Gadgetory

- We've talked about a lot of PS4 controllers on this channel before, including awesome cheap, affordable ones, expensive pro options, just straight alternatives to the DualShock 4s. But we've never really talked about it as one overall group and whether or not you need to get anything aside from the standard DualShock 4. So, we're gonna talk about the best cheap controller you can get, the best expensive one, and whether either of them is truly worth your money. First, let's talk about the best cheap controller options. Now, the weird thing about PlayStation 4, when it comes to cheap controllers, is that they have been really stingy with licensing out official controllers designs. There were a whole lot of different third-party PS3 controllers, back during those days, but nowadays with PS4 there's really only, well, one, when it comes to cheap options, at least. It's this guy right here, the Hori Mini PS4 controller. Now, this is not the only cheap PS4 controller you can grab, it's just the only one that's an actual, officially licensed thing. If you go on Amazon, you can find all kinds of different cheaply-produced controllers that will work on a PS4, but oftentimes those have connectivity issues, the button quality isn't great. And even if you manage to find one that is actually pretty solid at first glance, they usually don't have much durability. So really, almost by default, when you're just looking for a great cheap controller, the Hori is the way to go. But it does come with its oddities. Now clearly, looking at this guy, it's not exactly a standard controller design, at least by modern standards, it's much closer to something old-school, like an SNES. The reason for that is 'cause it is geared a little bit more towards kids. I mean, if you try using it as an adult, the button quality sticks, everything feels pretty fine. The only real lacking thing functionally is you don't have a full touchpad. But, because of the redone grip design, it's a little awkward if you don't have, well, kid hands. So when it comes to cheap controllers, there's a couple different reasons why you might wanna get one. Either you want something for multiplayer that you can just stick your friends with, which doesn't happen too much these days, there's not a lot of couch co-op anymore. More so, the reasons are, either you want a cheap, quick replacement if you break a DualShock 4, or you want something to have a kid use so that way, if they break it, (throws controller) it's not as big of a deal. This is definitely a controller option that's more in that later camp. If you want something for your own personal use, that you want as a replacement, not as strong of a choice. Now, before moving on to pro controllers, I wanna take a second to also talk about mid-range options. What I mean by mid-range is controllers that basically cost the same as just getting a standard DualShock 4. Usually when you look at third-party controllers, they're either cheaper for the sake of being affordable or they're more expensive and are for pro stuff. It's pretty rare to see things that are the same price range, but one particular example is this guy right here, the Onyx PS4 controller. Now, this one is currently only available in Europe, but it is really easy to import if you wanna pick one up. The main pitch for it is that it is a PS4 controller for people that would rather use an Xbox One controller, you like that grip design better. And on that pitch alone, it does a good job. I actually do like the grip design on this guy more than a standard DualShock 4. The thing to be worried about, though, is that some of the buttons just aren't quite up to the same quality. The main area that's really an issue is the triggers. They have this kind of extra tension that just doesn't feel very comfortable and very reactive. The rest of the buttons are fine, they're okay, it's a little lighter, Overall it feels just a tiny bit cheaper, but it still works well. So if you love Xbox One controllers, this is a solid alternative and it's not that hard to get ahold of, if you wanna import one. However, most people, I will say, the DualShock 4 is still gonna be the better way to go in this price range. Now, for pro controllers, things get a little more complicated because the big draw of a lot of these different things is what kind of additional features and functions they have. Not all of them offer the same benefits, so part of it does come down to personal preference, what exactly kind of additional features you're looking for, whether that's the mechanical buttons offered by a Razer controller, the programmable sensitivity of the NACON Revolution, or just the straight performance quality of the SCUF. Now, I gotta be honest here, before we talked about these guys, I've always kinda leaned towards really liking the Razer controller, but in recent time, the SCUF Impact has really grown on me. I really wasn't a big fan of the Infinity, the one before this, which was kind of, basically like a Frankenstein of an actual PS4 controller. The same is kinda true of the Impact, but it involves a new shell, which works a lot in its favor. The redesigned grip on the Impact is the most comfortable out of these controllers, and on top of that, I really enjoy the fact that all the little bits of customization this thing has is all on-board. You can adjust the triggers, you can program the paddles, you can adjust the sticks, all of that stuff is done on the controller itself, you don't have to hook it up to a computer to do any kind of side programming like you would do with, say, the Revolution. Also, one of the biggest things is just the fact that I really enjoy the fact that you can still use this guy wirelessly. I understand the benefits of having a wired connection for a pro controller, but just having the option to go wireless when you wanna relax and still use a better controller is just a really big benefit. Now, it's worth noting that this is the second controller design that SCUF has done for the PS4. They have a third one on the way, called the Vantage, which, unlike the Impact or the Impulse, which are like modified DualShock 4s, that one is a completely new controller built from the ground up, licensed by Sony. I got a small hands-on of it at E3, and based on how it's at least shaping up, I can't wait for it to actually get fully released 'cause I really think that's gonna end up being the best option out of all of these. So look forward to that in a few months. So we've talked about the best of the cheap and the best of the pro, but the real question here is whether or not it's worth grabbing either of them over just sticking with a standard DualShock 4 controller. Well, starting with the cheap, it's kind of a weird situation because when it comes to Xbox One and Switch, there are a ton of different awesome cheap controllers out there that I think can do a great job of being a substitute, especially if you wanna save a little money. But with Sony, there aren't really a lot of choices out there, and the main one right here works well as far as button quality and everything goes, but like I said, the grip design is just awkward. It works well for kids, but as far as an adult substitute goes, it's honestly worth spending more money just to stick with a standard DualShock. Now, when it comes to pro controllers, the amount of additional money you're gonna be spending to get extra features is quite a bit, especially when you compare it to the price difference of going from this little guy to a DualShock 4. But honestly, I do think it's worth it, especially in the case of the SCUF Impact. The grip is a lot more comfortable than using a DualShock 4, at least for me, and all the additional customization bits are really handy to make sure that it's fit to your particular play style. The DualShock 4 is a perfectly fine controller that's one size fits all, but if you want something that's going to get you the most performance and fit the way you play, this is gonna be a much better option. Based on my limited experience with the SCUF Vantage, that's only gonna be even more true once it's released.