Based on my searches, I could only find 3* controllers that have this feature (and interestingly, they all do it differently). There’s the new 8BitDo Pro 3, where the face buttons are magnetic, the GameSir Supernova, where you have to remove the faceplate to swap the buttons, and the GameSir Tarantula Pro/T3 Pro, where there’s a motor that swaps the ABXY layout.
This seems like a pretty simple feature that would be really useful for multiplatform controllers. Lots of controllers advertise that they work with PC, Xbox, Switch, Android, etc., but very few of them give you the option to physically swap the ABXY layout. They usually have one layout or the other. I would get not having these features on a really budget controller, but there are some controllers that are really expensive and don’t have this neat little button swap thing (instead opting for gimmicky things like a screen)
edit: * There’s actually 4**, I forgot about the Nyxi Flexi!
edit 2: ** Nope, it’s five***, the Gulikit KK3 Max has replaceable button caps! Very cool!
edit 3: *** Actually, the older KK2 Pro also seems to have this feature too, as well as a few other older Gulikit controllers, so I guess it’s >6? That’s cool. With four different companies (GuliKit, 8BitDo, GameSir, and Nyxi) offering at least one controller with this feature, I guess it’s not as rare as I thought. Who knew?
You know, I’ve not thought about that specific feature, but I have noticed that 3rd party controllers, even the ones that charge “pro” controller prices, rarely offer more features than a base first party controller, and sometimes even have missing features
It’s a rather strange phenomenon which caused me to not upgrade from my beat up dualshock 4 lol
I’ve had the complete opposite experience. So many third party controllers offer hall effect joysticks, macros, back pedals, options for linear or button triggers, etc at a much lower cost than first party controllers. The only thing they’re missing is the dual sense motors but that’s proprietary.
I recommend checking out the 8bitdo controllers mentioned in the post, and the FANTECH WGP14-V2 which you can find on AliExpress.
wait, linked in what article? I don’t think I linked an article.
Yeah, 8BitDo, GameSir, etc. have a bunch of good controllers for a very good price, they have feature-rich sub $60 and $70 models like the Cyclone 2, Ultimate 2, and Supernova, as well as a few really good sub $30 models like the Ultimate 2C and Nova 2 Lite. HE /TMR sticks, HE triggers, trigger locks, signal extender charging docks, a bunch of extra remappable buttons, fun colours (esp. the 8BitDo models) while being cheaper than the first party options. You can’t beat the PS haptics though, they are really nice.
I meant in the post haha
Yep that makes more sense. The Supernova is a really good controller as long as you like membrane buttons, while the Cyclone 2 is similar but with TMR sticks and mechanical buttons. 8BitDo’s lineup is confusing (the separation between “Wireless” and “Bluetooth” where the former can still do BT but not with the Switch) but the controllers themselves are great.
As far as I saw from 8bitdo none of them have a touchbar which is a deal breaker for me. The fantech one seems to not be missing any inputs at least, but also all it offers in addition is 2 paddles… and I guess hall effect, which I don’t particularly care about. So… it’s just 2 extra inputs, which I guess is fine ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ I’d rather have something from a brand I’ve heard from not something from aliexpress tho x3
It also has a switch to toggle the triggers to either let you slowly pull on them or act as buttons, comes with some longer sticks as an option, and an instant disconnect button. I bought it a while back and the build quality is pretty decent, and looks pretty.
And personally hall effect is a must for me, I’ve had too many good controllers die to stick drift.
Yeah can’t say any of that has ever been an issue for me lol x3
The only thing I’d really want from a new controller is more inputs
Yeah I’ve been eyeing the controller op mentioned since they announced it. 3 trigger buttons + 2 back pedals that I can customize via steam input is the dream. Most 3rd party controllers and controller mods only let you map to existing buttons on the controller
Which one? They’ve mentioned a bunch at this point
8bitdo pro 3, the only playstation layout one they have lmao (well they have the previous model too but I don’t think it supports steam input and I can wait a couple of months for a shiny new model)
Ah yeah :3. It’s lacking some of the features that are dealbreakers for me, but the extra bumpers are interesting ^^
What third party controllers do offer is value (you can get some amazing budget controllers these days) as well as hall effect sticks and triggers (some newer models have TMR sticks, which apparently use lower power) meaning no stick drift and it will last longer.
Speaking of the DS4, I still have one, and I spray-painted it and I think it looks pretty cool! It’s a mix of spray paint (on the body, d-pad, and triggers), 3D printed face buttons, and cheap plastic I bought for that tiny little PS button. Makes it look more unique, but I forgot to tape the electronics and think I snapped one of the ribbon cables, so wireless is borked. I works fine wired though, so it’s all good.
When I was looking for replacement controllers the best I found was basically ones that have the same as what the ds4 already offers, or maybe an addition of paddles for more than the price of a dualsense pro lol
If I buy a controller now I’d like it to be something like those steam controller 2 leaks we had a while back honestly, a 2nd touchpad, touch capacitive sticks, and paddles (plus keeping gyro, cause for some reason many controllers don’t have that still lol)… that’d be enough additional buttons for me to consider upgrading
Which is to say hopefully valve time is quicker than the breaking down of my ds4… (if it was SC3 it’d never come so at least it’s only 2 /j)
You can see how shredded my left stick is at this point lol. It’s basically hard plastic. Though I had this controller for… 9 or 8 years?
Ooh yeah that looks pretty rough. I will say that there are definitely good third-party controllers nowadays for a pretty good price. There are some sub $30 options from both 8BitDo and GameSir (their Ultimate 2C and Nova 2 Lite respectively both seem really good), and a bunch of good controllers that are around the same price as a ds5, maybe a bit less from all sorts of companies with loads of different layouts and both membrane and mechanical buttons. There’s even a few with the ps-like symmetrical layout like the GameSir Tarantula Pro, their wired Tegenaria Lite, and the 8BitDo Pro series.
¯\_(ツ)_/¯ as long as this one works, im not in a big rush to swap it out to something that’d give me the same or worse experience anyway :3… if im gonna spend any kind of money it’s be for additional features lol… or if this one breaks, in which case I can pick up another ds4 or a dualsense.
I don’t really care about saving 10 bucks on something I use daily, so I’d take something I know will last me another decade rather than the third party controllers which looking up usually leads to numerous threads of them breaking x3
I mean, fair enough. The ds4 controller is a good reliable controller and has worked for many years and probably will work for many years to come. Only downside is micro-usb though…
I had two with my PS4 Pro, and both of them got stick drift (one after a disappointingly short amount of time). Just my personal experience though…
shame that the big companies don’t use HE…
True that x3… I bought a 3 meter micro usb cable specifically for it recently lol, those have not lasted me as long as the controller. Having a usb C would be nice tho, since when it inevitably breaks again I’d be able to temporarily use any of the other cables I have on hand :3
I remember that some guy did a USB-C mod on a ds4. For me though, I just have a micro-USB cable always attached to the controller so it feels more like a wired controller with USB on the end.
I also only use it wired lol :3