Correct me if I am wrong, but every new PlayStation console influences the gaming market in a phenomenal way. Indeed, the most revolutionary console is the PlayStation 2 and last year the last server for the model shut down and ever since that day we consider the PlayStation 4 as the new living legend.
The number four console in the sequel is selling like crazy ever since it popped out in stores and manufacturers are constantly working on some kind of products related to the PS4. From skins, to holders, controllers, and even Nike sneakers, you can dive yourself into a universe of incredibly good looking add-ons and merchandise for it! To be honest, I have witnessed some crazy additions in the last couple of months and I think that there are some unique ones that deserve more attention.
Exactly this idea is standing behind my ambition to give you the five best controllers for the PlayStation 4. Some of them I have discussed in previous articles, and others I will do for the first time. I bet that by the end of the article, you will like at least 2 controllers and you would love to add them to your gaming set. Not because they are only good-looking, but because they have some incredible functions, that could be never seen in another model. Let’s get into it!
RAZER RAIJU
Of course, it would have been silly and non-sense if I did not add a product that comes from Razer, right? The company is known for their crazy ideas about different products, and they are perfectly good at working on peripheral devices for third-party products. The Raiju controller is also one of those products and I assure you that not only it looks and feels good, but it is arguably the most efficient PlayStation 4 controller that you can find on this list!
Looking at the controller, at first, it looks like it is created for an Xbox One, but that is not the case. It surely has a similar form, but that is often seen among PS4 joysticks, which I think is good for gamers who are spending a lot of time on the Xbox and occasionally play on the Sony console as well, or they are just transferring from gaming on Xbox to gaming on PS4.
The joystick feels pretty comfortable when u hold it in your hands and has an astonishing build quality. It feels natural when you hold it in your hands and I love how Razer keeps the sticks low because it surely adds to the ergonomics and helps with long-time gaming sessions. The sticks are covered in a rubber-like material, which is used on the bottom part of the hand-grips as well. This little feature would not let your fingers and hands slip when sweaty, which may turn out to be crucial for your gaming performance.
However, what I like most about the controller is the little control dock on the front, just under the two sticks. This control dock has some buttons that are for the vital functions and things that you would use the most when you game. Instead of distracting yourself from the game and searching for those options in the setting menu, you can silence your microphone, adjust the volume of the game, turn the controller off, or even scroll through two different presets of the controller.
Those presets are actually profiles for the functions of the buttons that you choose on your own, or in other words – you can personalize the function of most of the buttons. This could be really handy for most users and people who are really into some game and know everything about it, as you can make an incredible use of those button shortcuts and personalization! Or if you just think that those additional buttons on the bottom of the controller are useless, you can easily unmount them if they are getting into your way constantly!
This controller has been in the top spots of charts for months and it is still holding its price of $149 – you can find it on Amazon or plenty of other online retail stores!
SCUF IMPACT
The second PlayStation 4 controller that I will be talking about is the Scuf Impact. There is a big chance that you have heard of this one, as it is really famous for being almost fully customizable. It is the ultimate joystick for gamers who would like to tweak as much as possible to their preference and make it the best peripheral for themselves. What differs it from the other proposals out here is the fact that it is wireless, which is a great advantage!
What I really like about the Scuf Impact is how good it feels when you hold it. The ergonomics are superb and the design somehow reminds me of an Xbox controller again. It is very different than its rivals because of the crazy design, incredible materials, ergonomics and the crazy new customizable buttons and concept that has been never seen before.
On the bottom part of the joystick, you will find four customizable buttons that are like pedals and feel really good when u press them. Not only do they feel and look good, but they could be really useful hotkeys for racing games or shooting games. When you are racing you can use those “pedal-like” buttons for shifting gears, handbrake, nitro and when you are playing a shooter game you can use them for weapon changing, dragging up a knife, hand grenade, and others. For real, you can use those buttons however you’d like to in any game, as they are individually working for each and every game you’d like to set them up!
As much as it comes to customization and modding up the controller, you would have a lot of fun doing it! The grip of the handles cannot be modified and you do not actually need to do it because it feels incredibly good, but the sticks in an example, you can easily change with just a single movement. All you have to do is to squeeze and turn the blue ring and the stick itself. You can choose between playing with plastic sticks or non-slippery rubber ones!
Another thing that you could do is to turn clockwise the segment on the trigger button and you would set up a blocker for the button and as soon as it has been pressed to the needed position of initiating a click, it does not enable you to press it further. This reduces the time of initiating a click by %50 and this way you will beat your enemies when it comes to quickness!
Overall, this Scuf Impact PlayStation 4 controller is just great and I really like how it has been created, designed, manufactured and engineered as a whole! Everything works perfectly together and I bet that you will quickly fall in love with it – all you need is a 2-hour gaming session and you will never change your controller again! You can find it on the manufacturer’s website under a lot of skins, at prices varying between $140 – $160.
Click here to check out the different colorways of the Scuf Impact and I bet that you will be left amazed! You can even choose to build yours and do it in the color you’d like the most and the very materials that will be used. It is something like the Nike ID feature but on PlayStation 4 controllers. Haven’t heard this before from another manufacturer, so big props to Scuf for enabling you to make and create your own PS4 controller by developing the ps4 controller maker.
NACON REVOLUTION 2
Third up on the list is the extraordinary Nacon Revolution 2 joypad that has a great design, which is somehow different than what we’re used to seeing on PS4 models. The second generation was released and certified recently, so it is the perfect time to present it to you. There are some things that get directly into your eyesight and you instantly understand that you do not see for the first time on a controller.
The first thing is how it has the same shape and concept as an Xbox controller. Not trying to make accusations, but the shape is evidently stolen from the Xbox, but when you see how they moved the stick to the upper left side and put the movement buttons on the place of the stick (swapped their positions) you can tell right away what is going on. They did it really good and the feeling of playing on an Xbox will be familiar to people who are constantly changing consoles or are trying to get used to PS4 after years of Xbox, who knows…
When it comes to the design and build quality, I should say that the manufacturer had really put effort into building it. The combination of materials and functionality is great and you would never get tired of using this joystick for hours. On the upper part, as well as the bottom one, it has a matte color and there is a small plastic part that divides the two sides and somehow contributes to the clean and simple design.
For connection, you can use the 3.5 mm headphone jack on the bottom part but there is no speaker or light bar, which is a bit disappointing.Also, you would have to bear in mind that the matte surface is really catching fingerprints from sweaty or greasy fingers, so I would not suggest you use the controller while eating as it will become quickly a mess! However, the whole idea and way of making the Nacon Revolution 2 are perfect and you can find if for around $130 on Amazon or just order it from the manufacturer’s website.
DUALSHOCK 4
On the fourth spot it is the Dual Shock 4 controller, that is actually the generic model for the gaming console. It is produced by Sony and I can say that they made it better, without doing any significant changes to the design. The controller is perfect and I did never expect that such a company like Sony come up with a wack product for their personal console.
The Dual Shock 4 is a wired controller with a clean, simple design, and you can find it under hundreds of colors and skins on the internet or in gaming stores. It is the most customized controller out there, so you have a lot of choices in terms of color about it! One thing I particularly love about the DualShock 4 is the light bar that appears on the top of the touchpad, as well as under the triggers.
This light bar is helpful when you are gaming because it can light up in different colors, according to your current situation in the game. What I mean, is that when you have full health points, then the light bar will light up in green. If someone shoots you, it will become orange. Then when your health falls drastically and is really low it will light up in red! Isn’t it fancy and helpful at the same time? I think yes!
Out of all the tons of colorways of the DualShock 4, my personal favorite is the one that comes from the Monster Hunter World edition, which dropped a few months ago. It is in a muddy red color, with tribal pieces of art on the top of each handle. Right underneath those tribals, you can see the guild logo (on the right handle) shining in a gold color and contrasting in a perfect way to the rest of the design. This small logo, along with the other gold-painted particles, is contributing to the whole perfection of the Monster Hunter World edition controller and I wish it was not that hard to find this colorway…
You can never go wrong with the DualShock 4, but it is definitely not my favorite option on the list out here. Yes, it is perfect and there are not any major things that you can complain about, but at the end, I will let you know which one I will go with under any circumstance!
However, you can find the generic DualShock 4 colorway almost anywhere. It price may vary from $50 to $60. Click here to view it on Amazon and here to get it from BestBuy. The best way to do it, in my opinion, is to order it directly from the Sony website. It is the best-selling controller not only because of the price, but because of the fact that it is the generic one for the console, so you will never go wrong with this decision!
COOLER AND KEYBOARD ADD-ONS
With the fifth one, I have decided to go with some interesting add-ons to the controller, instead of another model. First thing first, we all know what is the main problem with longtime gaming sessions… sweaty palms. Many manufacturers are constantly trying to come up with solutions to this problem, but one company came up with the weirdest and most functional solution of all!
Nyko is the one that’s producing the cooling fans, that could attach to any PS4 controller and blow a stream of cool air directly in your palms and hands, which instantly kills the sweating problem. You may think that it will be hard to play with such an add-on, but actually, it is not getting into your way at all, nor is it heavy and you will not feel that it is even there. It has a built-in battery and you have to regularly charge it if you are thinking of using it a lot, so bear it in mind. You can find it for $19 on Amazon, and you can click here if interested.
The second crazy and helpful proposal is a mini-keyboard that works the same way as the cooler. It attaches on the same spot, in the same way to the controller, but has a different function. What are you going to do if you are in a game that requires a lot of teamwork and communication? A cheap and easy to use alternative to a regular big keyboard is this $19 add-on that could really impact on the performance of your team! I find it really suitable and convenient to use, so props to the manufacturer for the invention. Click here to view the add for it on Amazon, right ahead.
PERSONAL FAVORITE OF ALL CONTROLLERS?
Of course, all proposals above were phenomenal, but there is one of them that I would go with every day and night. This is the Scuf Impact controller! It has some crazy ergonomics and the design is something that you would not like to miss… also, the fact that it is fully customizable is a big plus and drives me to buy it even more!
The buttons (pedals) on the bottom and features for the triggers are also options that I have not seen in other controllers and I think that they are really helpful in shooting or racing games. It is vital for a controller to cope with your demands, preferences and support/uplift your gaming skills and I think that the Scuf Impact does all those things perfectly!
Special thanks to:
Kevin Kenson YouTube channel – video for the Razer Raiju Controller
randomfrankp YouTube channel – video for the Scuf Impact Controller
Frugal Gaming YouTube channel – video for the Nacon Revolution 2 Controller
