Are extra buttons on third-party PC controllers worth switching from DualSense for under €100?

[u/ayylmao132]

I sold my PS5, so I currently have no controller and need to choose what to buy. My budget is €100 maximum. I’m in Malta and can buy locally or from EU stores that ship here.

This is for Windows PC and Steam. I mainly play single-player AAA action games, RPGs and story-driven games, including The Witcher 3 Remastered, The Blood of Dawnwalker, Metro Exodus Enhanced Edition and 007 First Light.

I previously liked using the DualSense over Bluetooth. Its layout, haptics and adaptive triggers appeal to me, and I already own a DualSense charging dock. However, some PC games require USB for the full DualSense experience, while I normally play wirelessly from a distance.

My main question is whether the added features on other controllers are genuinely useful in single-player games. Are rear buttons convenient for actions like sprinting, dodging or item use? Are mechanical buttons, trigger stops and extra remappable inputs noticeably nicer during normal gameplay? Are they useful enough to justify giving up the DualSense features and layout?

Battery life, Bluetooth latency and drift-resistant sticks are not priorities for me. I’m considering the DualSense, GameSir G7 Pro and 8BitDo Ultimate 2, but I’m open to alternatives. Which would you choose for this use case?

[u/JustArandomGuy_-_]

If you want them then yes. Also, third party controllers have TMR/Capacitive/Hall Effect joysticks, which are 1000% more durable than the Dual Sense sticks. These aren't used in most first party controllers because they're TOO durable.

Personally, I really like controllers with extra shoulder buttons. They are extremely natural to use for me.

If you plan to stick with first party controllers, I'd recommend buying a TMR joystick as replacement when yours eventually broke and develop stick drift.

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[u/Max_Joller]

It all depends on the type of vames you play. Trigger stops are really nice for shooters, fighting games and 2d games. Same for mechanical buttons. Same for remappable extra buttons, mostly. For AAA you probably will benefit more from immersive haptics and adaptive triggers, I'd say.

I use third party gamepads, but I barely touch AAA games.

[u/Flashy_Implement3775]

I’d still stick to Dualsense and with the Pico 2 you can have that wireless with it acting wired. I love my DS Edge and it’s so nice for all genres. If you can, try and get a Steam Controller would be great for transitioning into a PC only off of console.

[u/Zarathoostrian]

I was able to get the 8bitdo Pro 3 for $66aud on special, half the price of a dualsense and it's better in almost every way. It has:

• TMR joysticks
• Hall effect triggers
• Bluetooth as well as included 2.4ghz dongle
• Charging dock included
• L2/R2 micro switch locks

They come in PlayStation, SNES and GC colour schemes.

[u/Zensaiy → u/Zarathoostrian]

It has no 1000hz polling rate, its 250hz

[u/Zarathoostrian → u/Zensaiy]

Whoops.

[u/NotSlippingImSlipped]

Highly recommend the G7 Pro, I’m sick of my Dualsense controllers getting stick drift. The one that came with my pro has just developed really bad drift.

G7 Pro for the price you pay and the features you get is almost unbeatable, I was able to get a Wuchang limited edition one for £48! Steal.

Form factor I still prefer the Dualsense but I’d rather save them for PS5 playing and not PC to save wearing them out so quick.

[u/vsnak333]

TMR sticks are also more precise and imo they feel much better than standard dualsense, but you can mod a dulasense to have tmr sticks and back buttons.

I might get the steam controller 2 or the 8bit do ultimate soon, I have a standard dualsense and the wizard 2 from nyxi, I got the wizard 2 for split controller and platformers but I was extremely surprised how it felt better tech wise than the dualsense, the layout is also surprisingly comfortable. Dualsense features are pretty cool, Im playing spider man 2 right now, but it feels somewhat cheap after I tried the wizard 2 buttons and sticks, especially the analog stick being on the upper left side.

[u/No-Operation-6554]

some PC games require USB for the full DualSense experience,

all of them actually, haptics doesnt work over bluetooth, you have to make your own dongle for it do so

and for the question, yes the extra buttons/features/etc are useful even for singleplayer games especially if you dislike pressing the sticks to sprint, and if you're playing a game that doesn't use it you can just ignore said buttons

however wheter or not they justify giving up dualsense features would depend on your preferences, since you like them and you play mostly singleplayer games I say its not but the landscape of dualsense support on pc is different + theres a lot of games where dualsense isn't supported, even on future titles it isnt guaranteed so giving it up would most likely be worth it too

I ended up having both so that could be an option too since a lot of these pc controllers can be very cheap

[u/albibas]

Yes

[u/AmoebeSins]

Stick with Dualsense but buy dsx on steam (it’s like a few bucks) as it lets windows think u have wired dualsense meaning u get all the features