With this launch of next generation consoles come new controllers. How does the latest gamepads feel for the Xbox One and Playstation 4? I take a look at both.
Dual Shock 4
The Dual Shock 4 is a definite upgrade from the Dual Shock 3. With the on board speaker, headset/microphone slot and re-designed thumb sticks; I easily prefer this over its older brother. The controller fits much nicer in the hands and it also controls first person shooter style games more accurately which I was never a fan of on the Dual Shock 3. Game developers are finally using the trigger buttons on a Dual Shock over the shoulder buttons now, which is another plus. I’m not in love with the touch pad on the device as it seems pretty imprecise on the games I tested on it. That could obviously change with future games, but it doesn’t seem like it could run a mile in the shoes of the Nintendo Wii U touch pad. Overall though, I’m very happy with using the new Dual Shock to play my PS4 Games on.
X-Box One Controller
I was pretty worried with the changes I saw on this controller initially, as the Xbox 360 controller is one of my favorites in terms of comfortable controllers for me. After receiving my controller, I’m happy to say that the designers did not screw this up. It holds more comfortably then the 360 controller does. The thumb sticks feel more refined, the trigger buttons feel very responsive and the face buttons feel just as good as they did on the previous system’s controller. The biggest improvement though is the D-Pad, which blows away the 360’s game pad easily. It clicks and it’s not abrasive like the last one was, hopefully making it easier to play Killer Instinct on. I can’t comment on how this all translates to game play yet though, as my XB1 won’t be here till Friday. In terms of drawbacks, I do not like the matte finish they elected to use for the controller as it looks like it will scratch up pretty easily. Still, my hands and I love this controller and can’t wait till the PC driver for it is available for it.
Which one takes the cake?
Since I can’t judge a winner on how these controllers compare when controlling game play just yet, I’m going to choose a winner in terms of comfort for now. Though the Dual Shock 4 is a fantastic upgrade for the PlayStation brand, I still have to give the nod to the XB1 controller. The left thumb stick being put immediately on the left end of the controller is what wins me over. As nice as the DS4 sticks feel, not having to do an extended stretch of your left thumb over to the left thumb stick on the XB1 controller just feels more comfortable; leaving your fingers to grab the other buttons comfortably. That is a must for me if playing first person shooters. Overall, my hands just feel more comfortable with the XB1 controller; but that could change if it doesn’t respond as accurately as the DS4 does for game play.
So for now, the XB1 controller wins, but we’ll see if that stays true after next Friday!