Poll: Which Controller Do You Prefer? Xbox Series X Or PS5?

Now I haven’t actually held any of these controllers (duh), but since Sony insists on having the left stick in the wrong place and having a segmented d-pad, I can pretty safely assume I’m going to prefer the Series X controller.

Also, the Series X controller is pretty much an enhanced version of the Xbone controller, which happens to be my favourite controller of all time, so there you have it.

Tried PS controllers on my Xbox before...they didnt work, so I'll stick with Xbox ones

I like how understated the Xbox controller is compared to the shouty PS5 controller. I prefer the symmetrical layout of the Dualshock though, as I play quite a few retro games.

I actually have no preference - a controller is a controller and I can function just fine with all of them.

The PS5 controller looks slightly more comfortable than the PS4 one but still don't hold a candle to the Xbox One/Series X controller.

Xbox makes the best controllers, Series x all the way.

This isn’t even close for me....I love the Xbox controllers. And it goes all the way back to OG Xbox S controllers.

The DualShock controller was always too small for me & way too light. It always felt cheap & like a kids toy to me. Plus the internal battery would start losing life quickly & I hate how Sony has their analog sticks symmetrical.

DualSense has an in built microphone, which is pretty good. Besides that, the only new feature this thing has is HD rumble that they stole from Nintendo and, if the names anything to go by, will be an attempt to pass off as their own innovation.

I'll wait to get this in my hands before I know what feels better to hold. But for now, with the HD rumble I'd say DualSense looks more appealing

Xbox. The new dpad looks legit great. If we can get gyro, that’s just icing on the cake.

Why change the design of the best controller in gaming?

@SuperNintendoMii By haptic rumble they mean adaptive rumble and rumble in the triggers like the Xbox One controller before it.

https://www-techradar-com.cdn.ampproject.org/v/s/www.techradar.com/uk/amp/news/sony-just-revealed-the-ps5-controller?amp_js_v=a3&amp_gsa=1&usqp=mq331AQFKAGwASA%3D#referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com&amp_tf=From%20%251%24s&ampshare=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.techradar.com%2Fuk%2Fnews%2Fsony-just-revealed-the-ps5-controller

i'll let you know when i actually get my hands on one

can't judge anything on a few pictures

@FullbringIchigo No no, you're not getting it; you need to pick one side and nitpick on aspects of the other controller

@FraserG does the poll include results from Push Square? That would be pretty interesting. Given that I think at least a handful of us here are biased

@ShaiHulud oh like the PS5 controller's Touch pad looks too big and the Series X controller's share button looks like it will be awkward to reach

you mean like that?

@FullbringIchigo Exactemundo! You only need to say one of those two things though, you can't nitpick on both controllers.

Well on looks alone the Series X because it’s not much of a departure from the current form factor but I really think this is something that’s going to have to be up “how it feels”.

@ShaiHulud well out of those 2 i would say not being able to reach the share button would be the most annoying so i'm going with that

I don't know. I would have to try them out before deciding. Just from looks though, I don't really like the color scheme of the PS controller, but that's probably because I'm just so used to seeing PS controllers as all black.

@BlueOcean well I've seen a lot of people talking about is as HD rumble so if it's not they need to clarify it some more.

Talking about how gravel impacts the vibration screams HD rumble. I suppose we will see what it's like when we get our hands on it

I think it is really a very close comparison but for me right now the Series X controller is superior due to better design of triggers.

Which is which? 😂

@gingataisen PS5 is Wall-e's girlfriend.

@SuperNintendoMii I agree. They said something about riding a car and feeling the grittiness of the road and feeling a bowstring in your hands. It reminds me of the HD rumble of the joy-cons and the advanced rumble of the Xbox One triggers but we'll have to wait and see if it's really that good.

I've always preferred the PlayStation controllers to anything else but I think the 'Big 3' all put out good controllers.

The PS5 controller looks better but I would rather have offset sticks. In any case, only after trying it I would be able to give an opinion. Both could improve by copying Nintendo's classic d-pad though.

Honestly they are both just "fine". I don't really like or dislike either.

I haven’t touched neither controller yet, of course. But, I will tell you this, nothing will beat The Nintendo Switch Pro Controller! (HD Rumble, 40 plus hours of Battery Life, Comfortable to hold, don’t need AA batteries, very Durable!)

@JoakimZ yeah agreed the Dpad is not a Dpad for me.

@SnesSwitch very true! Just the best controller. Switch pro con.

I do love the new additions to the PS5 controller (haptics, mic, triggers), but I am very much in favor of an offset joystick layout.

Adore the Xbox One controller, though I believe the Switch Pro controller is more comfortable. It's a shame that one doesn't have analog triggers and 3.5mm output: that would truly make it my most favourite controller ever.

@SnesSwitch No analogue triggers though! A real shame im my opinion, other than that it is great. I remember thinking there must be something wrong when I just got it, as I was used to my ps4 battery life and the Pro didn't seem to need charging whatsoever

@BlueOcean @SuperNintendoMii Isn't HD rumble already in the PS4 and Xbox One controllers? I mean, either side can rumble separately, and with varying intensity (the game Fez uses this in some neat ways). That's literally the same I get when I use the Pro Controller on Switch. Unless Nintendo don't implement it in their games, other than 1-2-Switch, which I haven't played.

Xbox controllers have always been for me the superior controller. With the off set Thumb-sticks, triggers , and i actually like having the choice to use batteries or a rechargeable pack. It helps on how comfortable it is to use aswell.

I've used a friends dualshock 4 and the controller doesn't hold its charge anymore so its basically a wired controller at this stage.

@Octane The PS4 controller certainly isn't. The rumble in the Xbox One controller is more defined, variable and realistic than the rumble in DualShock 4 (I have both). The rumble of DualShock 4 is very last-gen. The HD rumble in the joy-cons is more advanced than in the Switch pro controller and potentially impressive but unfortunately it hasn't been widely used.

@BlueOcean I've used the DS4, Xbox One controller, Joy-Con and Switch Pro controller, and haven't felt a difference yet TBH.

@Octane yeah the Joy Con's are certainly different to the Xbox One and PS4 controllers. I'd agree that the rumble isn't massively different from 3rd party games, because 3rd parties never make any extra effort to do something cool. Only really Nintendo games use it.

But when it is used its noticeable

@SuperNintendoMii I do play Splatoon a lot, and I've played Mario Odyssey and Pokemon Sword, but I haven't noticed anything different. It feels like regular rumble.

@Octane OMG.

@Octane Actually most first party games don’t use it either... 1-2 Switch is like the only game that I can think really uses it to its fullest as a gimmick game. I think Odyssey only uses it for Moon hunting. The more refined mechanics not the rumble in general Pokémon SWSH, which was the game pushed with the Switch Lite which has no rumble, doesn’t use the more refined rumble. Now Let’s go might as it was made for TV and Single Joycon play. I played it Handheld mode so I don’t know ... The bottom line is really underused as is the IR camera..

@Octane No offense, but if you truly can't feel the difference, then either half of your nerve endings are dead, or you don't pick up on subtleties. The Joy Con are exceptional in their use of subtle movements and translations of various objects and sensations through HD rumble, which is basically Nintendo's version of haptic force feedback.

I know few people own this game, let alone like it, but 1-2 Switch is an excellent showcase of what HD Rumble is capable of. It doesn't just simulate rumble, it also manages to make you feel mass displacements, which is a quite advanced and noticeable effect. And there's also a range of various subtleties noticeable in other first party titles, such as Super Mario Odyssey and Zelda Breath of the Wild.

And on Xbox, there's a distinct difference between the regular force feedback on the Xbox 360 controllers, and the haptic feedback in the Xbox One controllers. It's far more refined and defined.

EDIT:
If you can't feel the difference between all of those, then I suppose you might as well stick with the N64's rumble pack, because that will then probably also feel exactly the same to you...

The HD rumble also works really well in Animal Crossing. I'm kinda amazed that people are unable to tell the difference, it literally doesn't feel like rumble that the other two consoles have

@SuperNintendoMii you know I thought that but since no one else seemed to notice- I thought it was just me.

Edit: like the Stone Axe feels really different with chopping that the regular axe. And fishing has a totally different feel...

@mousieone yeah the controllers go crazy when catching a large fish like a sea bass, but only do little teeny rumbles when catching a butterfly fish

PS5 ? What's that supposed to be?

@ThanosReXXX I mean, I can feel the rumble, it has several intensities, and either left and right, but that also in other controllers. Like I said, Fez uses this brilliantly. I don't see what's different about 'HD Rumble'. But apparently it's only really used in 1-2-Switch from what I've been reading, and I haven't played that game.

@Octane Not just intensities: that was something already present in rumble on the N64, as in hard, medium and soft. But it's also rhythms, duration, location, beat, alternation and so on, creating an entire palette/range of haptic force feedback, that can REALLY add to a game.

In regular games, it works best if you use the Joy-Con separate in each hand. When slotted into the grip, it's basically the same as playing with the Pro Controller, in which case several of the subtleties are mostly or even completely lost.

But having said that, yes 1-2 Switch is, to this moment, THE best way to experience HD Rumble, and TRULY making you appreciate it. I might even go so far as to say that once you've played those mini games, and have seen and felt all the subtleties as separate experiences, you'll also notice them sooner in other games, so perhaps that's why I am now also able to tell the difference much easier.

Obviously, 1-2 Switch isn't really a must-have title for any other reason than the ones now mentioned, so that makes it a hard to buy title for plenty of people, but like with Wii Sports for the Wii, it definitely IS a title that everyone should have at least tried once, if only to get the message of HD Rumble across.

So, if you ever find it in a bargain bin, or for a reasonable enough price, then I'd still recommend it. I myself bought it for 34 euros from Game Mania, and although I don't really play it all that much, in my opinion, it's still worth it, for all the aforementioned reasons.

On a side note: I'm still thinking that it could also be a case of you just not being as sensitive to it, because the difference between the old, standard rumble and haptic force feedback is also in Microsoft and Sony's controllers, so you should also be able to feel the difference in those.

But not everyone can, much like how not everyone is prone to noticing subtleties in sound or music, or in imagery, two categories in which
I don't really do very well. I don't really notice tiny dips in frame rates, and
I can't hear the difference between certain sounds, or tiny improvements in sounds.

But I definitely AM a sensory-inclined person, so HD Rumble, or modern haptic feedback is something that I absolutely DO notice.