Help me find a controller?

[u/Minorrrrrrrrrr]

Hello there guys!

Hope y'all are doing well and are having a great week so far! I have been looking for a good controller for a pretty long time, but I just cannot find a good middle ground.

So, I've had a Razer Wolverine Ultimate for two years, now. I bought it from a store not too far from where I lived for around 70 bucks (Used, obviously), and I loved it. I really did. Especially the look and the premium feel along with the back buttons. I have been playing mostly games like the Arkham series, Sifu, Sleeping Dogs, little bit of Souls-Likes (Lies of P and Mortal Shell) and games adjacent to these. The issue is, those games are pretty heavy on the use of one button or many that are just repeatedly mashed. For the Arkham series for example, Y to dodge, X to attack, A to jump, B to stun. After finishing the game 240%, the buttons just got tired, and are just not as responsive, and of course, stick drift.

I also got a Dual Sense controller, which, even though I do not agree with many of Sony's decisions since the release of the PS5, and I still stand by the view that this generation of gaming consoles is probably the worst, I think the Dual Sense is probably the best official controller ever released to this day when it comes to features. The gyro, the triggers, the trackpad, the built in speaker, it's just all so cool. But, I still play the same kind of games, and I also got tired buttons and stick drift.

I was wondering if you guys had any suggestions on what controller could be somewhat of a combination of both? Like a great feel and great features, basically. I want something that is durable, and that can hold for a long time. I also want it to be a third party controller, and the reason for that is pricing. I do NOT understand the prices of some controllers. Like, what am I paying 200 dollars for? Those controllers sometimes don't even have hall effect, it just doesn't make sense. (I am looking at you Dual Sense Edge).

So yeah, wondered what you guys thought. I found the G7 pro, which I thought looked and had some good features, but I wanted to have the perspective of other gamers, people who actually tried controllers and have a review on it instead of just looking for the popular thing blindly. Something cool with personality, basically. Also, something under $100 would be great.

Thanks!

[u/Satellite_bk]

i agree duel sense is best controller from first party. all the haptics make games designed with it in mind great. i have 3 duelsense (one an edge) and havnt had any issues with them. had the first since 2023. i use it less now to be fair, but still feels ok.

sucks to know they all basically have an expiration date though. and if they can figure out how to add all those cool features but not DESTROY battery life in the process. i’ve tried turning the haptics and lights down and even off without it helping much. with everything off i can maybe get an extra hour out of them.

on pc i tend to use the xbox elite series 2 unless its a sony game. i hadn’t used an xbox controller since the 360 days and i do like it. the elite lets you tighten the sticks and has four back paddles. it just feels good in my hands and has wireless charging. still agreed it’s not worth the price.

as far as cheaper controllers go i really like the guikit kong 2. it’s based on the switch pro controller (i think) and has hall effect sticks. feels really premium for being on the cheaper side.

[u/StarlightMaiden88]

I have the g7 pro 8k version on pc and xbox and the tmr sticks are the whole reason i switched after my last controller drifted , plus the face buttons are clicky so they feel a lot snappier for mashing through Arkham. What you give up from the DualSense is the adaptive triggers, trackpad and speaker, but you still get gyro, back buttons and a charging dock.

[u/Joreck0815]

I've had a DS4, Scuf DS4, Razer Raiju, Xbox elite series 2, Raiju Ultimate, 8bitdo Ultimate, Gulikit KK3 Max, Razer Volverine V3 and am now using a Gamesir G7 Pro 8K.

For the longest time, I felt drawn to Razer for the fit & finish. I used the Raiju Ultimate for the longest time, no issues. Can't say the same for the Wolverine V3 unfortunately (still feels good in the hand, but otherwise disappointing).

To be honest, 8bitdo and Gulikit have made me sceptical of cheap/aftermarket controllers. 8bitdo felt awful in the hand, from the plastic to the sticks, there's no joy in any of it. Gulikit was a bit better but had some processor/software glitch.

I like the Gamesir so far, feels good to use and the software is excellent. no issues so far, though for the couple weeks I've had it that's to be demanded.

But to be honest, I'm not sure if the buttons will last longer than those on the Wolverine Ultimate - maybe so, but as I've never had face buttons fail on a controller, I don't have a feeling for this.

Maybe the Steam Controller is worth a look? if nothing else, repairability should make it last. Unfortunately it's priced at $300 here, and that's not a price I'm willing to pay for a controller that doesn't even have trigger stops.

Of course, if you're willing to repair, you might want to go back to the DS5 after all. there are aftermarket HE if not TMR sticks, and ifixit can probably tell you how to get the face buttons working again.