Poll: Would you replace the PS3 controller with one from an XBox?

[capnjack]

How could anyone LOVE a Playstation controller?

Seriously? Those things are atrocious. They feel cheap. They're tiny. They make your hands cramp. The placement of the d-pad is actualy stupid, because you use the control stick a lot more frequently. Maybe you could like it if you don't know any better...

 

[iron codpiece]

THe ps3 control is what I'm used to being a PSFanboy so no

 

[The Black Adder]

Having only recently purchased a PS3, I find myself wildly annoyed at the controller. To be fair, I've never really liked the Play Station style of controller - the analog sticks are too spongy and close together, the buttons (especially the shoulder buttons) inconviently located and the whole assembly is just a bit too small. Having thus far only played Killzone 2, I've found that my my only sustainable gripes about the game lie in the fact that I simply do not care for the controller.

That said, according to the internet it is entirely possible to force the PS3 to accept a wired Xbox 360 controller. While it may be heresy to suggest, it seems as though this would provide the best solution to my problem as I adore the Xbox controller. Having never tested the concept myself, I have no idea just how well it would work, and knowing that the at least some PS3 games make use of the motion sensing capabilities of the PS3 controller makes me wonder if it's really even possible to make it happen.

But assuming that somehow, it magically worked correctly, the question to the PS3 owners is simply this: would you use a 360 controller on the PS3 given the chance?

I have to disagree. I love the Playstation controller, hell I have since I have my original PS. I've even bought a USB Playstaion-clone contollers so I could play emulated games on my PC. But the Xbox360 controllers is really annoying. The D-pad sucks and is put in the wrong place, it is very uncomfortable to rest your fingers on both the bumpers and the triggers. Maybe the problem is that you have only used an Xbox controller and a PS controllers? I've never gotten a cramp for a PS controllers, but I have many times from my GBA and NES. I don't have giant hands, so I don't need a oversided controller that looks like Microsfot couldn't decied if they wanted to rip off Sony's controller or Nintendo 64's controller, and couldn't agree so they came to compromise. Plus the PS controller is good for me, because I smoke, and I can't hold that clumsy Xbox controller and smoke a cigarrete at the same time. The only thing that an Xbox360 controller looks good for is a boomerang.

 

[Aqualung]

Yes. The XBox controller has a much more comfortable fit, and I can play longer without my fingers getting tired. For example, yesterday, I played Soul Calibur on my boyfriend's PS3, and I was actually getting tired of button mashing faster than ever. Also, I have damn small hands, so I actually had to learn how to stretch my thumb to reach the joystick..

Not to mention, the XBox controller has prettier colours. I like the X button.

 

[Cid Silverwing]

Fantard thread. >_>

I've done the PS controllers all my life. All I can say is they're insurmountable in terms of design, sensitivity and user friendliness.

 

[Inverse Skies]

No, I quite like the way the PS3 controller feels. It's also lighter which helps a lot.

 

[Eclectic Dreck]

Fantard thread. >_>

I've done the PS controllers all my life. All I can say is they're insurmountable in terms of design, sensitivity and user friendliness.

Fantard? No - it's a simple question. I stated my preference for the Xbox controller. I have found that it is theoritically possible to use a 360 controller on the PS3. Given that my one complaint with the ONE game I've thus far played on the console is with the controler itself seems to indicate that it's an entirely fair question.

That you prefer the PS3 controller is fine. Until the 360 launched I prefered the PS2 controller to the Xbox 1's. That I now prefer the 360's controller might simply be born out of the fact that I have played far more games with said controller than the new fangled PS3 controller might be the cause of my sudden shift in preference, and maybe giving the PS3 controller a bit more time will change all of that.

 

[Cid Silverwing]

Inbe4 uncalled-for flaming - There is one complaint I have with the PS3 controller which is the sudden and maddeningly inappropriate marshmallowification of the R2/L2 buttons. Makes it hard to put the thing down when you pause the game to take a piss (because said buttons aren't protected at the "rear" and can easily succumb to the laws of gravity and mess with your menus).

And yes I've tried the Xbox controllers. Bulky, soggy and just ugly to look at. Sony however has retained the design ever since the first DualShock controller was released, and I wouldn't want it any other way (sure they went from gray to black but that's quite irrelevant).

 

[The Black Adder]

Given that my one complaint with the ONE game I've thus far played on the console is with the controler itself seems to indicate that it's an entirely fair question.

See that is the problem, you only played one game. Go play more games and if you don't like it, so what. Are you part of that new emerging group on here, the "I won't play it if I don't like the controls" fan club?

 

[midpipps]

I find the PS3 controller unplayable. I haven't tried sixaxis though but I doubt that makes much of a difference.

Hell, medical experts want to classify cramps and aches from the PS controllers (which mind you doesn't happen on Xbox) a medical condition. Like Playstationitis or something like that.

I just find Xbox controllers to be made to fit human hands, as opposed to robots.

I would love to see the story on this. But every story I have read on medical conditions is about the skin bumps from playing long hours of gaming over and over while sweating and gripping controller tightly. They all say the same thing that it can happen on any console. I think the bigger travesty is that this young 12 year old girl was playing that much I mean seriously my kids will play games but they will also have to go outside there will be limits and 4 weeks before she was taken in to get it checked out????

http://www.computerandvideogames.com/article.php?id=209091
http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/89747-Sony-Responds-To-PlayStation-Palm-Diagnosis

How could anyone LOVE a Playstation controller?

Seriously? Those things are atrocious. They feel cheap. They're tiny. They make your hands cramp. The placement of the d-pad is actualy stupid, because you use the control stick a lot more frequently. Maybe you could like it if you don't know any better...

Or maybe I like it because it is what I have used for many years and it feels comfortable and natural to me? Maybe I like the d-pad placement cause I use it for most RPG's and fighting games? [sarcasm]Oh but you are right I must not know any better there is no way I could know which controller feels better in my hand. Could you tell me which underwear are more comfy for me next cause I am pretty sure I must not know any better on them either?[/sarcasm]

As for the OP the logitech aftermarket controller is probably the closes to the xbox controller if you can find it might be worth a shot http://www.gamestop.com/Catalog/ProductDetails.aspx?product_id=64420

Or if you can find the street fighter controllers they have a totally different design but are nice.

 

[Zac_Dai]

I can play with both just fine.

But it wouldn't hurt Sony to build a new controller from scratch. The Dual shock design is 3 generations old now. But even then all it is an idea based on cramming on some thumbsticks to the original controller.

 

[Eclectic Dreck]

Given that my one complaint with the ONE game I've thus far played on the console is with the controler itself seems to indicate that it's an entirely fair question.

See that is the problem, you only played one game. Go play more games and if you don't like it, so what. Are you part of that new emerging group on here, the "I won't play it if I don't like the controls" fan club?

Given that the controller is the very point at which my meatspace realm interacts with the virtual worlds of video games, I tend to believe that my comfort with the controller (and the controlls as is more often the case) is of UTMOST importance.

Per your first point, yes I have played precisely one game on the PS3. However, that ONE game is also touted by the PS3 crowd as being better than the second coming. Given that the one sustainable fault (I can forgive a bad story and poor character development - i'm not there for the story I'm there to shoot people) I find is with the controller itself, I'd say I'm being incredibly fair in my opinion.

At the end of the day, it's a matter of preference. At this exact moment in time I prefer the 360 controller to the PS3's. Since I imagined I was not alone in my preference for one controller over the other, I though it would be interesting to see what the reaction is to swapping controllers (assuming there is a magical way to make it work "perfectly").

Besides, I never asserted that one controller was better than the other; instead, I simply said I prefer one over the other. For me, it's a question of ergonomics (learned ergonomics perhaps), nothing more.

 

[Uncompetative]

I actually wrote to Sony offering them my design for a PS3 controller, when the console had not yet been launched. It put the face buttons underneath the controller, so that they were operated with the Ring and Little fingers of both hands, thus freeing the upper surface of the pad to support two pairs of thumb-sticks. The idea being that the right-hand side would either have your thumb on an "orbiting around avatar" 3rd person p.o.v. camera (when the stick was pushed away in some direction from its centre) and an ordinary 1st person inverted look stick. You would then find that you wouldn't have to toggle 3rd/1st person by means of a switch, but would pull the 1st person camera away from the avatar (showing them in the game-world rather than what they saw) as you displaced the secondary camera stick. The left hand side would need sticks for normal 1st person move/strafe as well as a Mario-style 'push up to run in away from the camera', etc. These could be mixed and matched for Resident Evil style controls...

The point being that all games would tend to have the same controls, increasing accessibility for what is a largely casual market.

I didn't think I would get a reply, but I was pleased to receive one from Sony, even if they said they couldn't accept my submissions unless I was a company with a patent, etc.

I think that the "mushroom" style thumb-sticks are too imprecise and have a deadzone that is too large for Killzone 2.

 

[JCambria]

I never really had a problem with the PlayStation controller layout. It's no lie that I'm for the 360 over the PS3 (the game library is just far better in my opinion, and I have more friends who play XBox, so I have more of an opportunity to communicate and play with them, and XBox Live (for me) is a lot more stable than the PSN), but I've never had a problem with the controls. I probably wouldn't swap them, I still like the PS3 controls, especially the shoulder buttons (which is strange, since initially, I wasn't all that fond of them).

 

[Fronken]

Yes, i would, i dont really like how small the ps3 controller is, that and the triggers are unfomfortable as hell, i loved the ps1/ps2 controllers though, i just dont think they made the right changes to the ps3 controller, so yes, i'd choose the 360 controller over the ps3 controller cause its comfortable and it has a nice size.

 

[GyroCaptain]

I find I get cramps from the PS2/3 controller as its a little too small for my hands (which are a bit lanky but hardly gargantuan) and have issues with the analogue sticks sensitivity. My personal preference still lies with the original XBox Behemoth (tm) controller although I can certainly understand why its not to everyones tastes.

Edit: Actually the PS controller is much better for Beat em ups due to the DPad and face layout (I use the two forefinger on the face buttons stance)

This man speaks truth. I find it easier to keep forward forward and back back when the analog stick is further up, and the small 'tails' on the PS controllers cause me to instinctively grip them too tight. If you're playing skate or something that depends on the sticks being the same for intuition, or if you are playing something that needs a really good dpad, than PS all the way, but my comfort level with them tends to be low.

 

[The Black Adder]

Given that my one complaint with the ONE game I've thus far played on the console is with the controler itself seems to indicate that it's an entirely fair question.

See that is the problem, you only played one game. Go play more games and if you don't like it, so what. Are you part of that new emerging group on here, the "I won't play it if I don't like the controls" fan club?

Given that the controller is the very point at which my meatspace realm interacts with the virtual worlds of video games, I tend to believe that my comfort with the controller (and the controlls as is more often the case) is of UTMOST importance.

Per your first point, yes I have played precisely one game on the PS3. However, that ONE game is also touted by the PS3 crowd as being better than the second coming. Given that the one sustainable fault (I can forgive a bad story and poor character development - i'm not there for the story I'm there to shoot people) I find is with the controller itself, I'd say I'm being incredibly fair in my opinion.

At the end of the day, it's a matter of preference. At this exact moment in time I prefer the 360 controller to the PS3's. Since I imagined I was not alone in my preference for one controller over the other, I though it would be interesting to see what the reaction is to swapping controllers (assuming there is a magical way to make it work "perfectly").

Besides, I never asserted that one controller was better than the other; instead, I simply said I prefer one over the other. For me, it's a question of ergonomics (learned ergonomics perhaps), nothing more.

Well I guess it just comes down to that you prefer the Xbox and I prefer the PS, so we'll leave it at that.

 

[Eclectic Dreck]

Well I guess it just comes down to that you prefer the Xbox and I prefer the PS, so we'll leave it at that.

I can live with that agreement.

 

[roblikestoskate]

heh. i loved the PS2 controller and think the PS3's sixaxis isn't too shabby. during the previous generation, plenty of people remarked about how natural the PS2 controller felt and how awkward the Xbox controller was. back then, we were mostly playing Metal Gear Solid and JRPGs. while the 360 has introduced vast improvements to Microsoft's design, the sixaxis represents a much more tried-and-tested design and seems to be more versatile for classic fighting, platforming, menu-driven, and puzzle game designs. it gains most of it's versatility from the fact that its design is D-pad dominant. the D-pad allows for discrete, canonical, directional inputs (up, down, etc.). its analog inputs are fine as long as you don't have to be too precise.

The 360 controller is analog stick dominant and seems to be optimized for FPSs and over-the-shoulder perspective games, where movement and camera control are integral to gameplay. i never played a lot of FPSs on the PS2 (insufficient analog control) and i never played a ton of fighters on the Xbox (insufficient D-pad control). Of course, for me the solution was to get better at using the analog stick for fighters, but I still have trouble with ->-> tap inputs (forward-forward to engage a dash attack in Soul Calibur). I also still whiff quite a few dragon punches in Street Fighter II. Overall, I think the 360 pad is a step forward for gaming. Console FPSs are more popular than ever and the superior analog sticks/trigger-like shoulder buttons are very accommodating for that style. but it is still not perfectly suited for all games.

when it comes to D-pads versus analog sticks, the trade off is that while the analog stick is more spatially precise, the D-pad is more temporally precise. spatial precision helps aiming while temporal precision is more likely to benefit fighters.

I'd also say that in general, I prefer the PlayStation's face button (X,O,triangle,square) sensitivity over that of the 360's face buttons (A,B,X,Y). they seem to be built to better handle rapid button tapping. no one has mentioned this yet.