• Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.

Xbox Has The Best Controller Designs

Who Has The Best Controller Designs?

  • Xbox

    Votes: 172 44.9%
  • Sony

    Votes: 172 44.9%
  • Nintendo

    Votes: 23 6.0%
  • Other

    Votes: 16 4.2%

  • Total voters
    383

april6e

Member
I agree, I still to this day use a wired 360 controller on PC because it's so GOAT'ed. My only issue with that controller is the crappy D-pad although there are almost no games where you would need to use it to move except for fighting games. The 360 controller with material quality and D-pad of the PS5 controller and the paddles of the Xbox Pro Controller would be the Jesus of controllers.

The PS5 controller is great in my opinion and I use it with some PC games that have haptic support for it but I hate the stick layout as it is unnatural for the thumbs for people with big hands and holding the trigger for extended periods is painful due to how large and tough to pull it is. The N64 controller also is underrated. It had 6 buttons on your right hand (like a fighting game controller) which modern controllers still don't have as well as a trigger under the controller.
 
Last edited:

Jinzo Prime

Gold Member
The slickest controller design I've seen is the elden ring print on the Thrustmaster ESwap controller. It looks really classy.

WebsiteProductPage_UTHPicture_1580x960_2.jpg


Looks okay, but it's very busy. I wish more controllers had swappable stick/button placements, though.
 

Gryllis

Neo Member
Xbox has some bangers.

Nintendo has done a bunch of Joy-Cons, but I'm surprised they've done so few Pro controller designs. The people who buy a new controller just because it looks cool are probably using that most of the time.
 

GymWolf

Gold Member
Amen to that.

But they are both trash even compared to 40 dollars third party controllers with way better tech but without useless gimmicks.
 
Last edited:

Loboxxx

Member
In design it is a matter of taste, as use and experience the Dual Sense is a generation ahead of this controller, which is the important thing.
 

ahtlas7

Member
Xbox is the first one to get controller design correct but Dualsense has one upped it. I don’t care about the paint they put on it.
 

BigLee74

Gold Member
I gotta throw the Astro Bot controller in the ring if we are talking limited. Looks awesome. I bought one but I can't bring myself to take it out of the box. lol

DualSense-ASTROBOT-Hero-1
Who’s a little cutie pie, Topher?

I don't think the design looks good either. It's just a basic ass looking and feeling controller.
So much hatred in your heart. It can’t be healthy!


OP controller looks great, but just about any colour other than gold would have been better.

Xbox do have some nice designs, but I can’t bring myself to buy a controller unless I really need one. It’s such a gamble that it won’t develop stick drift within 6 months or so.
 

Robb

Gold Member
Definitely agree, also the most comfortable controller out of the bunch.

It’s just too bad it’s lacking basic features like gyro.
 

pasterpl

Member
Xbox controller is absolutely terrible. Feels completely small, cheap and tacky with nothing novel about it.
You couldn’t stop yourself, couldn’t you?

Re. OP: definitely they have some great design ones, I usually play alone but I think I am now at 5-6 controllers most still unpacked :) and mostly using original one that came with console at launch (zero issues). I don’t want get any of my sweat on some of these beauties.

Do t forget about https://xboxdesignlab.xbox.com/en-gb/configure/xbox-wireless-controller

My favourite ones by far are Starfield one (got this one), Halo Infinite ones standard and Elie, new transparent one (got it, still in the box), cyberpunk one for Xbox one, Sea Of Theives, that gears of war also looks sweet (shame I didn’t get one). i am expecting limited edition Indy one and maybe even avowed, gears-e will defo get limited edition controller same with perfect dark.
 

Duchess

Member
I recently played some games on the Xbox games at a retro place, with some friends.

Gotta say, after about an hour I started to find the controller quite uncomfortable. I was glad to put it down.

Perhaps it's the stick placement, that just felt extremely unnatural to my hands.
 
Last edited:

Panajev2001a

GAF's Pleasant Genius
As a controller, overall, Dual Sense is the best of the ones available.

As far as only visual design / aesthetics are concerned the Starfield Xbox Series X|S controller is the best looking one this gen.
 

KungFucius

King Snowflake
Xbox controller is good but at some point you have to change the batteries, and the dual sense PlayStation controller gets praise not just for the touch pad but the easy share button, charging, addressing the trigger issues.
I find this odd. I have rechargeable battery packs for my xbox controllers that were 20 bucks for 4 and the charger. There are 4 packs I usually have 2 on the charger and 2 in the controller. When I need juice I swap them. The battery packs tend to keep a charge for several play sessions. For my PS5 I have 2 controllers they tend to last for 1+ sessions. I avoid coop games on that system and basically just swap controllers due to the poor battery life. The removable battery pack design is superior for my typical use case. My only gripe is that most PC games do not autopause when the battery is dead. They don't even track battery on gamepass.

As for the topic, I don't get why they don't make the controllers a solid color. The 2 tone for the standard colored ones is annoying.
 
Well, Sony.
Switch Pro controller battery is 40h which is insanely good and longer than Xbox.
Sony needs to be the first console to bring back wired controllers with no batteries.
A subset of gamers cares more about lowering input latency than 'wireless freedom' and has wanted wired controllers ever since the PS3 took them away.
Wired DualSense controllers will weigh less and cost significantly less than the regular wireless DualSense (no battery, no Bluetooth) and could come in a lower priced console bundle.
The future of console gaming is all about "Lowest Input Latency" and near-realtime gaming.
 
Top Bottom