Controller Shootout: Sony DualSense vs. Microsoft Xbox Wireless Controller

“All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy,” or so they say. As much as I keep myself busy with work and hobby-work, I also take some time out to play some games. Lately, that’s mostly been Genshin Impact, but also includes various simulator and racing games. To have a good experience with some of these games means having dedicated input hardware as a keyboard and mouse are often not ideal.

I previously treated myself to an 8bitdo Pro 2 which I found quite a satisfactory upgrade from a dying Logitech F710, but I couldn’t help wonder what I was missing out on by not going for one of the “big name” console controllers. After all, that’s probably the best part of console gaming …

In the run-up to Christmas 2022, I was able to pick up the Sony DualSense for AU$76 and Xbox Wireless Controller for AU$69, both on promotion and including postage. This is a little more than the AU$59 I managed to snag the 8bitdo Pro 2 for, but I thought it was worth the money just to satisfy my curiosity. After purchasing both, I’ve managed to go through at least three battery cycles on each before coming to a verdict on each based on my experience as a PC user primarily using the controllers wirelessly over Bluetooth.

Sony DualSense

This controller is likely to be the newer of the two, being released for use with the PS5 console. Having grown up with a Sony PlayStation, I’d have to say that I gravitate towards the symmetrical layout and the button labelling as it seems natural to me.

The controller is a continuing evolution, now featuring haptic feedback, adaptive triggers, a built-in microphone and signature comfort according to the back of the box.

You don’t get much in the box – just the controller and an instruction manual according to the side of the box. It also doesn’t claim to be compatible with anything but a PS5, so you might wonder why I’m even bothering …

The underside of the box shows the model number – CFI-ZCT1W, the barcode 711719399506 and some interesting microprint perhaps as an anti-counterfeit measure. The bottom of the box has the Australian Regulatory Compliance Mark as well. The product is Made in China.

The controller is wrapped in a thin bubble foam for protection in transit. The manual and a pamphlet is included.

From grabbing the controller, I think it was almost love at first sight. I really like the two-toned contrast design with soft flowing curves and no sharp edges. The buttons being clear plastic with markings from the rear give them a “jewel” effect which I like quite a lot, along with just the right amount of roundedness. There are a few holes above the PS button, perhaps for the onboard microphone. The middle is dominated by a touchpad and this is flanked by a lightbar. The two analog sticks have textured rubber grips and these rotate smoothly through the range. At its limits, it hits a “hollow” feeling stop, which is very good. Restoring force also seems stronger than the 8bitdo Pro 2 – it is very much to my liking.

But perhaps the biggest delight is found when holding the grips of the controller. Parts of the body are smooth and the texture is offset by a fine, slightly grippy micro texture comprising miniature controller symbols. It feels just right – not too grippy and abrasive, but not too smooth as not to be noticed. The printing on the rear gives some information, including a 5V 1.5A rating. There is also a hole on the rear, which may be for the microphone.

One thing that is notably absent is a battery door, because a rechargeable lithium-ion battery is integrated into the controller. The battery itself seems to last a little on the short side from my informal use and the controller really doesn’t do a good job of conveying a low-battery status so being out-of-juice unexpectedly is something that’s happened to me more than once. I have noticed that the controller does get warm when charging as well.

The controller is connected via USB-C for charging, or for use as a controller. When connected by USB-C, it is possible to use the audio function for a headset and mic, but also to drive the vibration motors if using quadraphonic audio. Unfortunately, this doesn’t work via Bluetooth. The shoulder buttons/triggers are located where one expects them and have mostly flat surfaces, which suits both people who use one finger or two fingers for each pair. The shoulder buttons have a bit of travel, but has a very positive bump response. The triggers bottom out hard, but the return spring pressure is stronger – better than the 8bitdo Pro 2 which was a bit weak for my liking.

The controller’s grips are pretty substantial – small hands may find this a bit chunky, but I personally find it comfortable. There is a fine seam on the outside.

The underside has a TRRS jack for a headset, along with charging contacts for use with a docking station. The controller weighs in at 279g which is notably more than the 8bitdo Pro 2 which weighed in at 226g. There is only the slightest of creak when flexing the controller.

Despite being made for the PS5, support for the PC is growing. Sony even has a firmware updater utility for updating the firmware via USB-C connection. Mine arrived with 0297 and I was able to update to 0307 without problems.

Connected via USB-C, the controller is enumerated as three hardware devices –

a Wireless Controller media device, a HID-compliant game controller and USB Input Device with VID of 0x054C and PID of 0x0CE6.

While USB connectivity usually provides maximum functionality including USB audio, native support for the DualSense controller is really only available in a limited number of titles at the moment. Thankfully, Genshin Impact is amongst one of them (and so is NVIDIA GeForce NOW).

For other titles that expect a regular Xinput controller, users have to resort to using Steam or utilities such as DS4Windows to “translate” from Dinput, to Xinput using a virtual Xinput driver.

It seems that DS4Windows is also a way to read the battery status of the controller, although this is pretty rough and only indicative.

An advantage of using this software is the possibility to create some very sophisticated game-specific profiles to map the various sensors in the controller to inputs.

However, being more-or-less a community software, its stability and maintenance could be an issue in the future. Furthermore, some games will (oddly) have double-input issues which is due to them detecting both the Dinput and Xinput controllers – ticking the “Hide DS4 Controller” checkbox usually fixes this. Initial Bluetooth pairing also was not intuitive to me – I had to refer to the manual. As a result, I would consider setup to be a little fussy.

As for running it with Genshin Impact over Bluetooth which supports it natively – I’ve noticed it seems to be missing some vibration events perhaps due to limitations. Fighting the Azdaha weekly boss is supposed to be a very rumble-heavy experience during the introduction, but when running natively, the controller doesn’t seem to react. I haven’t tried it with DS4Windows emulation nor via USB though.

A both pro-and-con is that the controller doesn’t seem to automatically power off on idle which may lead to running down the battery if one doesn’t shut down the controller by long-pressing the PS button for 10 seconds to shut it down.

Microsoft Xbox Wireless Controller

This is probably a very traditional choice for controllers – the Microsoft Xbox Wireless Controller. Having never used an Xbox, I didn’t have much reason to explore one until now.

The controller itself claims to have a “hybrid D-pad” which is an interesting feature, although perhaps not a good one. It advertises a share button, connectivity via Xbox Wireless and Bluetooth, and a textured grip.

Unlike Sony’s offering, the controller seems much more open with regards to platform support, advertising support for the Xbox Series X and S, Xbox One, Windows, Android and iOS.

The package contains the controller and two AA batteries, as there is no integrated rechargeable battery with this controller. A rechargeable battery pack is available for additional cost.

This unit has a Model Number of 1914 and a barcode number 889842611601 and is Made in China.

The box folds up like a ring box …

… revealing the controller sitting in a cardboard insert. Unpacking the lot, the promised AA batteries are included (OEM Duracell) along with some leaflets.

From the top, the controller is narrower but fatter across the middle. Holding it in the hand, it is more solid as a result and resists creaking. The buttons have a similar “jeweled” appearance, but are much more rounded in profile and feel slightly mushier. The “hybrid” D-pad seems to be absolutely awful for retro games – perhaps this is why 8bitdo was inspired to make their product. It’s clicky like playing with a fax machine telephone keypad … tactile switches with their short travel and noisiness don’t make for a good experience. The analog thumbsticks are also rubber textured and are fine with the exception that at the limits they feel a bit rough and crunchy. The top surface of the controller is a relatively smooth matte texture …

This is contrasted by the not-so-fine dot pattern on the side and rear which feels a bit abrasive. I think it’s liable to pick up dead skin over time and be a bit of a cleaning hassle. The seams on the side and rear of the controller are a bit deeper and more noticeable. Being powered by AA batteries, a removable (and lose-able) battery door is present.

The battery bay accepts AA cells in the polarity indicated on the battery terminals, but can also be used with a lithium-ion rechargeable battery sold by Microsoft, charged internally by the controller. Unfortunately, it’s hard to find, but a lot of third-party kits exist using low-quality Ni-MH cells and an off-board charger requiring use of an additional charging port which is inelegant. I think this is where the Sony’s inbuilt battery could be considered a value-add, but having the option for AA batteries means one will not be caught short of power as they are still relatively ubiquitous. Oddly enough, I’d say the 8bitdo’s approach of having a dual-power compromise with the removable rechargeable battery bundled is perhaps the best approach. That being said, this controller will display its battery status in the Bluetooth Devices page on Windows, but also doesn’t seem to visibly indicate low battery in an obvious way. I’ve ended up having the controller die mid-game as a result. On the upside, it does seem to power down on extended inactivity, but it takes about 30 minutes or so (if I recall correctly). This is perhaps better than the 8bitdo which does so at 10 minutes, which could see it power down during an extended pause in the game.

The underside has the 3.5mm TRRS jack for a headset, and an accessory port for their own specific headset.

The side of the controller has a seam as well, making this feel a bit rough around the edges.

The top of the controller has the pairing button and USB-C connection for use in a wired mode. The shoulder trigger buttons have a bit of travel but don’t feel as well defined as the DualSense. But the angling of the triggers makes for a natural spot for the fingers to rest between the two. The triggers themselves fold into the body of the controller, leaving a hard edge and a gap in the body where dirt could enter. I don’t find this design ideal, but the triggers seem to bottom out into a rubber stop which is quite finger-friendly.

Connection to the PC is pretty much seamless, as this is a Microsoft product. The Xbox Accessories app can be used to configure and update the controller, however, the configuration seems to require an account signup which I didn’t want to do.

Firmware update can be done via USB-C, as long as the login dialogues are dismissed. In my case, the controller shipped with 5.9.2709.0 and was upgraded to 5.15.3168.0.

Connected by USB-C, it is enumerated as two devices – an Xbox Controller input device with VID 0x045E and PID 0x0B12, and Xbox Controller Audio Device with VID 0x45E and PID 0x02F6.

The audio works quite well over USB-C, but the maximum volume could leave something to be desired depending on the headset used. Battery life seemed quite good, even when using carbon-zinc cells. Of all controllers, this one was heaviest, weighing in at 285g. As much as I haven’t used asymmetrical controllers, after playing for a while, I found myself easily adjusting to the controller and found it perfectly serviceable although the body posture was slightly different due to the reduced distance between hands and asymmetrical position of fingers on the thumb-sticks. As a Xinput device natively, it worked automatically with most games released in the past decade – no hassles at all there.

Conclusion

While the Sony DualSense is a bit trickier to set-up and get working with all games, I still seem to prefer it. The aesthetics are appealing, texture is exquisite, the buttons are just the right amount of rounded, the return springs are the right level of stiff and the analog sticks move smoothly. Perhaps the middle-of-the-road weight and symmetrical design resonates more with me as well, even though the integrated battery could be considered a disadvantage in some circumstances. The audio capabilities of the controller are definitely loud and clear – louder than the Xbox counterpart, with a surprise back-channel haptic feedback capability.

But that being said, having now forced myself to use the Xbox Wireless Controller with its asymmetrical design, I can see its merits as well and I have found myself similarly proficient despite the difference in layout and feel. It’s definitely more rigid, grippy, abrasive-feeling, rounded (in button shape) and perhaps a bit sharp around the edges (of the casing), with the analog sticks seemingly a bit “crunchy” at its limits. However, the triggers are more springy and bottom out nicely into cushioned end-stops, and the angling makes the shoulder buttons more ergonomic for those who use a single finger for both shoulder button and trigger. The compatibility as a native Xinput device is pretty much flawless out-of-the-box which is nice too. Using AA batteries is perhaps a cost-saving measure, but in return, battery depletion is something that is swiftly remediated.

By comparison, the 8bitdo Pro 2 is a completely different beast. Prioritising a quality D-pad experience, broad compatibility and providing both rechargeable and AA battery options, it is a versatile controller. The rear paddle buttons are a big quality-of-life differentiator that is only offered by much higher-end products from both Sony and Microsoft at very high cost. It is a convenience I had to unlearn to be able to use the other two controllers in this review. Unfortunately, it comes with the compromise of rather “square” buttons, no audio capabilities at all and rather weak return springs on triggers and analog sticks. It has the lightest weight of all the controllers and feels a little flimsier by comparison, but it will warn you of a low battery in an obvious way well before running out of power. While the rear paddles are still a great asset, it’s not quite enough to win me over. Then again, considering I got it for less than the other controllers in this round-up, it’s definitely offering a lot of value for money.

As a result, it’s quite hard to say any one of these is the “best” overall – they all do different things well and have different compromises. Some issues are also potentially subjective – others may feel differently about it. Durability is also something that’s hard to gauge. I still haven’t tried the Nintendo Switch controller, but I don’t think I need to – it’s an asymmetric design that seems to also need the help of DS4Windows to get working with some games, which sort of combines the negatives of both controllers reviewed (from my perspective), although I don’t know about the ergonomics.