my pants like some people for the gimmicks in that pad, but the upgrade is still gigantic.
 
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JLB

Banned
Here's the list:

10. Wiimote
9. SNES Controller
8. WaveBird (wireless gamecube controller)
7. Xbox 360 Controller
6. Switch Pro Controller
5. PS5 DualSense Controller
4. Xbox Adaptive Controller (What the fuck is this?)
3. DualShock 4 PS4 Controller
2. Astro C40 TR4 PS4 Controller (Ok?)
1. Xbox Elite Series 2 (Xbox S/X Controller)

Go burn in Hell for not listing the Sega Saturn controller, which is by far the greatest gamepad for 2D games and fighting games.

xbox adaptive controller should be easily #1
 

GymWolf

Member
How does duel shock 4 is better than xbox one/x360 controller?

Xbox one/360 are very smooth to use. Compared to duel shock 4. Especially with the way they fit your hands.
tenor.gif
 

rofif

Can’t Git Gud
wtf list.
I would vote for 360. Not because it is the best now but because it was a milestone.
Now, Dualsense is my fav depending on how well the r2 springs hold up.
I would put series higher but I don't like clickt (like mouse clicky) buttons on a controller
 

Tschumi

Member
Dude, all of these are extremely famous and common problems like the drift in the shitcons, especially the sticks, the battery life and how shit is the usb port, if you put you controller in a flat surface while charging it's gonna break because the position is shit, they learned with the ds5 at least.

Try to squeeze and torque a bit your ds4 and then try the same with a x360 or even the inferior xone one and see if it feels the same build quality to you...

Ds4 to ds5 must be the biggest jump in quality ever when it comes to controllers, and i don't even cream my pants like some people for the gimmicks in that pad, but the upgrade is still gigantic.
I don't see the point in torquing a controller :p

Anyway, yeah like i said i never had those problems, so for me it was my favourite controller, but i think i was just lucky.

Dualsense is fantastic sure.

... Don't torque this one either lol
 

sainraja

Member
I don't see the point in torquing a controller :p

Anyway, yeah like i said i never had those problems, so for me it was my favourite controller, but i think i was just lucky.

Dualsense is fantastic sure.

... Don't torque this one either lol

I still have all the DS4 controllers I bought (well, minus two since I sold my PS4 + PS4 Pro) and I had no issues with any of them whatsoever. The only DS4 that I had an issue with was a faulty one from the beginning (it was the PS1 anniversary version and I think the square button didn't register all the clicks) and I forgot to go to Best Buy within the warranty period, but outside of that, no issues and got them all still. I don't know how people use their controllers lol.

EDIT
Forgot to specify how many....I had 6, until I sold my PS4/Pro. I go the extras because of special editions (Last of Us/PS1) and the nice steel gray ones (love the controllers in that color).
 
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Tschumi

Member
I still have all the DS4 controllers I bought (well, minus two since I sold my PS4 + PS4 Pro) and I had no issues with any of them whatsoever. The only DS4 that I had an issue with was a faulty one from the beginning and I forgot to go to Best Buy within the warranty period, but outside of that, no issues and got them all still. I don't know how people use their controllers lol.
ikr?

"If I can't throw it against a wall when i die in battlefield it's a shit controller" lol
 

Topher

Gold Member
xbox adaptive controller should be easily #1

Shouldn't be on the list at all, imo. It stands alone in the accessibility category, but the vast majority of people don't use it. If it truly were among the "best" then it would be more widely used. Including it here is akin to virtue signaling, imo.
 

GymWolf

Member
I don't see the point in torquing a controller :p

Anyway, yeah like i said i never had those problems, so for me it was my favourite controller, but i think i was just lucky.

Dualsense is fantastic sure.

... Don't torque this one either lol
Gimme 6 numbers, i need some luck for the next superenalotto extraction.
 

Warnen

Don't pass gaas, it is your Destiny!
Yep Xbox elite is the best bar none. Played destiny 2 for years with a dual shock and man was I happy when cross save was went into effect.

using some 3rd party elite style controller on my pc now, feels so good.
 

sainraja

Member
I share that opinion. To the point I've bought an adapter to play PS games with an Xbox controller.
Stubborness is a thing ;) (kidding, ofcourse!).

You and him share that opinion AND that is completely OK. Just like it is for others to feel the opposite.
 
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BigBeauford

Member
DS4 had terrible build quality. Picking it up, you could feel the cheapness by how light it was. Giving it a moderate squeeze, the controller had a ton of give. I had to put thumbstick covers on because my stick rubber was disintegrating in less than a year. Terrible battery life. There is no way the switch pro controller should be ranked lower.
 

ReBurn

Gold Member
I still have all the DS4 controllers I bought (well, minus two since I sold my PS4 + PS4 Pro) and I had no issues with any of them whatsoever. The only DS4 that I had an issue with was a faulty one from the beginning (it was the PS1 anniversary version and I think the square button didn't register all the clicks) and I forgot to go to Best Buy within the warranty period, but outside of that, no issues and got them all still. I don't know how people use their controllers lol.

EDIT
Forgot to specify how many....I had 6, until I sold my PS4/Pro. I go the extras because of special editions (Last of Us/PS1) and the nice steel gray ones (love the controllers in that color).
4 of the 6 DS4's I bought broke for one reason or another. Faulty sticks and dead shoulder buttons mostly but one wouldn't hold a charge any more. I've bought two new ones fairly recently because all of my others were broken from normal use. It is a comfortable controller but in my experience it's not very well made.
 

Salmon

Member
DualShock 4 for the PS4?! Haha! What? Are they serious? It's one of the worst controllers ever made. It's plastic as hell, laughable battery life, wrongly placed thumbsticks, bad thumbsticks overall, that requires that you put our own rubber tips on them. Super low quality shoulders buttons also. Underwhelming feedback from the motors. Reminds me of something like a toddlers toy. Wow!
 
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sainraja

Member
4 of the 6 DS4's I bought broke for one reason or another. Faulty sticks and dead shoulder buttons mostly but one wouldn't hold a charge any more. I've bought two new ones fairly recently because all of my others were broken from normal use. It is a comfortable controller but in my experience it's not very well made.
All mine are still working and no issues at all outside of the one I mentioned. Experiences obviously vary but no one should be making any definitive conclusions just based on these accounts — I had to get a TV show series replaced 5 times because each one I got and replaced had a disc in it with scratches (and wouldn't play), where the way we solved it in the end was by basically swapping discs from the last two I had issues with, with ones that were fine. Sometimes, it can just be bad luck.

EDIT
Not trying to dismiss but I wonder how the ones that have issues, handle their controllers vs the ones that don't have issues, handle their controllers. I've never really had any weird or extreme issues others say with any controller for any console (minus the PS1 special edition I mentioned and the Series 2 controller I have, that I have mentioned in another thread — with both of these, it was one button not registering clicks.)
 
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GymWolf

Member
DS4 had terrible build quality. Picking it up, you could feel the cheapness by how light it was. Giving it a moderate squeeze, the controller had a ton of give. I had to put thumbstick covers on because my stick rubber was disintegrating in less than a year. Terrible battery life. There is no way the switch pro controller should be ranked lower.
Weight doesn't always traduce in good build quality, i just bought a switch pro controller and the thing is a lightweight but better builded than a ds4 (not on nacon\microsoft level tho)

But yeah i vastly prefer bulky\weighty controllers in general.
 
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BigBeauford

Member
Weight doesn't always traduce in good build quality, i just bought a switch pro controller and the thing is a lightweight but better builded than a ds4 (not on nacon\microsoft level tho)

But yeah i vastly prefer bulky\weighty controllers in general.
Ds4 weight = 7.4 Oz
Pro controller = 8.8 Oz

The extra weight feels much sturdier in the hands. The plastic in the pro is resistant to flex compared to the ds4.
 

GymWolf

Member
Ds4 weight = 7.4 Oz
Pro controller = 8.8 Oz

The extra weight feels much sturdier in the hands. The plastic in the pro is resistant to flex compared to the ds4.
Oh, it's been a while since i used my ds4 so you may be right.

But for my taste, the switch pro is still a bit too light, i loved my nacon revolution 2 pro because you can put additional weights in it.
 

JLB

Banned
Shouldn't be on the list at all, imo. It stands alone in the accessibility category, but the vast majority of people don't use it. If it truly were among the "best" then it would be more widely used. Including it here is akin to virtue signaling, imo.

Its simply not widely used because its target audience is not the majority of gamers. Now, if popularity / number of users is the only important metric, then lets put touch controls #1 and close this thread.
 

ReBurn

Gold Member
All mine are still working and no issues at all outside of the one I mentioned. Experiences obviously vary but no one should be making any definitive conclusions just based on these accounts — I had to get a TV show series replaced 5 times because each one I got and replaced had a disc in it with scratches (and wouldn't play), where the way we solved it in the end was by basically swapping discs from the last two I had issues with, with ones that were fine. Sometimes, it can just be bad luck.

EDIT
Not trying to dismiss but I wonder how the ones that have issues, handle their controllers vs the ones that don't have issues, handle their controllers. I've never really had any weird or extreme issues others say with any controller for any console (minus the PS1 special edition I mentioned and the Series 2 controller I have, that I have mentioned in another thread — with both of these, it was one button not registering clicks.)
Ah, the old "you must mistreat your controllers because mine never broke" line. Nope, just normal use.
 

Topher

Gold Member
Its simply not widely used because its target audience is not the majority of gamers. Now, if popularity / number of users is the only important metric, then lets put touch controls #1 and close this thread.

It isn’t widely used because most would not find to be very good as a controller. So how is it among the “best”? Do you use this controller?
 

sainraja

Member
Ah, the old "you must mistreat your controllers because mine never broke" line. Nope, just normal use.
If you want to see it that way, sure but that wasn't the intent. I am curious to see how others who had problems use theirs. Unless you think I don't game at all and you were doing the: Ah, the old "you must not use your controllers very much because all mine broke" line when you were first responding to me. Nope, just normal use.
 
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Dream-Knife

Banned
Wavebird is awesome. Needs N64. Casuals and the mentally deficient can't understand it, but that makes it even better.

I liked how the DS4 felt, except how light it was. Build quality was terrible. Had to take it a part to fix a drifting stick, and the entire thing is held together with clips. I know that's the modern way of doing it, but it's shit. I can take a part all of my old NES, SNES, N64, Xbox, GameCube, PS2 controllers with just a small screw driver.
 
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I had to take it a part to fix a drifting stick, and the entire thing is held together with clips. I know that's the modern way of doing it, but it's shit. I can take a part all of my old NES, SNES, N64, Xbox, GameCube, PS2 controllers with just a small screw driver.
I only used a small screwdriver to open DS4, what else do you need?
 

marjo

Member
The Valve Index controller is the best controller I've ever used. The ability to 'let go' is awesome.
 
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