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Forums - Gaming Discussion - Best Controller This Gen?

 

Best One?

DualShock 4 369 53.71%
 
Xbox One 158 23.00%
 
Wii U Gamepad 133 19.36%
 
Uh bruh... the OUYA controller? 27 3.93%
 
Total:687

Dualshock 4 is the best, but it's not without it's faults: namely, it's poor battery life and the god awful rubber they use for the thumb sticks. It's really a nice touch in some places. There's also definitely a sense that there might be too many features to it, with the touch pad, the light, and the sixaxis controls. I feel like it makes the controller that much more unapproachable to someone like my father who likes video games but is not used to controllers. That said, I do really want to see better use of the touch screen, as it has some great applications for more complicated games like MMOs and it is very useful as a trackpad when used on a PC. But those are the negatives -- and the positives vastly outweigh it. The size is perfect. The triggers are fantastic. The feel and grip are wonderful. And aside from the cheap rubber on the thumb sticks, the controller feels extremely solid.

The Xbox One controller is also great, but I really dislike the fact that they don't normally come with a rechargeable battery. I also find the thumbsticks a little bit too tall, the triggers a little mushy, and I find that the edges of the controller dig into my skin a little bit. That said, I think I prefer the D-Pad of the Xbox One controller slightly more than the PS4 controller. Also, while I personally don't have a preference, I have a few friends that strongly prefer the asymmetrical analog sticks. It's also the simplest controller, so I can see a lot of newcomers favoring the controller.

While the gamepad was neat in theory, the execution of the thing is positively terrible. The whole thing just looks and feels cheap, with things like the 'TV' button just... looking like they're there just to be there. The battery life is horrendous unless you buy a better battery, and even then, the battery life is nothing to brag about. I have massive hands and the thing feels uncomfortable even for me to hold. I don't know how a young child would manage to hold it. The triggers are in a weird position and, of course, they're not analog, which is an absolute pain in the ass for a lot of genres, mostly racing. And then there's the inexplicable fact that no more than one person can use the gamepad. It's... just incredibly confusing for someone who's an outsider that knows nothing about the console or gaming in general.



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Really close between the X1 and PS4 controllers, gotta give the slight edge to the PS4 controller, Wii U gamepad is a faaarr third.  



The Gamepad because off TV play is really handy



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[3DS] Winter Playtimes [Wii U]

Xbox One 1st
Wii U Pro 2nd
Game pad 3rd
PS4 4th

would be my vote



I love the PS4 controller. It's probably one of the most comfortable and well designed controllers out there, imo. The battery really sucks though, so that's disappointing.



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I think it depends mostly on the game. I like the analog triggers on the Xbone for Forza but they suck for fighting games. The WiiU gamepads digital triggers feel better for TTT but, being digital, don't offer the analog range needed for serious racing games, not that there's any serious realistic racer on the WiiU. I'm not sure the motion controls could make up for this.

I like the stick position of the WiiU gamepad on FPSs since it has the right stick on its main position, and I believe aiming is more important than other actions. It's the same thing for movement in any 3d game, between Xbone/Wiiupad and PS4. The left stick is on a secondary position on the PS4 controller and I think movement is way too important on most 3d games for it to be on a secondary position. For sidescrollers and fighting games is the other way around since they play better with the D-pad. I still think the WiiU D-pad is better even on a secondary position but I have always preferred Nintendo style D-pads, except for the GameCube mini d-pad.

For DMC style action games I prefer the Xbone/ps4 pads because the buttons are on the main position and those tend to be more important than the camera controls, with the exception of Dark Souls since those games have weapon functions attached to the shoulder and triggers. That's part of why I would like to see a DS game on WiiU since the analog triggers can make the jump attack unreliable, but digital triggers might make things more accurate. That's a theory of course since the WiiU has not one DS game to test this. I do feel kicking is more accurate than the Jump attack on both PS4 and Xbone DS2. Between the PS4 and Xbone I find the jump attack much more unreliable on the PS4, I'll chalk that up to the left stick position.

A few more small things to point out:

I feel the Xbone pad triggers are way better than the PS4's, but on the Xbone's is hard to hit the trigger and shoulder buttons at the same time using only one finger.

The rubber of my PS4 rightstick is starting to peel, and it already feels uncomfortable. I know PSfans hate when people bring this up since is "allegedly" rare, but it's still there and puts the build quality of the PS4 pad into question.

The PS4 pad longer size makes it more comfortable than all previous Dual Shocks IMO. I still think the Xbone pad one is a little bit more comfortable, with the WiiUPad slightly behind both. The WiiU pad is still much more comfortable than it looks.

About the screen functionality of the WiiU gamepad, I think it does adds a bit and make inventory management easier and more immediate. I would like to see all future controllers with a screen the size of the PS4 pad touchpad, for extra functions.

I had a much easier time hooking up my Xbone controller to my PC.


Overall I say that there are too many factors to call a winner and is highly dependent on the type of game being played. But if anyone ask me... Id say WiiU = Xbone >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>PS4.

I think the Dual Shock design is archaic in putting the sticks on a secondary position, which it's at odds with current gaming trends, especially the dominance of 3d games and the fact that they play better with an analog stick than with a D-pad. On the other hand, being a very old design that has changed little, there will be many people that will prefer it out of familiarity. They are too used to it. I don't consider this a positive on the controller but a negative on the players inability to adapt.




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Hmmm hard for me to rate because i love the DS4, the wii u pro controller is good, hate the game pad buts its second screen gimmic can be abit cool sometimes but never used an xbox one controller.....

So maybe DS4, wii u pro, gamepad.

Xbox one controller NA because i never used one.



1. Dualshock 4
2. Xbox One Controller
3. Wii U Gamepad



GameCube controller.

Wait we're not talking about that generation? Oh, I suppose I would stick with the Gamepad.



X1 controller is my favourite,although a controller that still doesn't come with rechargeable batteries is really bad. And the need to spend more money on a charge kit is annoying.

Wii U Gamepad is my second favourite because I like having a separate screen and the off TV play is sometimes useful.

Dualshock 4 is a huge improvement to previous PS controllers but the poor battery life and quality is disappointing. But it is the most comfortable controller to hold.



    

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