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Comment by WhereIsTheTruth | Hacker News Reader

DualShock controllers are the best, tactile, haptic feedback and gyroscope

Nintendo's joycons also pretty novel, you just clip them on your console in/out and you unlock new ways to play, OP should have included them too, I'm curious now.. a shame its build quality is one of the worst of this decade

Xbox's one is pretty basic and conservative, wich is a shame..

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I don't want controllers to keep changing. I love the Xbox controller.

I also have a PS5 and a switch, but those controllers don't feel good in my hand. The PS5 haptics don't add much IMO, but hurt battery life enough that I'd rather just turn them off.

My main complaint with the PS5 controller is that it's a terrible remote control for streaming services. The triggers are constantly being activated just by setting it down on its back and if it falls on its front the sicks move causing video to fast forward or rewind. It seems to fall off the arms of chairs and couches easily too. When you're holding it like a controller though it's fine.

My minor complaint is that it came with two internal microphones, but thankfully it's very easy to open the controller up and rip them out.

Luckily, the Xbox controller fundamentals have changed relatively little since the move from the Duke to the S controller during the life of the original xbox. I say luckily, because I feel they got pretty close to the optimum design around then, and later enhancements have been about mostly shuffling the battery components around.

Most games don't take advantage of haptics, but the ones that do have been pretty cool IME. The physical feedback made web-slinging in the new Spider-Man super fun and engaging, and Returnal used trigger pressure to switch between your weapon's main firing mode and secondary firing mode (and used audio/haptic feedback to let you know when the secondary mode was off cooldown).

Layout seems to be mostly locked in. Apart from back buttons from elite controllers. What we really need are more controller sizes. It's ridiculous they're still one-size fits all.

Well, I use a controller to game and interact with the game, the most ways to game, the more fun I have

Hence why I bought a Nintendo Switch, the premise is: to have fun

The only reason I've put off buying a switch is because the controllers are so bad. Even assuming they've finally fixed all the issues with drift and wireless, the controls are cramped and the buttons so so tiny!

Doesn't nintendo sell a bigger better controller? I forgot what it's called, but it's much higher quality than the default ones and feels really good in the hand.

That's good to know! It somewhat diminishes it's usefulness as a portable system but it beats having to put up with that insane d-pad and baby buttons. I'm still kind of hoping for a switch XL...

I think the Japanese have smaller hands to begin with, and Nintendo's controllers have always been small and uncomfortable. It was a much better experience playing them emulated with an Xbox controller.

But the Switch Pro controller (found it, https://www.nintendo.com/store/products/pro-controller/) is basically that... a full size, Xbox like controller you can bring with you. You can leave the smaller side controllers at home and just use Switch in tabletop mode, maybe...?

There are more comfortable PC and Android handhelds too, if you're not set on the Switch ecosystem.

The build quality is indeed very poor but the mechanic actually is pretty fun, similar to the Wii, it can be used for exercising, perfect gift for seniors

No other console manage to deliver like Nintendo did with both the Wii and the Switch

Sony/Microsoft have a lot to learn, hopefully their next gen include a portable device with original mechanics

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SqSMxb9txSw

It feels like Xbox also serves as a reference controller for PC. Viewed from that angle, basic and conservative makes sense.

I still really like the XBox controllers for their ergonomics. They’ve been refining that same basic design for a long time.

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