Control or console commands or also known as gamepads have become a widely used means of controlling our games for over a decade. This is because games are no longer aimed at a specific type of system and this has led to a transfer of genres between the two types of systems which has blurred the boundary between them. This was accentuated when Microsoft released a version of its Xbox 360 console controller for PC and gave it full PC compatibility through one of the DirectX segments, called DirectInput, which handles input devices for games.
Is the Xbox controller better than the PlayStation controller for gaming?
Ok, we know that today there are different PC gamepads, not only do we have several from different brands and we can see it in the comparison we made between computer control commands. Where we see not only the controllers of the various consoles, but also of other brands. However, the safest thing is that many of you have an Xbox or PlayStation branded console at home.
Well we have to start from the fact that DirectX is not an API to handle graphics only and an important part is the management of different peripherals to control the games so most of the games will use DirectInput which has 1 communication :1 with Xbox family controllers. So in this aspect if you want maximum compatibility then Xbox Gamepad is the best in this regard. Additionally, in most menus and dialogs in the game, there are references to the various buttons and colors of the Microsoft Console commands.
The biggest problem with the Xbox controller is that it runs on batteries, although we can buy a rechargeable battery separately. Our advice is to buy a multi-battery kit with a multi-charger. Especially one that’s USB-C type so you’ll always have a battery available when the one you’re using runs out.
Is the PS5 DualSense worse for PC gaming?
Not much less, besides, you can use them without problems, but forget about their unique characteristics, because they use the Xinput API, which is an alternative to DirectInput. Under this specification, the PS5 controller behaves like an Xbox 360 controller on PC. However, it will depend on the game and we can find one of these surprises:
- Some games, despite supporting Xinput-type controllers for maximum compatibility, have certain problems with analog triggers, as they recognize the travel of the two buttons as if it were an axis of contact information. Where one button is the abscissa and the other is the coordinates. In other words, as a third analog stick. Some games work around this problem by interpreting this data with an internal library.
- In some cases, we may find that the triggers lose their way and become simple buttons without any depth in the press.
Our advice? Use JoytoKey, an application that converts the presses of the levers and buttons of the Xbox or PlayStation controllers in to mouse movements and keyboard touches. If you find that your PlayStation controller isn’t working properly, use it as a last resort. With this, you should be able to play with your DualSense or DualShock 4 without having to go to the store, buy the Xbox controller and save some money, which is always good.
Let’s not forget the Nintendo Switch?
Unless you have a very developed muscle and visual memory, it will be difficult at first to know which button each action corresponds to when using the Nintendo console controller, but over time this resolves. The usual thing is that the mapping is 1:1 depending on the position of the control as far as the buttons are concerned.
Also, for us, the Switch Pro controller on the Nintendo console is much more confusing than the one on the PlayStation. The reason? Well, in the DualSense and DualShock controllers, there is no namesake that exists in the case of the hybrid console. Although the best thing for you to see is to observe the difference between the two controllers.
Although the layout of the buttons is the same, note how buttons A and B, on the one hand, and X and Y, on the other, are swapped. This is disastrous because our muscle memory assigns each of these buttons to a position. Although you can use muscle memory, it is extremely frustrating, especially if you come from the Nintendo world, that a game asks you to press the A button and you press the B button on your Switch Pro controller to finish by doing the wrong thing.
