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Stadia controller. I switched my old Xbox 360 controllers for stadia controllers. Chargeable, heavy, ergonomic. Win for me.
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I bought them second hand, so didn’t get any money back haha. I thought of cheaping out, but oh how the turn tables. The controllers work perfectly with Steam but they lack input with non-Steam games sadly. And wirelessly connected the vibration doesn’t work while the charging ones connected to my pc go mental, but that’s not an issue for me.
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Wow that’s smart! Thanks!
Ducky One 3 TKL + Logitech G305 or the 8BitDo Pro 2, depending on the genre.
Steam deck’s controls hands down if that counts. If not, surprisingly I’d have to say my stadia controller. Got one for $20 and it’s fantastic.
I love how functional the Deck’s controls are, but I do end up with claw hand after playing for a while
I wonder how much the Deck translates to the Steam Controller. I haven’t had enough time with a Deck
deck is mostly more input options (right stick, d-pad, 4 back buttons instead of 2).
the biggest difference is the placement of the touchpads imho, as i cant use both shoulder buttons and the touchpad on a side without adjusting my grip, but that only mattered in shooters for which i use flickstick on the deck and not the right touchpad.
Oh, I like all of those changes except adjusting grip. I’m not familiar with flipstick. I went from tiger claw, to bumper jumper, to all paddles
I have this problem where my thumbs are naturally oily and touchpads arent always super responsive. The best fix I’ve found is gloves with the (conductive?) material. Do you know if the Deck uses the same type of touchpads as the controller? I also had issues with the New 3DSXL nub
the touchpads atleast feel like the ones on the steam controller.
flickstick is a control scheme where your stick only controls the camera horizontaly, so if you push the stick down you’ll spin 180° if you push it to the right you’ll turn until your character faces to the right and so forth.
Oh, that’s interesting, and I don’t like it lol. I play inverted and people hate on me hard. Usually just the Y-Axis, but some older games for the X-Axis as well
My favorite layout so far is on the Razer Wolverine V2 Chroma Xbox wired controller. It has x/y up between the shoulder and triggers, back buttons for a/b, so you can keep your right thumb on the thumbstick without moving it to hit face buttons a/b/x/y.
How big is this controller? I have wide palms but shortish fingers. From palm to tip of middle fingers like 7.5”, which is low side of male hands, but 4” wide palm which is above average. Makes finding ergonomic controllers difficult. I can reach the middle of controllers without too much difficulty, but reaching lengthwise (eg the shoulder buttons) can be problematic (perhaps why I like the ps4 controller — it’s wide but squat; it just lacks usability with no back buttons, and it only pairs to a single device at a time). I guess a smaller Xbox style controller would work okay for me — is Wolverine worth a try you think?
The back buttons are near the middle so I’d assume it’s more comfortable for bigger hands, I think the v3 wireless version has the back buttons closer to the outside where the controller grip connects to the middle of the controller like the elites, I haven’t tried that style yet but I think that may be better for a shorter grip or hands.
V2:
V3:
I had one of those. Loved it, but the sticks didn’t last long enough to justify buying another.
That’s true, I’ve had mine 2 years and am seeing some up/down drift on the left stick. Not great on the quality but I have used it often, and I can’t find anyone else with that button layout.
Yes! I love this controller, and I never see people talk about it. The mechanical click of the face buttons is so satisfying and consistent to press. Other controllers feel so cheap to me now.
Back in the day, I think it was Logitech or similar who redesigned a PlayStation controller with some minor ergonomic tweaks. It was a masterpiece. This was back in maybe PS2/PS3 era.
Sounds see if any modern versions exist. I’m still a Sony controller purist, having never really fallen in love with Xbox like so many others.
I think I still have one of those. It was Logitech. I thought it was good unless I wanted to use the thumbsticks or triggers. I always thought the Sony design of putting the thumbsticks down in the lower-middle was really awkward, and for some reason, using the triggers on the Logitech controller sometimes felt a bit painful.
Might’ve just been the glass slipper my hands needed then. Felt like a peak optimization of the sony layout, least in my mitts.
I know several folks who prefer the offset Xbox style, but I always appreciated the more symmetrical design of PlayStation. Thumbs were same height on controller for FPS or fighting genres, which I did a bunch of back then. Didn’t mind offset thumbs for other games like God of War. I think the designer in me also appreciated sony’s cleaner aesthetic as well.
Index controllers for VR.
Playstation DS4 for flatscreen desktop.
N64 controller. Obviously it wasn’t exactly great to use, but its completely unique look is so iconic and that makes it my fave.
I grew up with a Wii, and never held an n64 controller, so I always will wonder: How do you hold those? Do you hold it like a regular controller and then reach your thumb out to the joystick in the middle, or do you hold the middle grip and then one of the other outer ones, and have to reach as well? Is it subjective?
So, there’s more than one answer. When it came out the idea was, and it’s debatable how much Nintendo used this concept as a marketing tool or with a design in their head, tha the controller allowed flexibility. For different games, different sections or different preferences, you could hold the two outer handles, and get a basic SNES type thing, or you could hold the mid and either one of the sides.
I feel part of it was a bit of mistrust, maybe from some early testing or internal, about the accuracy or the familiarity of users with the joystick, the design allows people to opt into it or go for the tradizional buttons.
I recall some weird stuff was supposed to be meant for the full left side combo, so directional buttons + analog stick. That was a bit of a far reach…
So beside all the intentions, 99% of the games were played with your left hand on the middle handle and the right hand on the righ handle. Consider there’s a very comfy trigger button below the middle handle that is mirrored or mirrors the left shoulder button.
At the moment, my PS5 controller connected to my Linux PC via USB-C. It has perfect support due to official in kernel drivers from Sony and very little lag when used via USB-C.
I’m switching to Linux when I get set up again. Fuck the Recall bull shit. Straw that broke the camels back. I had not considered controller drivers. Is Xbox One over Bluetooth a thing, or will I need to go with Sony?
The XBOX One controller should be fully bluetooth hid compliant and it should work out of the box for at least all the buttons and axis. There are userspace and kernel drivers for the XBOX controller too (xpad and xboxdrv) but I don’t have much experience with them or with bluetooth controller in general.
Good to know, thank you for the info!
Used to be the Logitech F310. Simple, reliable, used my preferred layout, inexpensive, and durable.
Then I got a PS5 and experienced the DualSense’s adaptive triggers and I can’t go back.
Honestly, it’s still the F310 for me. I have mine since the early 2010s and it’s still working perfectly. Those things are built like tanks and between XInput and DirectInput are compatible with just about any PC game of the last forty years, no extra software required. Also, they’re dirt cheap.
Honorable mention to the F710, the wireless version. While Windows 10’s USB stack unfortunately broke compatibility with it (causing randomly dropped inputs), Linux does not have that problem.
I have two and I can’t vouch for the “built like a tank” since one of them once in a while decides to drift around.
Still 110% worth it for the price.
Could just be dirty. The only time I had weird stick issues was because a hair got caught under the right stick and kept making my aim jump around willy nilly. They’re pretty easy to take apart and put back together if you have the right screwdrivers.
I’ll look into it, thanks.
I had an F310 and I disliked it haha. Never found it to be ergonomic.
I had a Dualsense for my computer just because it has the best D-pad
Then I got Returnal and experienced the haptics and triggers and HOLY SHIT. I tried a keyboard and mouse and the game felt FLAT. It really is incredible! Pacific Drive also takes full advantage of it, the brake trigger feels like and actual car brake and the accelerator trigger rumbles and vibrates with the haptics as you go.
Absolutely fuckin dope.
Do you need to do any config to use the adaptive trigger on PC? And I assume it mainly supported on Sony’s first party title ?
No extra confit, it just works! It has to be plugged in, though, and it only works work certain titles (pretty much only Sony stuff. I can’t remember if pacific drive is Sony?)
I’ve looked at some lists and it actually supported by much more games than I thought, I don’t think Assassin Creeds is Sony title no?
Sony’s rep kinda iffy around repairability though, how long is yours ?
I’m not sure, I haven’t played Assassin’s Creed since the first game :c
I have two controllers and my oldest is two years old or so, and I have had zero issues with them personally! I treat all of my stuff reeeeeeally nice, though, so I don’t usually have issues with things.
Me personally, I like the 360 controller the most
I’m currently playing with a wired 360 controller, myself. its old and creaky and kinda scratched up but it works gorgeously still!
Me too, it’s aged very well.
Have you tried the Xbox One controllers? If so, what do you like better about the 360?
I have, I had the day one 2013 controller, it was nice but it developed drift quite fast, and also is harder to repair
Sorry to keep asking questions, but what is harder to repair? Swapping the sticks? I’ve worked on so many JoyCons at this point regular sized controllers don’t bother me much
The trigger on the xbox one controller is loose and easy to take off, and it has a spring on it that flew off and I lost upon disassembling it. The 360’s controllers will remain completely function even without any shell, but are also able to be disassembled.
IIRC swapping sticks is the same on the two
Not op but the 360 controllers a tiny bit smaller, thumbsticks are shorter and wider which makes aiming easier imo
Interesting. I don’t have the biggest hands (fuck the Duke) and I didn’t notice the size difference. I don’t think I could go back to a 360 controller. The XBOne feels like the final form
Logitech RumblePad 2 for the PC.
Basically a knockoff clone of the PlayStation 2 controller for the PC, from around 2008 or so I think.
Still mostly works somehow, except the mode swap button. I don’t even need that button anyways.
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
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
The only one i still have issues with is going from xbox to nintendo controllers, because they use the same abxy face buttons, but they switched them around.
I like what switch games do when you’re using a single joy-con, they just show a button with an arrow pointing to which direction the button is, so what’s printed on the button doesn’t matter at all.
I’ve actually started using the Japanese style for PS controllers. O for okay, and X for no. I’ve only succeeded in fucking myself up since majority of my shit is American. I have a tablet and a DS4 at the moment, and it is getting me by
Same thing for me. I switch effortlessly and she really struggles with it.
I think I saw this idea somewhere. Make pictures of the button layouts and put which ever you are using next to or under the TV where she can see it so she doesn’t have to keep looking down
She almost never games and it’s always with a PS controller. So no need for that usually, but I’ll definitely keep that in mind.
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.
Right now I’m mostly using the Xbox One controller (on PC). It’s a controller that feels really good to hold. No weird gimmicks like motion control either. I think it’s one of the all time greats.
Runner up is GameCube.
My friend do I have some exciting news for you…
https://youtu.be/2Tf342fIUVs
Switch Pro controller for its asymmetrical layout + gyroscope (it’s so much better for aiming). I’d love to test a PS5 controller but symmetrical layout tend to hurt my hands (it was already the case for the PS3/PS4 controllers, so I have little hope for the PS5 controller).
I think the gyro and layout of the switch pro controller are good, but it just feels so cheap, and the buttons are way too mushy. Also doesn’t have analogue triggers. The d-pad is pretty terrible as well.
Overall not a great controller imo.
Generally speaking, any xbox one or later generation controller. Theyre all relatively the same.
Real shit though, Xbox The Duke is my favorite
Big handed bastard
The Duke was so good!
It’s been funny seeing the Playstation controller slowly morph into an Xbox controller. Which is great because I definitely preferred the Xbox controller since the 360.
I still prefer the offset sticks on the Xbox controller though.
i miss the black and white buttons from the mini xbox controller days. still feel like 4 buttons is not enough on the right pad, especially considering how often games use L3/R3 joystick click which i fucking loathe.
Get a controller with underside buttons. I also consider stick-clicks an abomination, but it’s great now that there are under-buttons we can hard-remap to L3 and R3.
8BitDo Ultimate Bluetooth controller has some awful ergonomics on several things, but the underbuttons are excellent examples.
yep that’s exactly what I do.