Quality:…..8
Back in the day, i was a huge PlayStation fan. I had in my possession all 3 consoles released by Sony and as you can probably guess, i was very fond of the PlayStation controller. I still consider the first Dual Shock the best controller i have ever used; heavy, responsive and with a tremendous life limit.
On 2016, i bought my Xbox One so unavoidably, i had to ”rewire” my mind in order to get used to its controller. All i can say is that i am very satisfied. The controller itself is made of high quality plastic. It feels and it is robust and up until now it has endured hundreds of falls and hours upon hours of playtime. Imagine that my first Xbox One controller is stil working perfectly fine after 1000+ hours of Rocket League game time without adding all the other games i have played with it on the console.
The analogue sticks are brilliant. When playing shooter games, you can do micro calibrations to your aim easily. Furthermore, their position on the controller somehow help you even more when playing first person shooters. The only better alternative to these types of games is the mouse and keyboard combo.
In addition, to the middle of the controller lies an illuminated button bearing the Xbox One symbol. Apart from its usual function (pressing it takes you to the Xbox One home menu), the way it flashes indicates whether your controller is connected or not.
Totally, 3 controllers have come to my possession, with the most recent one being the One S controller. The only practical difference found was that on this controller there is a textured grip that improves handling when hands get sweaty when playing horror games.
However, despite all these, there are 2 major flaws. MICROSOFT, HOW DARE YOU NOT INCLUDE A RECHARGEABLE BATTERY FOR YOUR CONTROLLER ON 2017?? Yes, yu read that right. A rechargeable battery pack has to be purchased separately. Otherwise, you are stuck replacing batteries day in day out, which is a very bad thing for your pocket. Thankfully, i bought a decent 3rd party rechargeable stand that included 2 rechargeable Ni-Cd batteries for about 12 Euros and it made my life a whole lot easier.
The other flaw is the fact that after 5 months of use, the right trigger of my Xbox One S controller started registering only 20% of my button presses. After some research on the Internet i realised that a capacitor on its circuit board was faulty and i had to repair it by myself, thus taking the risk of destroying it completely.
Ergonomy/ Ease of Use:…..10
I tried the PlayStation 4 controller as well and i think it is nowhere near as comfortable as the Xbox One (for me, Sony’s controller looks like a boomerang with buttons, seriously). I can play games on my console hours on end and my hands never feel sore, mostly because the controller has an appropriate weight, it is neither too light nor too heavy.
Moreover, if you have a PC, you can connect your Xbox One controller to it via Bluetooth, which is very convenient since you do not have to squander more money on a separate one. In addition, pretty much every headset that has a 3.5mm jack can be connected to the controller in order to enjoy both in game audio and party chat while playing your favorite games. Even your mobile phone hands free speakers will do the trick.
Eventually, with the new software updates, you do not even need the Xbox Controller Adapter to regulate party chat and in game audio. Everything can be done via the console’s user interface.
Value for Money:…8
You can find the Xbox One controller for about 40 Euros which is not that much, since it can be used for your PC games as well. Also, if you want to separate yourself from the crowd, you can create a unique controller by swapping its faceplates, its triggers and buttons with others of different colours and designs. There is an extra cost of course, but the result is great. However, the fact that you have to purchase a separate rechargeable battery pack is something to consider, since it raises the initial purchase cost by 10 to 15 Euros.
Hel.Ga.Te.S 