Destructoid: PS4 controller prototype & devkit photo, [Up: New Photo/Info In OP]

Ugh. I can't believe Sony's actually putting the touch pad in the middle of the controller without moving the sticks. It has to be awkward reaching around/over the sticks to reach that thing.
 
It shouldn't be just "fine", I have to take breaks every now and then when playing with a DS3 because of how uncomfortable it is to hold for me because I like to hold my controller firmly in my hands. When I switched from PS2 to 360 it was like night and day on how good the controller felt in my hands. If the PS4 controller will look similar to this prototype then I'm probably going to like it way more than the previous ones since it looks better suited for bigger hands with the small increase in size.

It's an unfortunate situation that you've had but the controller seems to work well for many people. Increasing the size will hopefully help you regardless. As far as controller designs go though, there's been many designs over the years that are far less ergonomic and yet haven't resulted in complaints. The DS design overall is a good one.
 
Is it awkward to press start or select?

In my opinion, yes. To make matters worse, you've got an entire touch pad to worry about here. I could see it being awkward dealing with the bottom portion of the touch pad with those sticks like that, unless they're shortened or moved.
 
I don't know, when you are strafing right and turning left perhaps?

Nah, that's crazy talk, no one does that.

Seriously? I play a ton of FPS and I never have my sticks at 3 and 9 oclock, thats the only way that would occur. And youd be spinning circles in that event. So uhh..

I guess if it were to occur it would be a couple quick taps. Perhaps im just used to it and I lift my thumb in that situation. Its never been an issue for me though.
 
It's an unfortunate situation that you've had but the controller seems to work well for many people. Increasing the size will hopefully help you regardless. As far as controller designs go though, there's been many designs over the years that are far less ergonomic and yet haven't resulted in complaints. The DS design overall is a good one.

Yes, overall the design is good. I just want a litte more to grip. I'm the same with a PC mouse, I need something a little bigger that supports my entire palm in a comfortable way.
 
Seriously? I play a ton of FPS and I never have my sticks at 3 and 9 oclock, thats the only way that would occur. And youd be spinning circles in that event. So uhh..

You don't have to hold the sticks like that for a longer period of time.. And spinning in circles is maybe just the thing you want to do in that situation, it can get pretty hectic in corridors.

But it was just me thinking of when he could possibly get in a situation where the thumbs collide.
 
My thumbs aren't 4 inches long.

The tip of your thumb, damn son, not the whole thing. Use the joint to maneuver the stick duh. This LOL I GOT BIG THUMBS shit is getting real old. Most of us grown ass men have big thumbs, lots of us are competitive with the dualshock and 360 controllers.
 
The tip of your thumb, damn son, not the whole thing. Use the joint to maneuver the stick duh. This LOL I GOT BIG THUMBS shit is getting real old. Most of us grown ass men have big thumbs, lots of us are competitive with the dualshock and 360 controllers.

Some people prefer using their whole thumb compared to just the tip.
 
Some people prefer using their whole thumb compared to just the tip.

Well no shit, I'm talking about in the event you need to push your sticks to 9 and 3 oclock simultaneously, roll your thumb up, they don't collide. Your brain kinda automatically does it too, it's like magic!
 
I don't understand all this hate against people who apparently "can't hold the controller" correctly. How would you know? It might be a legitimate problem for the person. A "one size fits all" controller only caters towards the majority, so I can see it being an actual problem. These tactless responses are lame as hell.

I wouldn't call it hate, just humorous that they are so clumsy that they cannot use basic motor skills to manipulate a simple device. I am just glad they are gaming rather than working on my truck that is in the shop right now.
 
I'm not talking about the start button position.

The problem here is that a touch pad is now there. The Start button isn't used anywhere near as often as the action buttons are. It's okay for the Start button to be a bit awkward to get to, because it's nearly always been like that (aside from in the case of the Genesis 3-button controller).
 
I wouldn't call it hate, just humorous that they are so clumsy that they cannot use basic motor skills to manipulate a simple device. I am just glad they are gaming rather than working on my truck that is in the shop right now.

Yep, unless you're a center in the NBA, I'm not buying the "My hands is too big!!" excuse. Xbox controller is more comfortable in your "giant's" hands? Sure, I'll buy that. Dualshock "is not functional because my hands are bigger than Shaq's"? Get out.
 
Well no shit, I'm talking about in the event you need to push your sticks to 9 and 3 oclock simultaneously, roll your thumb up, they don't collide. Your brain kinda automatically does it too, it's like magic!

The tips of my thumbs collide even when not in the exact 3 and 9 position.
 
The tip of your thumb, damn son, not the whole thing. Use the joint to maneuver the stick duh. This LOL I GOT BIG THUMBS shit is getting real old. Most of us grown ass men have big thumbs, lots of us are competitive with the dualshock and 360 controllers.

I'm talking about reaching he touchscreen without touching the stick.

And my thumbs are NOT big (to go up the stick and dive after), neither long enough to go round the stick and access it (the touchscreen), which is the issue, damn dad.

What does this even mean?
cf. last sentence.
 
I hope the finished product is a bit more streamlined and less bulky looking but beyond that I'm very happy. Love the DS3 and with a few tweaks (concave sticks, better triggers) it'll be fine for PS4. Will have to reserve judgement on the new bits, but nothing looks outrageously bad and the touch panel could be useful without detracting from the overall controller.
 
I remember people going off about how terrible the Xbox original pad was, and the follow-up too. Different arguments but similarly idiosyncratic and anecdotal. People argued til they were blue that sticks needed to be symmetrical in order for the halves of the brain to be working together. "I get headaches from asymmetrical sticks".

Maybe its just preferences. They are both excellent designs. The Wii U Pro is even better if by form alone but lacks a couple of elements.
 
I remember people going off about how terrible the Xbox original pad was, and the follow-up too. Different arguments but similarly idiosyncratic and anecdotal. People argued til they were blue that sticks needed to be symmetrical in order for the halves of the brain to be working together. "I get headaches from asymmetrical sticks".

Maybe its just preferences. They are both excellent designs. The Wii U Pro is even better if by form alone but lacks a couple of elements.

I thought the biggest problem with the original Xbox pad was how huge it was. They fixed that with the S-Controller and I don't think I heard many more complaints after that.
 
Guy guys guys... enough about thumbsticks.

We really need to pick apart what that twist-tie is for. It's in the shot for a reason and we know, from history, that Sony will include it in their next console. How will that twist-tie be used for the PS4?

No. Seriously. Enough with the thumbsticks. You're not thumb-wrestling your siblings - you're pressing buttons and moving sticks. Get over it.

Besides - if you don't like it - don't buy it. Simple. I don't see the issue here.
 
I remember people going off about how terrible the Xbox original pad was, and the follow-up too. Different arguments but similarly idiosyncratic and anecdotal. People argued til they were blue that sticks needed to be symmetrical in order for the halves of the brain to be working together. "I get headaches from asymmetrical sticks".

Maybe its just preferences. They are both excellent designs. The Wii U Pro is even better if by form alone but lacks a couple of elements.

For me, it has more to do with the type of game I'm playing. On consoles, I don't play a lot of first-person shooters, but I *do* play a lot of games that make use of analog movement. As such, it makes sense for me to have a controller like the Xbox 360 controller, because the left analog stick and the action buttons are in the primary positions on each side. I say "primary positions" because controllers obviously didn't have the buttons all crammed down into the center of the controller prior to analog sticks really catching on.

Oddly, the DualShock layout doesn't bother me that much on PC, but that's because most of the games I use a controller for on PC are indie games that favor the d-pad. As such, having the d-pad and action buttons in the primary positions makes sense.

And I don't use the Select and Start buttons (or the buttons in the center of the controller in general) unless I absolutely have to. If I'm playing a platforming game with a primary attack, a secondary attack and a jump, as well as a menu, then I put all four of those commands on the action buttons.
 
I believe my hand is just average with my thumb less than 3 inches long.

I'm having no problem going above the DS3's stick and pressing my thumb firmly against the current sony logo area. Same thing with my 360 controller.

You have to have a really small thumb to find pressing the start/select button as is to be awkward.
(and like I said earlier, it would be equally awkward on the 360 and wii pad.)

Yes, I actually went and got both controllers and measured my freaking thumb.
 
Looks good. Never had a problem with any controllers for any console before .. just not something that bothers me.

I imagine it's true that it is one of many prototypes, so I think we might see something quite different next week. I remember that image of the evolution of the original ps pad.
 
output_v5epqlbju9d.gif
 
Everyone in the world is wrong about concave analogue sticks except me. You want convex - it's inarguably better. No matter which orientation the stick is in, you always have the same curve on the surface for your thumb to sit atop. Concave sticks just lead you to jamming your thumb into the rim of the stick all the time.

And if your thumbs are slipping off the tops of analogue sticks then you're doing something wrong.
 
While we're kinda on start/select placement:
My only gripe with asymmetrical pads is with the placement of the back/select button. If you're going to place the sticks asymmetrically, then certain corresponding buttons like back/select should also be off-center.

One particular example is the battlefield games, where the back/select button is used quite frequently for the purpose of spotting enemies. With the DS3's symmetrical stick, I can easily press select while moving, since the stick and select button are naturally aligned with my thumb's natural orientation (diagonal, inward.) I would have a harder time doing the same thing on the 360 pad, as the back button is horizontally across from the left stick. In other words, I have to grip hard onto the left stick, take my thumb off the stick, or place my thumb horizontally to press the back button. This wouldn't be a problem if they would just make the back button asymmetrically higher.
 
Everyone in the world is wrong about concave analogue sticks except me. You want convex - it's inarguably better. No matter which orientation the stick is in, you always have the same curve on the surface for your thumb to sit atop. Concave sticks just lead you to jamming your thumb into the rim of the stick all the time.
Yup.
And if your thumbs are slipping off the tops of analogue sticks then you're doing something wrong.
Nope.

I think a convex stick with a grip or ridging is the best good balance. I think these sticks we are looking seem comfortable.
 
Top Bottom