I am looking for a PC controller to be used as an alternative for the dualsense controller I already have. It will be used whenever the game does not support dualsense and shows XBOX glyphs instead. Like for example Star Wars Jedi Fallen Order or Control launched from Epic Games Store.
Required information:
- Budget maximum is 150 €
- My country is Finland, so I can buy from for example MaxGaming, ProShop, Verkkokauppa
- Platform compatibility must be PC
- I play single player action/adventure/RPGs
What I do appreciate in the dualsense are the adaptive triggers and haptic feedback. I love the clarity of the rumble in the controller, and adaptive triggers (when they are supported) is a nice touch. On the other hand, I've turned off the microphone and the speakers in the controller, as I often play games after I've got our kid to bed while I'm waiting for my wife to come home.
However, dualsense is not always supported, and my brains just cannot smoothly figure out the XBOX glyphs the games show. To tackle this, I've started to look for a controller that has those. I will still be using dualsense as the main controller, so the new controller would be used to cover the games the dualsense is a poor fit to.
For me, must haves for the new controller:
- Out-of-the-box support for the controller on PC, on any games. I do play games out of Steam ecosystem, and the controller should be supported on those games too. Like Epic Games Store and GOG.
- XBOX face buttons (XYAB)
- Can be shipped to me this year
What I'd love to have:
- Clear rumble, I'd prefer the controller to have a detailed rumble. I do not know how supported rumble is on XBOX platform for example, but if it is possible to have "directional" rumble, I'd prefer it over symmetric rumble.
- Option to go wireless, as I tend to lay on the armchair.
- possibility for ease of removal of batteries, as the controller might stay unused for a couple of months.
Nice-to-have features that I can easily compromise on:
- Symmetric sticks, I'm used to Playstation controllers having symmetric sticks, but it is not a biggie to go asymmetric
- Adaptive triggers, as nice as they are, I know the technology is Sony-specific, so I know the games that supports them most likely support the dualsense controller I already have.
I have considered the following controllers:
- Flydigi Vader 5 Pro HE V2
- Flydigi Apex 5
- Flydigi Apex 6 Pro
- 8bitDo Ultimate 3e
- GameSir G7 Pro
What picked my interest in Flydigi Apex lineup was the haptic feedback and adaptive triggers they apparently have. While delving deeper into them, it sounded like it might be a hassle to use the Flydigi Space Station. By the looks of it, it does have a web version, which might be the way to go if I land on one of their products. I did not see a lot of mentions how well it is supported on games on general, and did not see mentions of how often you'd typically need to use the space station software or how often you'd need to update the firmware. From the 3 flydigi controller versions, the Vader has the best looks, while Apex 5 is the ugliest. And on Apex 5 vs Apex 6, it sounds like Apex 5 has been out longer, so there should not be huge surprises on its downsides, whereas Apex 6 is not yet out, so it might be more riskier to buy.
8BitDo Ultimate 3e does sound tempting, but there does not seem to be a lot of reviews and users stating their experience using it, so it might be a risky buy. There was plenty of people saying it is overpriced, which is not a huge concern for me, as long as it'll last for years for me. I did find some users saying the rumble in this one is more precise and strong than in some other controllers, and it being supported on XBox too sounds like it might play well with games that are not released on PlayStation (and thus are not supporting dual sense).
GameSir G7 Pro sounds like it might fit the bill. What worries me on it is the rumble features. It sounds like it has asymmetric feeling to the rumble and has had some issues with the rumble, like weaker rumbles feeling more muffled than on other controllers.
As nice as the new Steam Controller sounds like, I ruled it out, as it sounds like games from other storefront might not work well with it, and it's availability is rather poor right now.