Do XBox Controllers Work Better Than PS4 on PC?

The PS4 controller hasn't worked for a few games I've tried to play: Remember Me, Darksiders, DmC (Devil May Cry). I've tried both InputMapper and DS4Windows...no idea why, whether it's them being older games, something I have wrong with the settings (but controller works fine for most games) or ??

But I'm tired of it. I want my controller to just work. Would an XBOX1 controller be more reliable? A combo of 360/XB1 controller? Does PS4 controller work 100% fine for anyone?

An xbox controller is more reliable yes. Either a 360 or Xbox One controller will work just fine.

PS4 controllers don't work all that well because some games don't support them, which is why you need DS4Windows, while others do, which can lead to problems where you end up with two devices from one controller if you don't have DS4Windows set up properly.

Having used both a lot on PC I found just a tiny minority of games didn't work with the Dualshock 4 - Inputmapper/DS4Windows combo but I ended up agreeing with, I think, Jeff in that I eventually couldn't be bothered having to depend on a 3rd party driver.

As soon as the Xbone wireless adaptor came out I've used the Xbox pad pretty much exclusively and ended up buying an Elite.

I switched to an Xbox one controller for this same reason. They just work without too much tinkering. DS4 is a great controller, but until Sony releases official drivers for them, it's just not worth the occasional hassle. Also the 3.5 mm jack on the Xbox One controller totally works for headphones (don't know about headsets). Not sure if they ever got that working for the DS4 drivers.

I've literally never had a single issue with DS4Windows, though my brother has had plenty, so YMMV.

I literally only do this:

Launch InputMapper.

Press circle button on the DS4.

Play games wirelessly.

Close InputMapper when done.

Xbox 360 controller is the one you want if you want it to work all the time. DS4 and Xbox one controllers both come with trouble.

I used DS4Windows for a while, but it became a massive pain when I upgraded to Windows 10, after a while I switched over to ScpToolkit and it's worked pretty much flawlessly for me.

It can be a bit confusing to get started, but once it's set up it makes your DS3/4 act as a plug and play XInput pad, with just a pop-up notification of the controllers MAC and what port it's set to. It even supports Bluetooth with automatic syncing if you can find a decent low-latency dongle.

EDIT: In my experience, a DS4 with ScpToolkit has been more reliable than an XB1 pad (compatibility wise), just because the XB1 controller uses a modernised version of XInput which can cause issues with games that are more than a few years old and don't know how to deal with anything that's not a 360 controller. Although if you want to go consistently wireless over a few metres, and don't already have bluetooth built into your motherboard you might find the XB1 pad to be more stable unless you're willing to test out a few bluetooth dongles to find one that works.

@ethanielrain: I still use a wired 360 controller on PC

Yeah, the 360 controller just works. The XB1 controller is great in Win10 as well. The headset even works out of the box. It lists the headset speaker as it's own output in devices. In games that support this, it's great to feed the garbage that is communications directly to my skull without coming out of the normal speakers. Or Discord allows you to select it as it's chat output.

All this without having to do anything.

Sounds like I'll just get a wired 360 controller with about 15 feet of cable and be done with it, thanks all :)

There's absolutely no reason PS4 controller shouldn't work on a game that supports 360 if you're using InputMapper's exclusive mode. If you don't kick in exclusive mode, Windows recognizes two controllers at once which causes problems in some games like Trine. When properly using InputMapper, Windows thinks you're using 360 controller so if you like DS4 better than a 360 pad, there's shouldn't be any problem with it. It used to be that you needed to disable explorer when you plugged in the controller for exclusive mode but a somewhat recent update fixed that issue; just plug and play now.

Windows 10 is made to work really well with a xbone controller

I just recently purchased a Xbox One controller (wireless) for PC and it was an absolute nightmare to get it working.

Recent Windows updates have completely broken it.

I'd stick to the 360 controller if I was to go back. My wired 360 controller works 100% fine, every time.

@valeo: Working fine here, so presumably not an across-the-board issue.

@ethanielrain: One thing to consider is that the xbox one controller allows you to pipe audio through the controller, including wirelessly. In my experience this works better than my corsair wireless headset in that most games don't need to be restarted to work, I can just hot plug/unplug my headphones. Obviously, this may or may not make a difference to you.

It's a known issue,.http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1258028

That seems to be the problem - InputMapper's log notes that it's "Unable to start in Exclusive Mode..." (w/ nothing open that would be using the controller, like Steam)

Which is what I'm talking about. There was a time when I would've enjoyed figuring out the problem & getting everything to run smooth. But nowadays I can't be bothered, just want it to work. Wired 360 is in the mail...I prefer the PS4 controller, but it isn't like the 360 is a terrible one :)

But games are not.

@ethanielrain: I stopped using a DS4 on PC months ago but think I remember reading that the last big W10 update borked exclusive mode again.

If you have problems with DS4Windows on W10, a game doesn't recognize the controller or you have double input, try the Hide DS4 Controller option on the Settings page. Whatever problems I had in the past this mode fixed them every time.

@rethla: I have never had a problem using an Xbox one controller, thankfully.

I feel like it's hit or miss, and is dependent on how much you like the PS4 controller over the Xbox's. It's pretty simple setting up the Dual Shock, but the Xbox is plug and play. So really it's a matter of preference, and whether or not you want to put in the effort.

My 360 controller from 2005 still works but barely. The vibration stopped years ago and the sticks are getting worn out. I don't know if I should get a new 360 controller or a XONE controller. 360 is almost half price and seems to work better in most games still and I don't have an XBOX One. The only reasons I see for getting an XBOX one controller would be that it is said to be better (not tried it so I don't know) and it might be more future proof.

@dagas: The d-pad on the Xbox One controller is much better than the one on the 360 controller. That's just one factor, but it's worth mentioning for some games. It makes a big difference in 2D fighting games and platformers.

Well then you havnt played the games that dont support the Xbox one controller, its that easy. The newest Batman telltale game as an example is unplayable with Xbox one controller. Its not the controllers or Microsofts fault but rather Telltale that releases the same junk all over again but it is what it is.

I use an Xbox One Elite controller on PC and I love it. Still haven't plugged it into my Xbox One.

I have never had a problem using an Xbox One controller on PC and neither has my brother. We both use them all the time.

I have a DS4 controller that I'd like to use but I've had too many headaches trying to use one. With an Xbox One controller, it's plugged in and I just hit play. That's it. The DS4 is better for emulators, though, especially in 2D games.

It's worth noting that some people claim to occasionally have issues with the Xbox One controller. I haven't had these issues, even in games where it's supposed to be a problem (Dark Souls II is supposed to be one of them, I think).

The safest bet is a wired Xbox 360 controller, which works painlessly with pretty much everything and no one has a problem with it.

@ethanielrain: okay, i'll send you the script I used when exclusive mode was wonky for me. All it does is disable explorer, you plug in your controller, and hit any button to re-enable explorer. Do you have the latest version of inputmapper and are you running it as admin? Cause exclusive mode now works for me no matter what I have open or anything.

Yes, for most games you have to use a 3rd party program to get it to act like a xbox 360 controller also some games get double input, and in windows 10 it's hard to set it up in exclusive mode(causes issues for me anyway).

I believe it's a better controller though, using a program to make use of the touch pad for more inputs is great, but for compatibility reasons i've just been using a 360 pad lately.

It's a lot more practical to use a 360 controller, I've never had problems using an X1 controller but I've heard it can be less reliable.

@ethanielrain: So, like I said, I haven't had to do this for the past month or so but it might help you still. Here's the script. Copy>Paste that into a notepad document and change the extension to .bat. When you open InputMapper, just double click this document, plug in controller, and hit any button on keyboard to exit once it's connected. If it doesn't work the first time, close InputMapper and try second time. For whatever reason, I had to do this a couple of the times. It's all instantaneous anyways.

100% would use the Microsoft product with the other Microsoft product, personally still using a 360 pad which is as damn near perfect as you would want, unless your a D-pad pedant.