If you’re in the market for a new PS4 controller, then resist that urge to rush out and spend the best part of £50 on an official pad – there are a whole host of awesome alternatives to choose from. While your wallet will almost certainly thank you for spending less on a cheap, basic pad for multiplayer fun, more demanding gamers should look beyond the humble DualShock 4 – the increasing selection of professional-class PlayStation 4 controllers are a much better bet for truly competitive gamers.
Whichever end of the market you’re looking at, there are several viable alternatives to the DualShock 4, and while some cost much more than the official pad, there are a few worthy options that undercut it. Read on and we’ll pinpoint the best PS4 controllers you can buy from £20 to £200, and explain the key features that differentiate a pro pad from a standard one.
How to buy the best PS4 pad for you
Should I buy a wired or a wireless controller?
You have two options when picking an alternative PS4 controller, going wired or wireless. Sony’s official DualShock 4 pad uses a low-power Bluetooth solution to connect to the PS4, with newer official pads also allowing for a wired USB connection too. The main difference between wired and wireless, and why so many pro-level pads use wired connections, is latency – the speed that your button presses and movements reach the PS4. Wired offers a faster, more reliable connection – albeit only a fraction of a second – and that can be enough to give noticeable gains in competitive multiplayer. Wireless may be slightly slower, but offers the benefit of not being tethered to your PS4.
What makes a pro controller worth paying a premium for?
Pro pads offer various benefits over Sony’s standard DualShock 4 pad and the cheaper alternatives on the market. Not only do they tend to be built out of better, more durable materials, but they also offer up more customisation options and button configurations beyond the PS4’s inbuilt button-remapping accessibility setting. If you feel the DualShock 4 isn’t responsive enough for you, or your poor Battlefield 1 K/D ratio is because of the pad you’re using, a pro pad could help you up your game. Some pads also allow you to replace thumbsticks for finer control, but this can also help prolong the life of a pad by switching out any sticks that may be wearing thin – a common problem on earlier DualShock 4 pads.
Does it matter if the controller isn’t officially licensed by Sony?
There are only three officially licensed PlayStation 4 pads on the market right now: Sony’s DualShock 4, Razer’s Raiju and Nacon’s Revolution Pro. Officially licensed pads have the security of never being made obsolete by a PS4 firmware update, as some unlicensed pads tend to be. An unlicensed pro pad such as Scuf’s Infinity 4PS is likely to always be up to date and to work fine with any new firmware updates, but a cheaper pad is unlikely to have support from its manufacturers to see it last beyond an update. It’s worth noting that all pads, aside from Sony’s official DualShock 4, won't turn the PS4 on via the Home button – it’s a PlayStation API thing, and something Sony doesn’t give out to third-party manufacturers.
What sort of price should I expect to pay?
Sony’s DualShock 4 sets the bar at around £40 for a standard black pad and around £45 for the various colours or limited-edition finishes. Prices for pro-grade pads start at around the £85 mark but can reach more than £200. Cheaper pads can go as low as £20, saving you a few quid compared to Sony’s official controller.
Why is it worth spending more?
Cheap pads may seem like an attractive option, but many of them are incredibly basic and use low-quality parts, meaning that even wired they’re not as responsive as Sony’s official wireless pad. You’re also likely to find large dead zones on thumbsticks and components that break easily. If those aren’t much of a concern, there’s always the worry that a PS4 firmware update could knock your pad out of action as manufacturers have no way to update your pad to work with the PS4. Nobody wants to save a few quid just to purchase a controller that will become obsolete within a month.
What are “chipped” or “modded” PS4 controllers?
In your search for pads, you may have read about chipped or modded controllers. These controllers are, technically, banned devices for PS4. In “pro” play situations it’s an automatic disqualification, and when playing online in games such as Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare, Overwatch and Battlefield 1, they carry an automatic ban if you’re caught using them. Their major advantage over regular pads is the use of a “rapid-fire” chip that lets you map a button for the controller to automatically spam as you’re playing – meaning you can artificially boost your reaction times when playing against others. If you think the reward outweighs the risk, go for it, but our advice is to steer clear.
The best PS4 controllers to buy
Razer Raiju: The best PS4 controller for aspiring pros
Price when reviewed: £160
If you want to be a pro player, Razer’s Raiju pad could give you the marginal gains you’re looking for. It feels a bit more substantial than the standard DualShock 4, aping the feel of an Xbox One controller but sticking with Sony’s layout. All of its face buttons have a wonderfully pleasing tactile click to them, and the directional pad is made up of individual buttons instead of a floating pad under the surface as found on the DualShock 4.
Its thumbsticks are incredibly responsive; the sprung touchpad is a pleasure to use; and the hair triggers provide the perfect amount of sensitivity. Razer has also added four mappable buttons – two on the underside and two next to the shoulder buttons – so pro players never have to move their thumbs from the sticks to hit the pad’s face buttons. It’s pricey, but for those wanting to get the most from their PS4 gaming without all the bells and whistles of a fully customisable controller, Razer’s Raiju is nigh on perfect.
Nacon Revolution Pro: The best PS4 controller for the cost-conscious pro
Price when reviewed: £85
If splurging over £100 just isn’t an option you’re happy with, Nacon’s Revolution Pro is the best on the market for those wanting more than Sony’s official controller can offer without breaking the bank. Nacon’s pad uses the same layout as an Xbox One controller and, despite its chunky face buttons, floating d-pad and slightly awkwardly placed mappable buttons, the Revolution Pro is a dream to use. Thumbsticks feel tight and responsive, buttons have a pleasing click to them, and its matte finish means it’s still grippy after long play sessions or if you’re the sort with sweaty hands. It even comes with interchangeable weights so you can tweak the pad to feel perfectly balanced.
Scuf Infinity 4PS: The best PS4 controller for customisation
Price when reviewed: £140
If total control over controller weight, stick length, button layout and travel, trigger sensitivity and more is what’s important to you in a pad, you can’t do much better than Scuf’s Infinity 4PS controller. It might look like a DualShock 4, but the Infinity 4PS comes in a wide number of liveries from the official Scuf Gaming site, featuring rear-mounted mappable paddles, adaptable trigger depths and even extending trigger arms if you want a more comfortable grip. To top it all off, every Scuf pad can come with its patented “military grade” grip or “pro” grip coating to ensure that even after hours of play and with sweaty hands, this won’t slip from your grip. To top it all off, this is the only pro-level pad in our lineup that’s totally wireless like the DualShock 4.
Sony DualShock 4: The best all-round PS4 controller
Price when reviewed: £40
Sometimes there’s nothing better than The Real Thing and, for most PS4 owners, that’s Sony’s DualShock 4 controller. As the official controller, there really isn’t anything better than it out there for those looking for a general PlayStation 4 pad to use. It’s comfortable to use, responsive and charges via a micro-USB connection. New versions of DualShock 4 allow for data transfer via USB, so those wanting lower latency can plug it in and play wired instead. It also features a rechargeable lithium-ion battery and can be used as a Bluetooth controller for your Android tablet or PC too – not bad for £40.
Gator Claw: The best PS4 controller for money-savers
Price when reviewed: £24
The Gator Claw is an alternative to the DualShock at half the price. Don’t expect perfection for this kind of money, though: this pad is wired, doesn’t have a working touchpad, and uses an Xbox One pad style layout. One concern, which has affected at least one person according to the Amazon reviews we’ve seen, is incompatibility with the latest PS4 firmware. Some report it works fine, others not so. As with all cheap PS4 pads, the money you save is a bit of a gamble, but if you want a second controller then it’s worth considering – and if you can find it at a bargain price, then it’s easier to overlook the shortcomings.
