Best Controller This Gen?

[patronmacabre]

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.