I’m often close enough to my PC while playing games that wireless seems a little unneeded, but more than that, I just want fewer batteries to manage.
Adjusted title to mention preference for no batteries.
I’m surprised I haven’t seen this mentioned yet. It’s a database of tested controllers and their latency.
I use DS4 pads plugged in, but I’d love a newer model that didn’t have a battery, but had the same layout. So many of the cheaper gamepads come with terrible dpads.
I prefer wired controllers but only if they use usb-c. I’ve had too many micro USB ports wear out on me on the controller side. I think the ps5 controller works well, though my preferred is GameSir. GameSir is a Chinese company but the build quality is excellent, and they use Hall effect sticks. Shipping takes a bit but for the price I don’t think you can go wrong.
Micro USB sucks.
That said, USB C ports do wear out if you bump them a lot, which is a lot more likely in a controller than something like a phone. My laptop USB-C charging port is wearing out because my kids are rough with it while charging. I’d much rather have a cheaper barrel jack than I can solder at home than something complex like USB-C for something that could very likely need a repair in a few years.
I use BT controllers: DualShock 4 and Steam Controller. They work well enough, and I’m a lot less likely to bust the port if it’s only used for charging. I’ll probably upgrade to the DS5 though, since the micro USB charge port is pretty busted now.
Oh yeah, kids add a whole extra layer of fun. I’m not one to solder my own gear, especially circuitry that small, so I prefer the longevity of USB - c, comparatively anyway. Great points!
Same, but I like the option to fix it at some point.
USB-C is really complex electrically due to it being able to flip, which means you have two rows you have to solder instead of the typical one (so basically you have to have a heat gun and know how to use it). But it’s way better than micro USB, so chances are you won’t need to fix it.
That makes a lot of sense. Thanks for your insight!
Honestly, a Dualsense wired up. The special haptics and triggers only work when plugged in, so I plug mine in all the time. Some games, like Pacific Drive, Metro, and Returnal are COMPLETELY transformed by the triggers and haptics. Even the lil speaker makes a difference. My partner and I both use Dualsense controllers but we will never have a PS5 hahaha
If you do the Duaksense Edge you get the nice locking USB connection too, which would reduce wear on the USB port compared to other controllers. It’s easily my most used controller.
Alright I’ll preach from high places about the dualsense but
250+USD for a controller
money isn’t really a problem but nahhhhh this insane hahaha
Quick edit: not even Hall effect laaaaawl
It’s $199 I think, but yeah I understand entirely. I used an Astro C40 before so this was actually the cheaper option of the two.
Ahhh I think it’s cuz I was looking at Canadian prices. That’s quite a lot still! I love my regular Dualsense.
PDP Xbox controller. They’re relatively cheap and have a range of options from pretty basic to “elite”
The one I use is a stepup from the basic, with RGB. It has extra buttons on the bottom where your middle fingers rest that can be mapped to other buttons. I have them remapped to be extra bumpers as it’s more comfortable/easier for me to play games that rely on a lot of bumper use.
I recently got a used PS3 controller because I literally couldn’t play some emulated games without the motion controls. It works as well as you’d expect a PlayStation controller to work.
The 8bitdo ultimate or 2C wired look like good options. I haven’t used any of their controllers but I’ve heard good things about them, and they have hall effect joysticks!
Yeah, I have the 8bitdo 2C (wireless). Highly recommend it. I’d imagine the wired version is just as good.
I use the wired one on PC and it works and feels great. Also it’s so cheap for such a good product.
I’ve got the 8bitdo Ultimate Bluetooth and it’s great. I finally upgraded to it from my old Xbox 360 wired controller. I would say it’s a worthy successor. I assume the wired versions are solid too.
I’ve had an old Xbox 360 style controller for PC for like 15 years probably and never had any problems with it. Just plug and play. I personally have always preferred Xbox style controllers, though having tried the bells and whistles like adaptive triggers on the PS5 controller does make me consider upgrading at some point.
Yeah in hindsight I’m kicking myself for not having gotten one like that, but I had trouble finding wired ones at the time (and didn’t think I’d get tired of the battery maintenance), which surprised me.
An 8bitdo Ultimate 2 or Gamesir Cyclone 2 are the best options, they have built in rechargeable batteries and they’re the best in every other regard. they also work wired, just like nearly every other wireless controller nowadays.
I wouldn’t. I can’t imagine wanting to go back to a wired controller, especially when they have built in rechargeable batteries now.
Steam Controller
All hail the mighty steam controller
Most wireless controllers today have an integrated battery and can be used in either wired or wireless mode.
So it’s really just that the battery adds a bit of weight, and someday the thing will fail and maybe cause electrical failure of the gamepad. If that doesn’t bother you, could get a dual one and just use it in wireless mode.
That being said, I agree with the general principle that one should use wired unless there’s a compelling reason otherwise. Avoids security problems, interference issues, and a mess of compatibility issues. I had a Logitech F710 that used a proprietary wireless 2.4 GHz protocol. It didn’t support wired mode. At some point, something in my environment started blasting enough 2.4 GHz radio emissions that every now and then, the connection would briefly drop, which was absolutely infuriating, since it could cause one to lose in fast-paced action games.
If you very specifically want a gamepad that is only wired…hmm. There are a bunch of low-end, generic wired-only controllers that leave out wireless support to help get the price down. I can’t specifically recommend one of those; I’ve used a few, but all the ones I’ve used have had some things that annoy me, and probably a lot of the brands are throwaway ones that have gone under. If you want high-end…most of those are dual wired/wireless. IIRC, Thrustmaster has a high-end gamepad with swappable elements, and IIRC it’s wired-only, remember seeing that and thinking “wow, weird, most high-end gamepads are dual”. I haven’t used it myself.
goes to look
Yeah, the Thrustmaster S eSwap Pro, and it’s wired-only.
https://eshop.thrustmaster.com/en_us/eswap-s-pro-controller.html
Thrustmaster has a long history of making pricey-but-nice high-end game peripherals — I think the first joystick I ever saw for sale was a nice metal thing from them at a computer expo in the early 1990s — so I’d generally be willing to try them, if you can live with the price. I don’t know if they have Hall effect analog sticks, which some people — including myself — like, as they’re immune to drift.
kagis
It sounds like the gamepad ships with standard potentiometer-based analog sticks, but that if one is willing to throw even more money at the gamepad, they do sell optional Hall effect sticks that can be swapped in.
https://www.thrustmaster.com/en-us/products/eswap-sh5-hall-stick-module/
However, the price is also pretty much in line with their history of being expensive. The basic gamepad is $140, and then each Hall effect analog stick module is another $40, which is very expensive for a gamepad; you can get inexpensive wired-only gamepads for something like $15, though they might not have amenities like rumble motors.
I’ve never actually owned a Thrustmaster product myself. I mostly went with CH stuff (another long-running American game input device manufacturer; they tend to make less-expensive, less-nice stuff). But I’ve definitely heard no shortage of positive stuff about Thrustmaster products over the decades. Might be worth considering if you don’t care about the price, specifically want wired, and are looking for high-end stuff.
Their https://eshop.thrustmaster.com/en_us/eswap-x2-pro-controller.html model looks good because you can swap out the dpad as well to give it the Playstation layout, but I wish I knew if their dpad was actually good. That is where nearly all third party controllers fail.
So it’s really just that the battery adds a bit of weight, and someday the thing will fail and maybe cause electrical failure of the gamepad.
Emphasis added, yeah this is among the reasons I’m asking. The other reasons I’ve noted, but this underlies a lot of it. I don’t know how long the dual-use ones’ batteries may last if I’m primarily using them wired, so instead of having that in the back of mind, I’d like to get a wired controller for when gaming on devices I’m already close to (which is mostly PC, hence asking for it specifically).
Well, I can kinda answer that: I’ve got a launch PS4 controller that I mostly use wired on my PC and it’s fine.
If I use it wirelessly, it’ll still get about 5-6 hours, which basically means after 13 years it’s still right on spec for what it should be able to do.
Not really something that’s probably worth worrying about unless you’ve got some absolutely shitty batteries.
(Hell, I’ve still got some PS3 controllers that’ll do 3-4 hours, and they’re freaking ancient at this point.)
I prefer wired. The problem I have with most is that they are battery. Thus, the wired part is always a USB connection that inevitably wears out with use and disconnects randomly.
It’s not an innovative controller with programmable buttons or anything, but the razor controllers have a keyed recess that all but makes it impossible to disconnect or wear the port. It’s really the only selling point, but one that has kept me from looking for anything else.
why do you prefer wired? just wondering
This is just my opinion, and there are always legitimate use cases for wired or wireless. Losing connection at the worst time is the main reason. I play online, so it’s a complete and absolute, non-negotiable dealbraker to me. Every other benefit wireless gives and every other negative wired gives is trumped by this singular requirement.
I won’t go into every situation, but almost every minor issue in wireless results in disconnects. This ends up with me using wired anyways, which leads to the problem in my previous post: worn out USB ports. Wired by comparison has far less disconnects.
On a side note: I also wanted to add (but didn’t feel it was worth editing at the time), razor is stupid expensive for just that one little feature. I’ve had this controller for years, and back then it was the only one I could find like it. To me, it has been worth - but if I was to buy another I’d definitely look for something similar that is cheaper with possibly more features. It wasn’t meant to be a razor promoting post.
valid. even if i haven’t exp the same disconnect issues, i get it. hope you find one that works for your set up.
Switch Hori controller, $20, great quality especially for the price
I absolutely love the 8BitDo Pro 2. Supports both wired/wireless, I just never unplug it.
I got a wired wired XBox360 controller at GameStop 10 years ago for a really good price and it works wonders! I’m on Windows 8.1 and for most games it doesn’t require any sort of configuration either, I just plug it in and it works right away
I have a 360 controller and Microsoft offers a USB wireless dongle that lets me hook up any standard 360 controller. It pretty much works like it of the box with any game.
