Is the Dual Shock 4 the most comfortable controller to hold of all time?

I've used both on my PC, and while I prefer the Xbox One controller overall, I've found that the DS4 has better DPAD functionality.

It's up there. The ergonomics of the GCN chassis make it debatable, up to the point we start discussing its god awful button layout.

Elite controller bit@ch!

? @ spending over $100 on a controller for a console with no games. DS4 still has a better d-pad BTW.

Holy shit dude, curb the fanboyism.

Is the Dual Shock 4 the most comfortable controller to hold of all time ?

NO.

DualShit it is.

It’s not fanboyism. The DS4 objectively has the best d-pad in all of gaming, it’s a fact. About spending $140 on a controller, that may be nice for you but for me it sucks. I’d rather spend that money on games or a PC upgrade. I’ve never understood the logic behind expensive controllers.

The absolute vast majority of games over the past 2 decades games rely soley or heavily on analog yet you have people like exhibit A above touting "teh has best d-pad".

Having options is a good thing I think? So you wouldn't pay that much, but a lot of people would and did. I use to buy Scuff controllers for all of my consoles also, but I havn't this gen because of the Elite. Just like my PC I buy a nice keyboard and mouse that cost more then what the Elite controller did. It is how I control what is happening on the screen so I want the best I can purchase. What kind of K/M do you use?

Nope it doesn't and Elite 2.0 is going to the best if it isn't already.

@Xabiss: Corsair K55 keyboard and a cheap Logitech gaming mouse. I’m not not knocking your style though, if you feel luxury gamepads are worth it for you I can’t disagree with your opinion. It’s just not for me when it comes to gaming controllers.

@Pedro: Analog sticks aren’t a problem this gen on the PS4. Both controllers have excellent analog sticks so obviously I’m comparing the only major difference they have which is dpads. You would have a point if we were comparing the 360 controllers to the DS3 which obviously had shit analogs but this gen is very different from last gen and Sony has made a lot of major changes to their analog sticks.

@xhawk27: In your dreams it is. Xbox controllers don’t hold a candle to DS4 when it comes to dpads. The Xbox has good analog sticks but they can’t design a good dpad to save their lives and it’s a fact.

I have both and the Elite to me is better.

also putting the xbone sticks on the DS4 makes it so much better

@xhawk27: I can’t argue with your personal opinion if that’s how you feel but I’ll just say that in fighting game circles you are way more likely to see people playing with a DS4 than any Xbox controller, and it isn’t because PS4 is more popular, it’s because they objectively design better dpads.

No. Xbox one controller is still the king. Too bad the console sucks

Best comfort, for sure. I'd argue best features, too.

For me the Xbox is the controller to beat

Battery life is shit so I don't use it.

It's alright.

@shellcase86: Best features? Please don't tell me you mean the redundant trackpad and useless light?

I don't mean adding a micro usb cable, I mean take out the Bluetooth functionality and replace with a good cable that can also break away. I thought the lowered latency was only on the new controllers.

From my perspective it is a lesser product that costs more...I will not accept that. That doesn't mean I can't recognize it's good qualities.

Can't stand the xbox controllers. If I actually played my xbox more I would invest in an adapter to let me use my DS4 on it.

@dimebag667: The lower latency is on the slim and Pro models I believe.

"I mean take out the Bluetooth functionality and replace with a good cable that can also break away."

Why would they take out the Bluetooth? If your cable breaks away, the Bluetooth starts working so you don't lose control of your game. There are actual break away cables you can buy, but are made for phones. Seems like something only a very small percentage of people would use, hence why it's not included.

Woah, woah, woah...I don't want cables, I want good batteries. This has ran away from "I want better batteries" to "what type of cable should it be". The argument was "don't complain about batteries when you can just get a usb extender and leave it plugged in". To me that seems like the attitude that makes the world worse. If the DS4's design is so great that you're willing to throw away better battery life...that's on you. I don't hate it, but I don't like the DS4...but even if I did, I would still be upset that the battery life of the previous controller I owned (DS3) was better. Don't accept downgrades. Why wouldn't you want everything you like about the DS4, plus a better battery?

@dimebag667: Little confused here... I think we both want the same thing lol. Yeah, better battery life would be cool, but really not necessary unless you forget to plug in your controller after use.(Even then, I always have a back up plugged in, charged). I guess it's a normal thing for me to do... Even with my cell phone. I don't even think about it. But if there's one complaint against it, I guess that'd be it. Oh and the options/share buttons could stick out a bit more.

Are you kidding? It wouldn't even be in my top five.

There's a simple way to demonstrate the DS4's poor design: pick up the controller with your hands at rest. Now, awkwardly shift your left thumb down so that you can reach the left analogue stick.

Notice how your right thumb is relaxed, while your left thumb isn't? There you go, good luck enjoying the next few hours of gaming.

*edit* Don't get me started on battery life. I can't even watch a series on Netflix without recharging the controller at least once (even with the auto turn-ofd feature).

Lol... I was at my cousin's house the other day and we were playing his PS4, and it feels so awkward going back to the DS4 after exclusively using the XB1 controller. The sticks just feel wrong.

@Planeforger: You must have some really awkwardly shaped hands, I'm sure you could get surgery to correct them.

Crampy triggers?

No, it isn't at all. Both the xOne and Switch Pro are much better.

I prefer the Xbox One controller - I find my thumbs slip off the PS4 controller quite easily. I also have quite big hands so the chunkiness of the Xbox controller makes it feel more solid in my hands. However, I tend to just use the controller that goes with the console I'm playing on :P

LOOOOOL no

Also hilarious that your biased poll backfired

It totally is in opposite land.

Haha, I'm pretty sure we do. I also always have one controller plugged in while the other is in use, but when I have to change them out after watching a few hours of Netflix...that is unacceptable. And to be fair, I believe the DS4 DOES have a bigger batter than the DS3, but there are too many things vying for that precious juice. I think the real culprits would be the speaker (barely used), the touch pad (barely used), and the lightbar (barely used).

Yes. And this is coming from someone who absolutely HATED the DS1/2/3 design. Sony really outdid themselves on this controller. I just wish the battery life was better. I'm also a huge Sony basher, so you know they did well when I'm using their controller to play on my PC and Switch.

The X1 controller isn't bad either. The fact that it uses AA batteries is a huge turnoff for me though. I also prefer the d-pad on the DS4, although the one on the X1 isn't bad at all.

Switch pro controller is the worst of the three. It's comfortable and has great battery life, but the d-pad is one of the worst I've ever used. The triggers are also digital.

@dimebag667: Here's a dumb suggestion that you probably already know about... Set the controller to turn off after 10 minutes of no use. You can't have it on your lap though, since the gyro sensors will keep the controller on. I have mine set like that, hit the play button and put the controller on the coffee table. Or you can hold the PS button down for 10 secs and the controller will turn off but that's a bit of an annoyance. But yeah, I binge on Netflix a lot and that seems to work well for keeping the battery full. For some reason the battery drains a lot just by being on.

DS4 is the most comfortable SONY controller ever made. Switch Pro controller is more comfortable than DS4 and the Xbox One controller is the most comfortable controller IMO overall.

OP, your poll is clearly severely fanboy skewed. You give one option in favor of sony, and the rest are like "is the shitty xbox crap controller made of poo comfy in my tiny trump hands". Grow the f**k up.

Yeah I've been doing that since the beginning, but it still dies in one night. If anything I should've bought the actual Playstation Remote. If it's anything like the ps3 one it would never die. But now it's so late in the cycle that I feel like I would just be wasting my money. This might sound silly, but I would actually not consider buying a PS5 is they don't address this in some way. This is a totally different topic, but I haven't really cared for this gen at all. The PS4 has added two things that are really worth if to me: The instant resume function, and install games remotely from your phone. Those are actually neat, but almost everything else has been underwhelming.

@sealionact: Absolutely, I feel the features in play on the DS4 are top of the class this gen, for my usage;

1. Headphone jack

2. Speaker

3. Rechargeable battery

All great features!

Also, it's not mentioned, but another great feature is that you don't need a proprietary charging cord, any old mini-USB that works for a phone will work on it. And though the touchpad doesn't get enough play, it's a nice touch, for sure. Additionally, the fact that I can use it wired or wireless w/ my PS3 is fantastic!

Those all wrapped up, in addition to the much improved comfort, makes this an amazing controller. The best for me.

Yeah that 4 hour battery life is definitely top of the class. Lol.

@shellcase86: Hey im not arguing with your opinion, but I have a PS4 too and while it's a much better effort than the dual shock 3, and is more comfortable to hold, it's still nowhere near the Xbox controller.

The speaker is totally as wasted as the trackpad. None of my games use either of them in an innovative way, and the same goes for the light.

Xbox controller has headphone jacks too, and ds4 headphone jacks don't work with windows.

The rechargeable battery is the worst facet of the ds4. Its awful. Pitiful battery life - why can't I turn the frikking light off? I never get more than 4 hours out of it.

With Xbox, you can get rechargeable batteries, you can get battery packs like the ds4 except they last way longer, or you can use plain AA batteries that last for days.

I'm not doubting you're happy with the ds4, but I was just curious as to which features you loved, because imo the light, speaker and trackpad are wasted, the battery life is awful, the button layout is bizarre and the trigger buttons are spongy.

Best controller for me for sure!!!