Modded controllers: Paddles, extra buttons, and controller accessories

Between Black Ops 3, Destiny, and most recently Titanfall 2, there have been many times I've found myself wanting easier access to more controls without removing my thumbs from the analog sticks. Switching the control scheme to bumper jumper--or "evolved" in the case of Titanfall 2--can certainly help with this, but there's no substitute for emulating the X and O buttons with additional buttons underneath a modified dual shock 4 controller.

Scuf is the big name in modded controllers these days, but after doing some research, I went with a much smaller company. The cheapest Scuf starts at 124.95 before any taxes or shipping, and shipping and a color change alone makes the price around $164.

The company I went with is Battle Beaver Customs, and I ended up paying around $120 after both taxes and shipping. The only adjustments I made were basic color of the controller and adding the two buttons underneath to mirror the X and O buttons. While this is twice the price of a standard console controller, it's still 30 dollars less than an Xbox Elite controller, making it one of the most affordable options available. Without the color change, I think it would have been around $105.

Here's a video of a Battle Beaver Customs controller, that should give you a good idea of how the back buttons look and where they are placed.

The main downside was the wait. Battle Beaver Customs is a small company that is experiencing a lot of growth, mostly due to some pro players using their controllers during the last big Call of Duty championship event. Because of this, my wait before ordering was known to be about two months. In the end, I waited about two months and ten days.

Now that I finally have it, I'm definitely happy with the controller itself. Unlike the paddles on a Scuf, the Battle Beaver controller mod places buttons where your middle fingers naturally rest on the back of your controller. It's just a matter of preference.

While you might think that the only ones to benefit from a modded controller would be first-person shooter fans, you'd be mistaken. I was pleasantly surprised to find that it's enhanced my experience playing Gravity Rush 2, for example. I can levitate, aim, and fire projectiles without taking my thumbs off the analog sticks. I'm also looking forward to playing the new Mass Effect with the added control, being able to jetpack around while aiming, shooting, and using various biotic powers.

For anyone who would like extra buttons or paddles on their controller, but doesn't have 100 dollars to spend on a modded controller, I've also recently found out about a relatively new controller accessory called the Strike Pack FPS Dominator.

I haven't used this myself, but it seems like a nice and affordable option to get some extra paddles on your controller. Unfortunately, this accessory also comes with the ability to mod controller fire, which can give a very unfair advantage when it comes to online play. The main example would be taking a weapon balanced by the game designers to be a semi-automatic weapon (weapon fires one round each time you pull the trigger), and allowing it to auto fire much faster than any player should ever be able to squeeze the trigger.

It does have a tournament mode that disables "turbo fire" and such, but that's not going to stop people from using it online. Still, if it works well, it might be a great way to add some paddles to your controller.

Anyhow, if anyone here has used a Scuf controller or any other modded controller or accessory, I'd be interested in hearing about it. On the other hand, if anyone has questions about the Battle Beaver controller that I purchased, I'll be happy to answer them.