games @hexbear.net barrbaric [he/him] @hexbear.net 24 hr. ago

Recommendations For a Controller for PC?

So my old wireless Xbox 360 controller is kind of on its last legs, bad stick drift, thumbstick rubber starting to rub off, and I'm looking for a replacement. Would gladly just buy another 360 controller but they haven't made them in years.

Got an 8bitdo Ultimate earlier this year and it has not lasted. Out of the box, the thumbsticks started losing sensitivity in one or two directions after a few hours of play, but I could get around this by messing with the deadzones in the software. Not an ideal solution, since it lowered the resolution, but it worked.

But now it's got new and exciting problems that I can't work around. Sometimes the B button won't register at all. Sometimes the A button will press on its own. And my favorite, sometimes the entire controller just freezes and won't accept any input for seconds at a time.

I had a coworker recommend a GuliKit but the face buttons are backward and that's enough to put me off it.

Any advice?

39 comments

Xbox One controller. I guess if you love the PS5 controller you could do that but i think Xbox One has better triggers by a long shot.

Edit: xbox one, xbox series, whatever the fuck it is lol. I think i bought mine when it was just xbox one
- xbox one, xbox series, whatever the fuck it is lol
  
  I find it deeply hilarious that nobody I've ever talked to knows the name of the current gen xbox without looking it up. Very good marketing.
- i have one of these it's very reliable and i would use it as a steering device in a properly built submarine
Right, so valve is rumoured to be extremely close to announcing the steam controller 2, obviously steam support will be a given and valves controllers are usually decent quality. If you’re looking to buy a new one and can wait to see what valve brings out, I think that’d be a good idea.
- Steamdeck has me waiting for that steam controller 2. Touchpads and steam input has me unable to go back especially for games with no native controller support. Really helps out cos shoulder injury makes mouse and keyboard really hard to use these days and i already have to use those for work
- I bought the first steam controller, and tbh it's really fun to use. I've beaten dark souls 1 dozens of times in it, and it works as new.
  
  Also a big fan of the first steam controller. High hopes for the 2nd. If nothing else to replace the first one when it inevitably does die. The gen one controllers are like hens teeth now.
I just bought a third party Xbox One controller, been really happy with it
my favourite is the newer Xbox wireless controller. i used to buy 3rd party but have found it's worth it to spend 50 or 60 quid on these as they last much longer. connects natively to whatever via bluetooth, use it with my steam deck and linux PC nice and easily. I picked up some rechargeable AAs and a charger too because it doesn't charge batteries, that's the one drawback of the modern controllers. they are my favourite controller to use though, always found dual shocks kinda small
I've been using wired 360 controllers forever. They still make them
- Been using my old reliable 360 wired pc controller after my oem console pads started to die out.
Unless you prefer the shape or feel of PlayStation controllers, I would recommend going with an Xbox One controller since it works natively with almost every PC game that has controller support. It’s the least hassle, as it’s usually just plug-and-play. This goes for every Xbox controller afaik if you want a cheaper alternative to the xbox one controller.
When my 360 controller stopped working I just went with Xbox one and that last me for a good few years. I recently replaced it with Xbox one but with a USB C connection and I can't see that I'll be needing to buy another for quite a while.

They are pretty cheap and proven resilience / decent build quality. Also very familiar after using a 360 controller.
PS5 controller hands down. Feels great in the hands, connects with no issue to my Linux machine, and the dpad is very good. With Microsoft, I never had any good experiences with their offerings, so I cannot recommend those. Some part of the controller would wear down or stop functioning and I went through too many of them. However, the first Steam Controller was pretty good, so maybe the v2 will be worth waiting a little longer for.
- and the dpad is very good
  
  huh, none of the fighting game people i know like the ps5 dpad
  
  I will never be a fighting game woman. This is coming from a medium-high skill speed runner of Super Metroid Randomizer though. It’s the best one I’ve used aside from the SNES OEM pad.
I've been using a DualShock 4 (Playstation 4) controller for the past three or four years. It works wirelessly by bluetooth or plugged in via USB. Works with modern Windows (tested on 10) as well as Linux. On Linux, even the motion controls worked when I was doing Switch emulation. I use it mostly for playing Celeste. I find that it is a fraction more responsive / reliable when plugged in vs. wireless, but wireless is fine for anything not ultra-sweaty.

On Linux I have had intermittent bluetooth connectivity problems in the past. These were ultimately resolved by building a kernel with the new hid_playstation driver (replacing the old hid_sony driver). This was a couple years ago though. This transition should be complete in any modern distro. The driver should be compatible with DS5 controllers too, but I have never tried one.

It may not be the best option out there, but it covers a lot of bases and has good compatibility all around, as well as programs to proxy it as an Xbox controller on Windows if necessary for older games with less robust plumbing for input. I guess these things are out of production now too though.
tbh when this happened to my old 360 wireless i just bought a bunch of replacement parts and silicone wraps and decked my controller out in the gawdiest rainbow colors imaginable. The total cost was probably 1/3 of a new name brand controller too

unlike switch joycons, 360 controllers can easily be taken apart and put back together like its nothing too
- I guess that's always an option, but I imagine I'd have to replace the sensors as well as the sticks to get rid of the drift; you know if that's possible without soldering?
  
  Also, would be cool if they just used normal screwdrivers instead of torx lol.
XBox Elite Series 2

Rather expensive but mine has lasted me like 3 years now with practically no issues. The thing is built like those old unbreakable mobile phones.
- I’ve had mine for 3ish years as well and it’s great. I think that the A button may be going but it might be my own carelessness with presses.
  
  I don’t even use it as a wireless controller. I just plug it into my computer with a USB C cable.
- $160
  
  Yeesh you weren't kidding about expensive.
I don't like the dualshock shape and am a fan of the Xbox controller style. So I use an Xbox Wireless Controller with cheap third party rechargeable battery packs that I just plug into my phone charger nearby. It's essentially the Xbox 360 controller. You can plug it in with a USB-C cable if you want, otherwise you'll need to buy the dongle they sell if your computer doesn't have bluetooth. Even if it does, you probably still want the dongle, as without it, the bluetooth connection can kind of suck. So that's one big flaw. But it's really comfy and I have 2 that have lasted a few years.
- Hmm, for the dongle I still have the old 360 one; does that still work with more recent controllers?
  
  I'm pretty sure it's a different wireless signal so I don't think it's compatible with the 360 version.
  
  Not sure since the Xbox Wireless controller is technically an Xbox One controller, I believe? I don't know if they've had multiple revisions over time or changed anything. Maybe updated the Bluetooth version.
if you use windows it's hard to recommend any controller other than the xbox series x controller

it regularly goes on sale for 30-40 bucks, has native support for every game that uses gamepad, and works as both wireless and plugs in as a wired controller via USB

only caveat is that if you're planning on using it bluetooth, there's a known frame drop problem when using it with bluetooth on windows 10 for some peeps, so i had to get the official microsoft controller dongle. wish game pass for pc worked on linux
- only caveat is that if you're planning on using it bluetooth, there's a known frame drop problem when using it with bluetooth on windows 10 for some peeps
  
  i never heard of that. ill have to pay more attention. Though ive only used the controller with Forza, Rocket League and Ghost of Tsushima. Tsushima does have occasional frame drops but its just like a stutter every now and then. though i have what's labeled as an Xbox one controller so its a lil older i think.
  
  you'd prolly notice it lol, im talking like the frames dropping from 60 to like 23 frames per second whenever i moved the control stick but back up to 60 when not pressing any inputs
I like my Logitech F310 enough that I bought a second one when the first one broke (from being ancient and getting improperly packed in a move). The second one has lasted nine years so far. And they're very cheap.
Madcatz ps3 controller
I currently have two DS4s I got a few years back. I haven't used them as intensely the last few years, but they have been great when I needed them.
You could wait for the new steam controller if you don't need it in a hurry.
I have my original PS4 controller for 10 years and it's still going, everything played through steam works, sometimes for non steam games I might have to pull up DS4 windows

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