My Xbox 360 controller is on its way out - alternatives?

Thirith · February 2018

I've been using a Xbox 360 controller with a USB cable for the last, oh, how long has the X360 been out? Anyway, I've recently noticed that some of the buttons aren't as responsive as they used to be anymore, so I've had a look around - and it seems the wired X360 controller is no longer available, at least not readily.

What do people here suggest as a replacement? And are there still latency issues with wireless controllers, or is it just wannabe Spidermen who fool themselves into thinking they can detect lag of mere miliseconds that avoid them?

Al_wat · February 2018

I use a ps4 controller connected with a usb cable

Erlkönig · February 2018

Al_wat wrote: »

I use a ps4 controller connected with a usb cable

Counterpoint: I use an XB1 controller connected with either the wireless dongle or a USB cable (if it's charging).

Counter-counterpoint: I also use a PS4 controller connected with a USB cable when I'm streaming my PS4 to my PC.

wunderbar · February 2018

Yea I like the Xbox One controllers a lot. You can plug them in wired to a PC (and it's just a standard MicroUSB cable now), or buy the wireless adapter.

Thirith · February 2018

Is there much of a (noticeable) difference between plugging them in or not?

wunderbar · February 2018

Thirith wrote: »

Is there much of a (noticeable) difference between plugging them in or not?

No.

One thing with the Xbox controllers is that, inexplicably, they still don't come with rechargeable batteries out of the box. The controller takes AA sized batteries (alkaline or rechargeable), or there's also a proprietary play and charge kit you can buy for like $20 that has a battery and a cable for charging. You could, in theory, just buy the controller and plug it in without batteries.

bowen · February 2018

The weight is weird without batteries in it though.

Elki · February 2018

wunderbar wrote: »

Yea I like the Xbox One controllers a lot. You can plug them in wired to a PC (and it's just a standard MicroUSB cable now), or buy the wireless adapter.

The new model of Xbox One controllers has bluetooth, so you wouldn't need the wireless adapter if your PC already has bluetooth.

lionheart_m · February 2018

I still think the PS4 Dpad > Xbox One Dpad for games like Super Meat Boy and SF2.

Thirith · February 2018

Thanks to everyone for your feedback. The matter's actually resolved itself for now, as I remembered that I had an Xbox One Elite controller (courtesy of Oculus Rift) that I'd never bothered to use. I've set it up and it worked perfectly well with the two games I tried out (Dead Cells and Human: Fall Flat). The subtle differences to the X360 controller are teensy bit odd, but since I switch between PC and console anyway, I'm used to switching between types of controller.

Synthesis · February 2018

I would also say Xbox One controller, but I'm of the opinion that the DS4, while being a huge improvement from the DS3, isn't great ergonomically (plus I can't ever imagine using the trackpad willingly).

If you're that worried about lag, I think technically the Xbox wireless dongle has better response rates than either the Xbox One or PS4 controllers over BT, but this isn't the sort of difference a person like me could ever hope to take advantage of. In any case, the Xbox controller does have an option if you don't have a BT device, along with a wired USB option.

Just don't cheap out on the BT adapter if you buy one. The $7 ones can suck.

Snicketysnick · February 2018

Regarding Wired Vs Wireless for a XBONE controller, I found that mine (which admittedly is a pre-refresh version) had a fairly loose usb port on it so it tended to loose connection after a while. Enough so that I bought the wireless dongle, which is excellent.

As an actual controller though, it's very good and a noticeable improvement over the 360 one (for me at least), particularly the triggers and bumpers.

Shadowfire · February 2018

bowen wrote: »

The weight is weird without batteries in it though.

I still have a handful full of Eneloops for a reason.

Feral · February 2018

Synthesis wrote: »

I would also say Xbox One controller, but I'm of the opinion that the DS4, while being a huge improvement from the DS3, isn't great ergonomically (plus I can't ever imagine using the trackpad willingly).

If you're that worried about lag, I think technically the Xbox wireless dongle has better response rates than either the Xbox One or PS4 controllers over BT, but this isn't the sort of difference a person like me could ever hope to take advantage of. In any case, the Xbox controller does have an option if you don't have a BT device, along with a wired USB option.

Just don't cheap out on the BT adapter if you buy one. The $7 ones can suck.

I second this. Dongle is faster than Bluetooth, but Bluetooth is still okay as long as you have a good controller and limited interference.

TelMarine · February 2018

Elki wrote: »

wunderbar wrote: »

Yea I like the Xbox One controllers a lot. You can plug them in wired to a PC (and it's just a standard MicroUSB cable now), or buy the wireless adapter.

The new model of Xbox One controllers has bluetooth, so you wouldn't need the wireless adapter if your PC already has bluetooth.

Just to note, that's on Windows 10 only. If you have Windows 7, Microsoft says, "fuck you, you have to buy the wireless adapter to use wireless".

Thirith · February 2018

Happy to say that the Elite controller came with the dedicated wireless dongle. Seems fine so far - and definitely an improvement over an Xbox 360 controller whose RB had started to work only intermittently. I first thought it was the game (Dead Cells, which makes heavy use of RB), but then the exact same thing happened in Subnautica. Most of my PC gaming tends to be KBAM, so it took me a while to notice that the controller was to blame.

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My Xbox 360 controller is on its way out - alternatives?

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