r/Controllers

What a year of thing joy sticks look like on rl left joystick I used way too much.

Through a combo of saving money and a friend loaning me PS5 gear he doesn't use anymore, I've now tested all 3 of these pretty extensively.

Comparing my experience to other posts I've seen, I'm convinced hand size and preferred game genres are huge factors that can wildly change your preferences.

Switch 2

My favorite of the 3 overall is the Switch 2 Pro controller. The thumbstick feel is unmatched, and the 2 back paddles (1 on each side) feel just right. Sizable touch target, enough flexibility to assign a couple extra actions, but not over-the-top where you're spending 10 minutes in an Accessories app second-guessing your button assignments.

The shoulder triggers are kind of basic, which is admittedly a drawback compared to the other controllers, but I find this only really matters in shooters (which I usually play with a keyboard and mouse anyway). The rumble is surprisingly good, if not quite as fancy as the PS5's.

The big X-factor here is size. I'm a guy, but have probably slightly smaller hands than average. And this makes the shape of the controller just about perfect for me. If I had bigger hands, I'd probably feel differently. 9/10 overall for me.

Xbox Elite + Standard

A great first impression, dampened just a bit by some little issues down the line. The hot swappable thumbsticks and configurable back paddles on the Elite are very cool, but in practice, I rarely adjust these. I also find I tend to prefer just one back paddle per side. The option to have 2 for each hand is nice, but I maybe use it for 1 out of 10 games at most.

I've also had more issues with Elite buttons sticking on this controller than the others. This is where owning the Elite controller is maybe a double-edged sword. I have a standard Xbox controller as well, which misses the back paddle flexibility, but has been more reliable.

One thing I will give the Xbox controllers is that size- and shape-wise I have no real complaints. They don't fit like a glove for me like the Switch 2, but feel well-tuned for an average player. 8/10 for me.

PS5 DualSense

This is the ultimate "high highs, low lows" for me. And to name it right away: I think if I had bigger hands and loved playing shooters on console, this would be my #1.

The rumble and triggers are the highs. Each is clearly the best of the lot. I've been playing Saros and I can't imagine playing it with any other controller.

But oof, the size and shape. Especially when playing with both thumbsticks, I feel like I need to contort my hands to a weird position. The last time I felt like this was the OG Xbox controller. It's the only controller where my hands can hurt after a long session.

I also really miss the back paddles. I don't need 4, but for most games, I usually do make use of at least one. It's a 7/10 for me, but again, for the right player, I can totally see this being a 10.

So I have a budget under 7000 (70 usd). I have been a M&K user so far thus looking to get a good controller experience.

From what I've researched I can either get good haptics (albeit with some quirks) or TMR sticks and the xbox layout 8bitdo.

The dualsense has adaptive triggers, the touch pad and better haptics motors. The 8bitdo meanwhile have TMR sticks, adjustable triggers and Xinput. I think dualsense needs steam input if a game doesn't support it natively?

I know that most of these dualsense features only work wired? But I've read Pico 2W adapter makes most of these features work on pc wirelessly or the DSX software on steam. If I get dualsense I'll likely do a TMR swap at the same time.

So I want to ask is the additional hassle with dual sense worth it if I'm mostly going to play story based games? And is the 8bitdo a better model if not then what are my other options at this price range?