Hal Effect sticks are a must. I’m looking for a controller because my PS4 controller has some pretty horrible stick drift. I don’t want a repeat of that.
PlayStation layout is also a must. Never understood the appeal of the wonky xbox layout.
Must also ship to Europe. Preferably a company from Europe. But outside of Europe also works if shipping and customs don’t add twice the controller’s cost to the price.
I’m asking this in Linux Gaming, so obviously must work with Linux (though so far I’ve had less issues getting controllers to work on my Linux desktop than I’ve had with Windows).
8bitdo 2c Ultimate I got off Amazon for 30$. Its 2.4ghz and bluetooth, and its hall effect.
Seconding this one. Legitimately the best casual use controllers I’ve ever used. Does everything it needs to, works flawlessly out of the box, offers plenty of customization for those who want to dive deeper, and just feels great to use.
If you can solder (or know somebody that can) and your PS4 controller is in good shape otherwise, there are hall effect stick replacements available for PS4 controllers.
Yep, this was my first thought. But I don’t know how to solder, I don’t have a soldering kit, and I don’t have any place to put it. I can’t justify buying a whole soldering kit if I’m using it for this project alone; it’ll be more expensive than just buying a new controller where the problem wont happen anymore.
The new 8bitdo Pro 2 gamepads have hall effect stick, a symmetrical layout and are available in Europe. Made in China, though. I have … some of them. Love especially the translucent purple one.
I have the predecessor the sn30pro+ and I’ll definitely replace it with the pro 2 when the time comes.
Pretty decent looking gamepad. Do you have experience with the 8bitdo Pro 2? How are the ergonomics? How does it feel?
If you like the DS4, you will most possibly like the Pro 2. They have a nearly identical form factor. I like the feel of the Pro 2 with it’s textured back more.
Buttons, d-pad and sticks are great, also on par with the DS4. The back buttons are nice to use, while I never triggered them accidentally. Only the Start and Select buttons are just okayish, but do the job.
Thank you! This will certainly be a strong contender. They also have very cheap shipping to Denmark, so that’s a plus.
I’ve had good experiences with 8bitdo. There’s this one that looks more reminiscent of a SNES controller, but has the layout you’re looking for.
Is there a company outside of China making controllers with Hall effect sticks yet? I’m not aware of any, which means what you are asking for will severely limit your options.
FWIW, my six-year-old DualShock 4 has almost no stick drift; so little that I never notice it in practice and haven’t bothered to calibrate it. Perhaps that’s because I keep it in a drawer, where dust can’t settle on it and then work its way into the potentiometers inside.
You know you can calibrate these things in Linux, right?
https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Gamepad#Setting_up_deadzones_and_calibration
I’ve also traveled across Europe with it a few times. I bought my DS4 for use with my laptop (years before I built my own PC) shortly after the PS4 came out. I’ve had that controller for a very long time.
I considered perhaps replacing the sticks with hall effect ones myself, but I don’t have a soldering kit, and I can’t justify buying a whole soldering kit when I don’t have place for one and intend to only use it once.
This may not be all that helpful, but if your willing to learn (and possibly fry your controller) you may have a makerspace near where you live. If so, they would most likely have a soldering setup that you could use for a small fee.
Or heck, my local Library has a tool checkout system. Check with your local library (the bigger the better) as there’s a non-zero chance that they could loan you one.
Do you know where to get drop-in replacement Hall effect sticks for a DualShock 4 or DualSense? (Maybe they’re easy to find now; I haven’t looked in a while.) I have a soldering iron and would probably buy a set.
Edit:
I just learned that TMR (tunneling magnetoresistance) sticks now exist, and are easier to retrofit in Sony controllers, apparently because they use less power and therefore don’t need an additional circuit board. Thanks for renewing my interest.
DualSense or a Logitech F310 (F710 if you need wireless).
The Logitech controllers are solid, sturdy, use the PSX layout (they’re designed after the OG dualshock), and inexpensive.
Idk what kind of sensors they use, but I’ve had my F310 since they launched and it’s still in perfect condition.
DualSense doesn’t use hall effect sensors, but I’ve also had these for 3+ years now, used daily, no issues. But you can replace the sensors if you want to.
Wouldn’t recommend them for a submarine tho
I never had stickdrift before having the DualSense controller.
Still, otherwise it’s a lovely controler and the second one works fine.
I’ve had my F310 for close to ten years now. It still works pretty good.
8Bitdo Pro 2 is the only one I can think of off the top of my head. Not entirely sure where they’re made, but I’m pretty sure they sell to Europe. On Linux, you’d have to follow these instructions to do firmware updates, since their update tool only works on Mac and Windows. I have a 8Bitdo SN30 Pro+ and its been perfectly fine on Linux.
As an aside, if you, or anyone reading this is comfortable with soldering. Gulikit sells Hall Effect Sticks that can be retrofit into both the Dualshock 4 and the Dualsense, if you’re looking for that Playstation stick layout. (I believe Gulikit also provides the hall effect sticks that 8bitdo uses)
This may be a dumb question, but any idea why you would want/need to update the firmware of these controllers?
Well, the Playstation layout is severely limiting. I recently bought a GameSir Tarantula and it’s really awesome, but it only has Xbox/Switch physical layout.
It can present itself as a Playstation controller to the system, though, so it will be detected as such, but the physical buttons won’t match. But if you don’t need that and are more interested in games recognising you have a PS controller, it could work for you.
I use it with my Steam Deck, so it works well for Linux.
Which one did you buy? I have the tarantula pro and it has the playstation layout
Tarantula Pro as well. It doesn’t have PS layout, though. How did you achieve that?
When looking for the Tarantula Pro, this is what shows up:
https://gamesir.com/collections/all-products-1/products/gamesir-tarantula-pro
Yes, that’s the one I have, it has Xbox/Switch layout. Or are you seeing something different?
This is what I see
Well, that’s not a Playstation layout.
Are you referring to the face buttons? When people talk about Xbox vs playstation layout they refer to the left side joystick/d-pad positioning
I dunno what to say…
I want the PS layout. I don’t care how the system recognizes it so long as it just works.
I don’t know about shipping to Europe but GameSir has the Tarantula Pro which I have, and despite being partial to the Xbox layout I’ve been enjoying. I know 8bitDo also has a Playstation style controller with hall effect sticks and that people who have tend to like them, but I don’t have one so I can’t comment on it
Oof, the Tarantula Pro is rather expensive. Though it’s nice to see they have a Danish shop. I also see they have a much cheaper wired version. Looks pretty cool, but the cable doesn’t look easily replaced, which is a concern.
I use XBOX only because it’s the only controller that still accepts AA batteries, which means I can use rechargeable ones and swap them out when they’re dead without ever being tethered to a charging cable.
I also pop them open and rip out the rumble motors because I hate them.
If you want to living room PC experience you can still buy Steam controllers on FleeBay.
I feel your pain. I’m a big fan of the PS controller design as well. This isn’t a serious recommendation as I haven’t done it yet myself, but your best bet may just be to buy a PS5 controller with some HAL effect replacement sticks.
(Just using Amazon as an example, there are probably cheaper/better European options but it looks like a 2-pack would run you about $14USD / €12) https://www.amazon.com/PS5-Hall-Effect-Joystick-Replacement-2-Pack/dp/B0DN8T9KJW
https://www.ifixit.com/Guide/DualSense+Joystick+Replacement/142488
Be warned as it looks like in order to do the replacement you’ll need to desolder the old sticks and solder in the new ones.
This’ll probably be my plan, one day, but I suck at soldering so I’m likely going to find a friend to do it for me and bribe them with some beer.
Yeah, I know that replacing the sticks on a PS controller is a soldering job, but I don’t have a soldering kit.
It was actually my first idea; get a soldering kit, get some hall effect sticks, repair my DS4 controller. But I don’t actually have a place to put a soldering kit, I have no skill with soldering, and I can’t justify buying a soldering kit just for this one project.
I still love the dualshock 3. Recently bought two more from ebay because my first one is half broken.
I have the Retrofighters BattlerGC Pro, this is the Playstation layout equivalent:
https://retrofighters.com/our-collection/defender-pro-wireless-gamepad/
Hall effect sticks, Bluetooth support, 2.4ghz dongle, excellent buttons. The BattlerGC Pro is the best controller I’ve ever owned. If this Playstation style controller is even close to as good you won’t be disappointed.
Edit: they also have this mini controller, and this one is currently available, whereas that more deluxe one is a pre-order shipping in January.
Shipping in 2026… oof. ^^;
I’m not sure about the mini controller. Looks like it might get very irritating to use after a short time.
