Why I Use My PS4 Controller For PC Gaming

The Super Nintendo controller is my favorite controller of all time when it comes to gaming. I loved the feel of it and how responsive it was from games such as Super Mario World and Street Fighter II Turbo to NBA Jam and Killer Instinct. It was an excellent controller. But I believe that from the time the original PlayStation was released in the 1990s, their controllers have always been the most conducive to current gaming.

Today, I use a PlayStation 4 controller not only for my PS4 Pro but also use it for PC gaming as well. This is accomplished through the use of a USB-C cable. Some PC games won’t recognize the controller, so you will need a program such as DS4Windows that will trick the computer into thinking your PS4 controller is an Xbox device. I’m more than satisfied with my PC controller choice because I’ve had a rough history with some of the third party PC controller choices out there on the market. Plus I’ve really preferred the feel of the PlayStation controllers since the “Dual Analog” became the standard on PlayStation 2.

In 2020, I bought a pair of Super Nintendo style 8BitDo wireless controllers to be used for PC gaming. It was exciting to have something that resembled my favorite controller in gaming history for use with my PC games. I was able to get a few solid months out of the first controller before it started malfunctioning. Then the USB-C cord wasn’t connecting properly to the USB port of my computer. I even used a different USB-C cable but it was to no avail. Eventually, the controller just stopped working.

Enter the second 8BitDo controller. Like the first controller, I got about a couple of months and then started to have the same problems. I went to the various message boards, troubleshooting pages, and help sites looking for solutions. The sad part of all this was that when the controller worked, it was fantastic. The D-pad was responsive, the buttons all felt good to the touch, and the analog sticks worked as they should. But the connectivity issues were a drag to deal with. As a result, I decided to no longer purchase third-party controllers.

That decision was not one I had arrived at hastily or just due to my experience with the 8BitDo controllers. Reflecting on my history with controllers in general over the years, one thing seemed to always be true. I may have only replaced a first-party controller once or at most twice in nearly over 35 years of gaming. Yet I’ve regularly had to replace third-party controllers. It was great to pay less at first, but I would end up paying more over time. This may not be the case with your experience and I do keep that in mind. It is what has occurred in my gaming journey. I was able to get several years out of the Logitech F310 controller for my PC, which made it a third-party anomaly for me. But that is the only example I can recall of a third-party controller lasting for an extended period of time.

If you have enjoyed success with the use of third-party controllers, then by all means continue to do what works for you. I do realize that my experience may not be indicative of 8BitDo controllers as a whole. But if you have experienced similar frustrations to what I have gone through, then I suggest that the answer may be found in spending more money to ensure you are making a lasting purchase. I’ve bought a lot of controllers for $9.99 and $19.99 over the years. None of those controllers ever lasted long enough to justify the purchase in the end. Yet I can not recall buying an official first-party controller that cost more than $35 that did not give me my money’s worth. Even the one or two that stopped working only did so after many years of use. I still have my Xbox 360 controller that is well over a decade old and still works fantastic. I understand that there are gamers that have had issues with first-party controllers in their experience, but that has not been the case for me.

If you’re in the market for a new controller, be careful and do your research. Read the customer reviews and take note of the issues customers are presenting in the negative ones, especially if the issues are also mentioned in other reviews. The company you may not have heard of before may provide you a better price, but you may end up dealing with more headaches along the way. I would advise sticking with the control units that have the official company logo and insignias of the system that it was created for. They are of better quality and built to last longer.

-TVGA
admin@videogamersadvocate.com

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