Consider buying a PS4 controller, even if you don’t own a PS4. Why? Because Sony may have stumbled into one of the best controllers period for this generation of gaming. The PS4 controller is just so incredibly flexible, and serves the controller needs for practically any device that you have in your home. Don’t believe me?
Well let’s start with the PC. Nearly everyone has a PC these days, and even if your PC can’t play next-generation AAA blockbusters like Evolve, it can still probably play awesome indie games like Shovel Knight. But a lot of people don’t have PC controllers. Some third party PC controllers work OK, but they usually make needless changes to a controller formula that has worked since the era of the PlayStation. Not only that, but unless you invest a decent chunk of change into them, you’ll end up with a controller that has some cruddy points to it, like poor buttons with pads that easily corrode, or a d-pad that isn’t very responsive.
But the PS4 controller works just fine on the PC with no finagling required. This is a huge step up from PS3 controllers, which required third party programs such as MotionInJoy to work. Using those programs caused problems for people who weren’t used to using homebrew software, even going as far as bricking keyboards, mice, and Bluetooth adapters on laptops. But the PS4 controller is just plug and play.
This is because the PS4 controller is recognized as a generic controller, just like any other USB controller you would purchase for your computer. But this has other interesting ramifications as well. For example, this means that you can plug your PS4 controller into your PS3 and use it just fine. You can even pair your PS4 controller with your PS3 via Bluetooth and use it without many problems, though the home button and vibration won’t work, and the touchpad doesn’t do anything on a system that doesn’t support it.
Speaking of Bluetooth pairing, the fact that the PS4 controller is a Bluetooth device makes it pairable with even more devices that you probably don’t have controllers for. Do you play with emulators on your iPad? Well, now you can use an actual video game controller with them. For that matter, you can even play some AAA iPAd games, like new Skylanders titles, with far more advanced and responsive controls. The same goes for any mobile device, smart TV, or TV streaming device, as well as microconsoles like the PlayStation TV, or early iterations of SteamBoxes and SteamSticks. Heck, you can even get it working relatively lag-free on the Xbox One with a converter like the CronusMax.
In short, the Dualshock 4 is pretty much the most compatible controller on the market right now. If you are in the market for a new controller of any sort, you should probably pick it up. Who knows, maybe this is what is contributing to the PS4’s sales. There are a number of gamers out there who have DS4s without PS4s, and at that point your next-generation console choice just seems obvious.