Still, that doesn’t mean there isn’t room for improvement, and there’s a whole ecosystem of third-party PlayStation 4 controllers that offer something a little different. Whether you want a high-end pad for tournament play or something cheap and cheerful for smaller (or less careful) hands, there should be something for you. Remember that you can use the official DualShock 4 on PC, and don’t forget about Mac, iPhone and Android too. In fact, most third-party controllers will work on a computer – although some perform better than others. It’s worth noting that you’re able to use PS4 controllers on the PS5, but only when playing PS4 titles.
Best PS4 controllers 2022
The aesthetic is classic PlayStation, and at first glance you might think the functionality is basically the same too, with the standard face buttons, D-pad, analogue sticks, and shoulder triggers. You’ll also find the Options and Share buttons. It works wirelessly, charges by microUSB, and has a perfectly respectable battery life. There’s more under the hood than that though. There are motion controls (even if not that many games use them), a light bar that changes colour to match in-game events, and a touch pad that doubles as a button. More recent versions of the controller (since 2016) also make the light bar slightly visible through the touch pad, rather than limiting it to the back of the controller. The updated DualShock 4 isn’t a big enough improvement to ever justify an upgrade, but if you need to replace a broken controller, or want to pick up a second for local multiplayer, there are a lot of reasons to just grab an official one. It’s cheaper than most of the competition, now comes in a decent range of colours, and you know it’s just going to work. It’s not hard to see why – the officially licensed Nacon Revolution Unlimited Pro does sport the general form factor preferred by Microsoft’s console, though distinct PS4 features (including the touchpad and light bar) are present and accounted for. It sports a gorgeous matte finish on the front, with a grippy material on the rear to stop the controller slipping in your sweaty hands during intense online gaming moments. There’s even dedicated volume and mic controls on the rear, and that’s not something we’ve seen with many controllers. It’s certainly not garish like other controllers in our chart, sporting an understated look with a single LED ring around the right analogue stick that gives the controller a bit of character. Of course, looks are only second to functionality, and the Revolution Unlimited Pro doesn’t disappoint here either. As well as being able to customise the four additional buttons on the rear, you can swap out the analogue sticks and add additional weights to make the controller feel more substantial, but the real magic happens when you connect it to your Mac or PC. Via Nacon’s Revolution Unlimited Pro app, you can take the customisation even further. You can adjust the vibration on a per-motor basis, adjust the sensitivity and dead-band of each trigger, remap any button on the controller and adjust the response curve of your analogue sticks – and that’s only scratching the surface of the suite of features the app offers. It goes without saying that gamers need different controls and response times depending on the game, which is why Nacon allows you to switch between four customisable profiles with a simple button press. You can also switch between wired and wireless mode (using the provided dongle), and switch between standard PS4, advanced PS4, and PC control modes. Yes, you read that right, the Nacon Revolution Unlimited Pro is compatible with PC alongside PS4, making it the perfect controller for cross-platform gamers. One controller to rule them all, and all that. With the Raiju Ultimate, Razer has added wireless play, (slightly) streamlined the design, and, uh, actually made the price even higher, but there you go. There’s good reason for that, to be fair. The Raiju Ultimate takes Microsoft’s Xbox Elite controller as inspiration, and goes from there. Like that pad it comes with a heavy-duty carry case, interchangeable thumbsticks and D-pad, and a choice between wired or Bluetooth play, with a switch on the back to quickly flick between modes (including a PC Bluetooth option if you want to use it away from your PS4). The whole feel is just as premium as the Xbox Elite controller too. This is weighty and slick, with a smoother, rounder design than the last Raiju. It’s also all-black, losing the blue accents, and has improved mechanical face buttons which feel satisfyingly clicky and tactile. Like you’d expect, there are additional customisable buttons here – like the previous Raiju there are two additional shoulder buttons and two on the rear. Unlike most other controllers, you can’t re-program those using the pad itself though – you need to use the Raiju smartphone app, which lets you create and save multiple profiles which you can then switch between on the fly from the controller. That app is also used for the Ultimate’s most unique feature: support for Razer’s Chroma lighting effects, which run in a small strip around the touch pad. You can use the app to link certain colours and effects to specific profiles, with the usual suite of animations and colour cycling options from other Razer products. There’s a lot to recommend the Raiju Ultimate then, but a few big downsides too. First, it costs about the same price as the console itself, and will be well out of most people’s price range. It’s also not even out in the US, so American gamers are out of luck. Another irritation is that the audio functionality doesn’t work when using the pad over Bluetooth – even if the headphones are wired. So your only headset option is a high-end set like Razer’s own Thresher that connects straight to the console, not via the controller. The Raiju also suffered a few technical issues in its early days – lag and control stick drift primarily. Subsequent firmware updates have put those issues to bed in our review unit, but we’d understand anyone nervous about spending top dollar on the pad. The two main features you miss out on are the Chroma lighting and the interchangeable D-pad and thumbsticks – everything in the Tournament edition is fixed in place. That basically means this model is much less customisable, but performance is otherwise similar. You also don’t get the carry case – which perversely means this isn’t very good for carrying round to tournaments, despite the name. The other big difference you’ll spot straight away is that the Tournament model uses an Xbox-style thumbstick layout, so regardless of the other features you may prefer this over the Ultimate if that’s the style you’re used to. You also get some other colour options: in addition to black there’s Quartz Pink (pictured) and Mercury White, which goes some way to making up for the lack of RGB lighting. Beyond that things are familiar: a premium-feel gamepad with mechanical switches, four extra remappable buttons, app support for customising settings, and both wired and Bluetooth functionality. As with the Ultimate, audio output doesn’t work over wireless play though. The star of the show for us is the innovative paddle system the controller utilises – dubbed Shift Paddles – as it’s different from standard paddle systems found on other controllers. Rather than using flappy paddles, the Shift features smaller, ergonomically shaped paddles that are mounted directly on top of activator buttons. This provides lightning-quick response time, even with the smallest amount of pressure. It doesn’t matter if you hit the paddle at an awkward angle either, as it picks up input from almost any angle. If you’d rather not have paddles you can have simple buttons in the exact same spot. The only downside? Whether you opt for buttons or paddles, these extra controls come at the expense of rumble, so if you want more buttons you’ll lose vibration – a tradeoff that most competing controllers don’t ask you to make. If you want those extra paddles to be re-mappable you’ll also have to pay an extra $30, which quickly becomes a bit of a trend as you build a gamepad – spec it out as much as you can, including a two-year warranty, and right now you could drop a cool $610 – far more than you’d spend on the console itself. Still, the idea is that most people will pick and choose the features they need, and there are loads to choose from. Some are aesthetic, with chrome-finished face buttons, coloured finishes, and the option to overlay custom text or graphics onto the grips. Other options are as functional as the paddles. There’s a choice of four different thumbstick heights – with the option for different heights on each stick; grippy finish options; and special mods that use button macros to improve performance in shooters (with one mod specifically for Fortnite), though these will make the controller invalid for most esports tournaments. The pro options set the Evil Shift further apart. Tactile trigger and button options reduce travel to just 1mm, with a clicky response that’s fantastic for shooters – though be careful on the triggers, as they cut down analogue control and so aren’t recommended for driving games. You can also up thumbstick tension to 200g (from 80g by default) for finer control over movement and aim – and again, you can pick exactly which thumbsticks and buttons to apply these options to. It’s an almost overwhelming array of options, and you can quickly spend silly money if you’re not careful, but it’s hard to argue with the results – fully kitted out, this is one of the most responsive pads we’ve ever used. It’s a shame you lose the rumble, but beyond that a customised Evil Shift is one of the best options out there for the committed e-athlete, though most of it is overkill for the rest of us. It’s called T-Mod technology, and it allows you to swap the layout of the analogue sticks and directional controls. The analogue sticks and directional buttons are built into small magnetic modules that can be pulled out and swapped around mid-game – there are no settings to apply, and there’s no software required, allowing gamers to switch between the Xbox One and DualShock 4 layouts depending on the situation. You can extend the functionality even further via other controller modules, but these are all sold separately. Modular design aside, you’ll find tactile switches beneath each button that provides a responsive, satisfying click along with customisable rear triggers. Using a switch on the controller itself, you can easily switch between two trigger activation presets, giving you the edge in shooters while avoiding the issue of incompatibility with games that require the full trigger activation range. You’ll also find dedicated volume and mute buttons on the bottom of the controller, either side of the 3.5mm headphone jack, along with the standard PlayStation icon and Touch Bar. You do miss out on motion controls though, and there’s no Light Bar present, so keep that in mind when playing games that utilise the tech. If you flip the controller over, you’ll find four re-mappable buttons on the rear, although we’ve found these to be a little small and hard to quickly locate compared to other systems, like the paddle design of the Scuf Prestige. You’ve also got to use the Thrustmaster software on PC to edit button assignments, which can be a little time-consuming compared to other controllers that let you remap buttons on-the-fly. We can forgive that, but what we can’t look past is the lack of wireless connectivity. We accept that wired performance will always be better than that of its wireless counterparts, but we’d like the option to connect wirelessly when not in a high-pressure eSports environment. Sometimes it’s all about convenience, and to us, convenience isn’t hunting for the braided microUSB cable before jumping on the PS4. The Asymmetric Wireless is the perfect solution for those that prefer the general shape and design of the Xbox One controller, sporting an off-set analogue stick and wider grips while still featuring PS4-exclusive features including the Touch Bar and Light Bar – although it’s more of a small indicator LED than a standard bar. The wide-set design allows for a better overall grip of the controller, especially during long gaming sessions, and the concaved analogue sticks provide improved input accuracy. The general build quality is decent, with Nacon detailing on the Touch Bar and analogue sticks that help it portray the premium look Nacon is after, although we were a little surprised at the lack of rubber grips on the rear – something very common amongst third-party controllers at most price points. The Asymmetric Wireless is, as many would’ve guessed, wireless. You’ll get around seven hours of use before needing a top-up, and takes around an hour and a half to charge up via microUSB. There is a catch though; the controller connects via USB dongle and not standard Bluetooth like the DualShock 4. While it’s not an issue most of the time, it does limit the controller’s ability to remotely turn on the PS4 – and you’ll have to sacrifice a USB port too. The good news is that the dongle and controller are also compatible with PC, allowing you to use a single controller across both platforms. You’ll also find a standard 3.5mm headphone port on the controller for both audio and chat purposes, just like the standard DualShock 4 controller. But while it’s packed full of features, there are some notable omissions, namely the lack of motion sensors and the built-in speaker, hindering use with games that require those functions. The keyboard is around a third of the size of a standard keyboard, sporting TTC red mechanical switches and more RGB lights than you can shake a stick at, and it’s paired with GameSir’s GM400 mouse, but you can use any mouse you like via the USB-A port. It connects to your PS4 via a dongle, which is where we imagine it’s tricking your console into thinking it’s a standard controller input, and from there, you can use the keyboard and mouse to play just about any PS4 title. The problem is that not all games offer the same level of support, focusing on popular titles like Fortnite and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, but the good news is that you can create your own custom mappings via the GameSir app for iOS and Android. It’s a little fiddly, admittedly, but if you’ve always wanted to design games in Dreams using keyboard and mouse, it’s now a possibility. Of course, there’s also the added benefit that the keyboard and mouse combo is much more accurate than a standard controller, giving you an edge in online gameplay – though at a moral cost, of course. The flight stick offers a suite of buttons at your fingertip and the lifesize thruster allows for granular control over speed. When combined, the level of precision on offer is unmatched compared to standard controllers, making for an enjoyable, immersive experience in supported titles. The two sections, though attached by default, can be split apart to better suit your setup, and there’s an additional port for dual pedals too – though you’ll have to buy those separately. There isn’t an expansive list of games that it’ll work with, but if you’re a dedicated Elite Dangerous or Ace Combat 7 player, it’ll transform your gaming experience. Lewis Painter is a Senior Staff Writer at Tech Advisor. Our resident Apple expert, Lewis covers everything from iPhone to AirPods, plus a range of smartphones, tablets, laptops and gaming hardware. You’ll also find him on the Tech Advisor YouTube channel.
