You know, I think there is a clear winner in this fabricated contest, but that’s just me. I’ve always loved the Xbox 360 controller and never really ‘got to grips’ (oh gawd) with the PlayStation controller. But that’s just my personal taste. I’ve had so many people tell me they love the PlayStation controller and hate the 360 one. So let’s settle it with a vote!
I’ll be keen to see the results of this one. I have a suspicion it’ll be a landslide, but I could be wrong!
Feel free to discuss your choices in the comments below!
Comments
115 responses to “The Big Question: Xbox 360 Controller Or The PlayStation 3 Controller?”
360, because I’ve got giant, bumbling oaf hands!
I’ve never understood that my hands are fairly large sized as well but the 360 controller feels like my hands are too cramped and close together. I much prefer holding the PS3 one in my fingertips.
Feels like there’s more of the 360 controller to grip for me atleast. I don’t mind either, though. Will happily game on either.
I wonder if that’s due to the battery pack?
That and I like how the ps3 controller works on my pc with motioninjoy… And internal batteries are cool too…
Same here. Though having recently played more PS3, I don’t mind that one either. Over all though the 360 feels more solid and I’m just too used to the button names.
Hey, it’s my old pal Mikey T!
Yo yo! Obviously our shared passion in gaming is due to our shared giant hand size. 😛
Strengthened through years of point and clicking adventure related stuff.
Haha, indeed! I haven’t played any adventure games since Gemini Rue finished. Did start Stacking though, but didn’t get far into it yet. And that’s not quite point-and-click!
I’m currently in a “I don’t really feel like gaming” sort of moods. 🙁
You’ve changed. You used to be all about adventure games and eating chips. What happened?
I’m a horrible, horrible person!
*runs off crying with a bag of Doritos in his hand*
nothing against the 360 one, I just prefer the dualshock.
I prefer the symmetrical layout of the PS sticks.
But the wired 360 pad is really comfortable.
I find the wireless one really uncomfortable though.
That battery pack jutting out! Why batteries anyway?!?!
PS3 controller for anything that relies on the dpad.
360 controller for overall comfort but I don’t dislike the feel and stick layout of the PS3 controller so overall I pick that.
I’m really struggling to think of d-pad dependent games that are on the 360 or PS3.
I prefer D-pad for fighting games where you need to do stuff like quarter-circles – I tend to overshoot it when using a stick.
I’m one of those hardcore dorks with an arcade stick. I even use it for Divekick.
It’s pretty much down to fighting games, 2D platformers or anything that relies on d-pad diagonals for selecting weapons/items.
Can’t stand the PS3 controller. Feels like it’s constantly trying to escape from my hands. Hated every minute of it when playing the Last of Us. It’s the reason I use my PS3 for platform exclusives only, and why I’ve never signed up for PS+.
So you can probably guess which one I voted for!
The Wavebird?
Wasn’t an option. Otherwise probably.
It needed rumble. Thats all, otherwise its the best.
I switch off rumble in most modern games. It’s overused and gives me RSI (or something similar). So its absence didn’t bother me.
The original PS3 controller ruined your dreams of a perfect design.
FULL BLOWN BATARANG!
Yeah, same situation. Borrowed Last of Us from a friend, but I gave up half way purely because of the controller and watched the rest of the game on YouTube. Same thing happened with Uncharted 3. There’s just something about the analogue sticks that frustrates the hell out of me, they feel really loose and slippery compared to the 360 controller. Also the tiny grips are a lot more uncomfortable to hold in comparison.
Dual Shock with a caveat: I’m more familiar with it, so I voted for it. I do have a 360 controller for my computer, and I quite like it.
The PS3 controller is just a SNES controller with more bits put on. Most people who like it do so because they’re used to the older iterations, not necessarily because it is better.
Sure, there’s the d-pad but nothing really uses the d-pad these days.
EDIT: The 360 controller also has one great point over the Dual Shock 3. You can plug one into a PC and it just works. It’s not necessarily difficult to get a DS3 working on a PC but there’s a reason why the 360 controller is the de facto PC controller.
Yeah, Microsoft
Alas only a wired one. Wireless even with the plug/play charge don’t work. 🙁
There’s a special dongle you can get that picks up a wireless 360 controller (I got a new controller with dongle from mighty ape a few months back for $50 – good investment!)
Yeah I was hunting down a dongle but eBay only seemed to have dodgy knock offs which I didn’t want to waste time with.
There was one seller in the US that had the original one, but it would cost nearly $40 to get it here.
In the end I found a wired controller from JB for $35 and that does the trick. The original Microsoft one as I had a third-party one before but it just didn’t feel right. Plus it broke when I dropped it on the ground by mistake. 🙁
The dongle can be great value if you already own a 360 and a bunch of controllers (not that it isn’t worth if you don’t). For the price of one dongle, I could play 4 player split screen games like Serious Sam 3 and Sonic Racing: Transformed.
you can download a small piece of free software and plug the PS3 controller in and It will work just the same
‘The PS3 controller is just a SNES controller with more bits put on. ‘ I’m a bit confused by your metaphor here. What makes a 360 controller not ‘a SNES controller with more bits put on’?
It’s not a metaphor. It’s actually how it was designed.
The original Playstation happened after Nintendo and Sony failed to work together to make a disc based system. Sony just added handles to the SNES controller to get the controller for their system.
Since then, each iteration of the Playstation controller has just added to the existing design. It also explains why the d-pad is given such prominence despite analog sticks being the primary control these days. Originally, they weren’t there and they got put in the only spare space that could take them without drastically altering the original design.
That’s not the case with the 360 controller, where you can see dramatic differences between the designs of all Microsoft controllers.
By this logic I could equally say the Xbox controller is just a slight redesign of a Sony dualshock.
Except that would be wrong.
There is a clear and direct lineage from the SNES controller to the DS3. It started with a failed business partnership and you can put a SNES controller next to a DS3 and see the similarities.
The 360 controller has no relationship with the Dualshock.
If you’re going to trace it back, the Microsoft controllers are based loosely on the Dreamcast controller which can then be traced back to the Genesis if you’re feeling bored. You can’t put a 360 controller next to a Dreamcast controller or Genesis controller and notice obvious similarities.
You seem to be saying that you can see no similarities between a dualshock and a xbox controller? So, dual thumbsticks ,four shoulder buttons, four face buttons and a d-pad all laid out in a very similar fashion, but no correlation whatsoever. Righto.
There’s a difference some similarities based on common design goals and something being a redesign of something else.
Take a look at what I’m saying. The Dual Shock 3 is a direct descendant of the SNES controller. The 360 controller is a much more modern design that takes note of ergonomics.
You don’t get it because you don’t seem to be able to look past “they’re both controllers”.
Take a design course or something, it might make some sense.
PS3, only because the d-pad is better. Don’t find many differences between the two overall though.
DualShock 3 for me (hey, that rhymes!). Partly because I prefer the symmetrical stick layout, and partly because the XBox one just feels a bit too big in my hands. The DS3 certainly isn’t perfect, though, so I’m pretty happy with what I’m hearing about the changes they’ve made for the DS4. It looks uglier, but sounds like it’ll feel better.
I have no strong feelings one way or the other.
http://images3.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20090724200457/en.futurama/images/a/a2/225px-Neutral_President.jpg
Same here. I wish there was an option in the poll which said “Don’t care, they both work fine”.
I wrote a long winded explanation as to why the 360 pad is better from an ergonomics point of view (I work in that space), but realised its probably the tenth time I’ve done so on this site, and the responses are ‘nuh uh’.
Goes to prove people can get used to, and even prefer, a bad system.
There’s no right or wrong answer to the question posed, it’s a matter of taste and what feels right for different people (keyword being “different”).
That’s not true.
Everyone who disagrees with me is wrong.
You might have a personal preference but an objective breakdown of why ERGNOMICALLY one is better than the other is a different thing and hence one controller could be considered, at least from that point of view, to be empirically better.
Nope. Ergonomics is a science based on biology. the biology of the human hand does not play well with the DualShock compared to the 360 controller.
Science!
Source a peer reviewed paper, please, or it remains a preference.
These pads are heavily tested, but it’s all commercial in confidence. A quick google scholar search revealed a sum total of one study (not peer reviewed comparing pads). It only looked at hand size. It wasn’t peer-reviewed.
The thing is, the ergonomics of the hand have been heavily studied for hundreds of years. I don’t need to do an empirical study to say, outright, that the PS3 controller was not designed with any consideration of that research. It was designed as a copy of the SNES pad, and then later had two sticks whacked on where they ‘fit’ (you’d be surprised how many systems are designed this way). They didn’t consider the fact that the sticks were placed at the extension of the thumb, rather than the resting position. Or that to press the R1 and L1 buttons you have to shift your grip. Consequently, its a mediocre design. Nonetheless, preference can be based on familiarity rather than genuine comfort.
Preference can be based on familiarity rather than genuine comfort, I agree.
But genuine comfort can also be based on the size/shape of your hands.
But genuine comfort can also be based on the size/shape of your hands. Size/shape needs to be pulled apart. One control pad will never completely satisfy all hand sizes, but shape can be accommodated, as out hands are pretty much exactly the same in terms of shape and function. This is exactly what I’m referring to when I say that, objectively, the PS3 pad is poorly design. It doesn’t match the shape of the hand.
It doesn’t match the shape of a western person’s hand.
Sony did attempt to improve the situation with the Dual Analogue controller (Basically an early DualShock except not PS2 compatable, didn’t ship with rumble motors, but were designed to have them, and had longer grips) which was designed for the generally larger hands of a westerner, but it was recieved poorly in Japan and never got a wide release in the market it was designed for.
@jdenm8
Your confusing size and shape too. Westerners DO NOT have different shaped hands from the Japanese. That is ridiculous.
The hand SIZE thing is interesting though, but once again, I state, the PS3 was not designed around the shape and function of the hand, even if they did consider SIZE one time.
Research peer reviewed papers on a forum? Nope. I don’t care about it that much.
Ergonomics and the research surrounding it are pretty well established things by now. If you don’t believe that can come up with objective results, then that’s cool.
If you want a quick and dirty rundown of why it is awful:
unnatural positioning of thumbs
unnatural positioning of wrists
controller requires 3 different grips in order to effectively reach all inputs.
It is made of soot and poo and probably kicked a baby
Well when I use an Xbox Controller my hands get cramped, because the stciks are nto where MY thumbs rest. It’s simply a matter of preference.
I read somewhere that the original typewriters had their keys arranged in alphabetical order instead of qwerty, but due to the mechanics of the levers, the machines couldn’t handle commonly used letters put together being hit in rapid succession, so the qwerty model had keys spaced out in weird unnatural places to prevent jams.
Having used it for so many decades now, I don’t think I could switch to anything else.
That’s not entirely right.
The QWERTY layout was made so that common key combinations weren’t together. That doesn’t mean that they’re inefficient. Try typing FRFRFRFRFRFRFR over and over compared to FJFJFJFJFJ. One is decidedly easier to pull off.
The idea behind the apparently superiod Dvorak layout is that you’re better off alternating hands with each keystroke, which is basically just an extension of the logic that gave us the QWERTY layout.
Unfortunately, the research in this area tends to be pretty lacking. I don’t even remember why I looked it up a while back.
I, too have bitched long and hard about the Dual Shock being a lumpy shitpile that is not made for human hands. Nobody listens.
any chance you have a link to a previously written one? this intrigues me, as apart from its size (though i have smallish hands) i would have thought the symmetry of the DS3 would have helped it, not hindered.
As a right handed person the force and agility I apply with each thumb is different, having the xbox layout balances out better, for me at least. The PS controller is symmetrical but my hands are not and I find that uncomfortable.
360 all the way. I have both and the PS3 controller just doesn’t feel right in my hands. Both good devices but i feel the 360 controller is more of a gaming conroller.
360 controller for 3D games. Dualshock 3 for 2D games.
360 hands down (pun intended). For ergnomics it’s just far superior to hold for extended periods. I agree the dualshock has some advantages, but it can be very uncomfortable after long uses
I really think it depends on the individual. I had some minor surgery late last year, after which I spent the next 2 weeks pretty much confined to the couch. For that 2 weeks my routine was watch a movie in the morning then spend the rest of the day gaming (lucky for me Far Cry 3 came out a couple of days before my surgery!). I was using the PS3 controller for extended sessions – probably 6-8 hours a day every day for the better part of 2 weeks – and never once found it uncomfortable.
Edit: That’s not to say that I think the 360 controller would have been uncomfortable either, though – I’ve never used one for that kind of extended session.
http://i2.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/newsfeed/000/538/731/0fc.gif
Xbox 360 WIRED controller.
Both Ps3 and 360 controllers work damn well, i’m fine with the sticks and buttons on both. Just the 360 wired controller is more comfortable for me. (And 360 has better triggers)
360 Wired > Ps3 > 360 Wireless
Im surprised that the poll is so close atm (60/40). Everywhere I read it always seems to be unanimous that 360 is better.
I only have a wireless 360 controller and hate it with a passion. the wired one is far superior.
That seems weird, can I ask why?
Unless it’s so you can play it on the PC, which I’d say is a completely different function and nothing to do with the controller itself.
If you can tell the difference in lag between the two i’d suggest you quit gaming and take up some sport where your crazy reaction times can make you millions. Maybe Pod-Racing.
Some people dislike the heft of the battery pack or find it gets in the way. Other people just dislike having to charge their controllers or buy new batteries all the time.
360 controller is just about perfect in my mind.
I know it’s not, but I think my hands feel better holding it than they do holding nothing.
I’ve whinged before on this site enough about my feelings re the Playstation controller so I won’t do it again.
I think it says it all that I’ve owned every Nintendo, Microsoft and Sega console since the N64 but have never owned a Playstation at all. That’s a SHITLOAD of great exclusives that I’ve missed out on because of that damn controller!
Don’t know if this poll will really work – will end up being PS3 players choose Dualshock, 360 players will pick the 360 controller
PS3 wins because the Xbox 360 dpad is fucking ridiculous.
If you’re referring to the quality of the d-pad, I have to ask: when was the last time you used a 360 controller?
A couple of years ago. Why does it matter? I actually have suffered through that dpad, if that’s what you’re getting at.
I guess I was just curious since it’s been updated since then.
If they fixed it at some later stage, then people would still have to expend money to get a controller with a dpad that works.
That one doesn’t come standard though
360 with the exception of the d-pad, the Dual Shock is my go to for fighting games but that’s about it.
The 360 controller is generally the style and layout I prefer, however, since I play a bunch of games that require the D-Pad and I find the protruding battery pack makes it uncomfortable to hold, the PS3 controller wins out. I actually have a 3rd party PS3 controller (Afterglow) that uses the 360 style layout and the only things stopping me from using that are that it’s smaller than a 360 controller so the buttons are too close to the right stick and it’s not wireless.
I definitely prefer the 360 controller. I find it more comfortable to hold for longer sessions.
Also, sometimes people argue that I only prefer the 360 controller because I use it more, but that wasn’t always the case. I used to primarily use the PS2 controller but the transition to Xbox was instant. When I tried to go back to the Dualshock 2/3, it was really difficult.
NES controller
@freezespreston
Dinosaur.
I’ve never understood the love for the XBOX controller.
It just feels clunky and big and i hate the perpindicular triggers at the back.
PS3 hands down.
I always argue with people on this. and it all comes down to concave vs convex. The design og the thumb sticks and triggers on the 360 are there to stop fingers slipping off them whereas the PS3 is like it has gone out of it’s way to ensure that your fingers have no resistance to moving off their controls.
Also, having a replaceable battery rather than an inbuilt one will ensure that you can stay wireless for longer and have the options of AA’s if you prefer.
Based on weight, layout, button/trigger design, battery options and also it’s easy interaction with PC games (im sure its possible with ps also, but M$ with M$ controllers just works), 360 wins hands down.
I agree with the criticism of the Dpad and battery pack protruding, but it’s a clear winner for me and the primary reason I am switchoing to XBONE. I had the chance to hold and play with both of these controllers and while the PS4 one is awesome, the xbone one is still the far better choice for me.
360
I like that the left thumbstick is parallel with the face buttons and it has pressure sensitive triggers, unlike the ps3 controller
Unless you’re a:
a) Sony fanboy
b) Person who grew up ONLY on Playstation cosnoles
c) Have the tiniest hands on earth
It’s hard to argue that the 360 controller isn’t better by a mile. The onyl genuine advantage the DS controller has is the d-pad. Which honestly barely gets used these days anyway.
Luckily the DS4 looks like a giant improvement.
Never owned an Xbox so certainly no fanboy. But having got into PC gaming I must say I much prefer the Xbox controller. I have big hands with long fingers and find the PS3’s controller to feel like I’m using a kid’s toy. I need to bend my thumbs oddly or hold the controller in an uncomfortable way to make it comfortable and find my thumbs banging together if I use both sticks at the same time.
The Xbox just seems to fit my hands much better and be far more comfortable to use.
Strangely to me the GC had the most comfortable controller and loads of people with large hands moan about how small it was, so maybe I’m just weird.
I actually resist playing games on the PS3 solely based on the controller. With the First Killzones not having the trigger mapped to the gun (press X to shoot!!!) and then having my finger slip off the accelerator all the time with GT5, I just gave up. It is just a fare inferior product to the Xbox controllers. I got the trigger extensions and that helped a bit, but it it still nowhere near as good IMO
360 has a nicer shape and a better heft to it. DS3 feels very flimsy. Also the DS3’s shoulder triggers are pretty terrible and I’m not a fan of the stick placement for a lot of stuff.
If the 360 controller had a decent d-pad it’d be close to perfect.
Call me names if you like, but I miss the Duke. Was the most comfortable controller I’ve ever used.
No no, I’m here with you 🙂
My hands didn’t move… it was just micro movements of my fingertips but the hands were just plastered to that monster (in a good way).
The Dualshock is what I grew up with since the PSOne. The 360 controller is good but not as instinctive for me
I play both systems but have always preferred the 360 controller. I like that it’s bigger and heavier and much prefer the triggers. The PS3 one always just felt too small and flimsy. I’ve got the silver 360 controller with the adjustable D-pad which feels fine to me but I’ve only ever used it for small things like switching items, hacking in the original Bioshock etc.
Having said all that, I can’t wait to try out the PS4 controller!
Whenever I see these articles I instantly have a picture in my head of Mr Serrels siting in black wing back chair dressed as the emperor from Star Wars. He presses post then leans back with a maniacal smile .
“I can feel your anger… Use your aggressive feelings… Let the hate flow through you.”
The Playstation controller was awful in the 90’s and it’s awful today. Refining a terrible design is like putting sprinkles on a turd.
The 360 controller is basically a mix between the Dreamcast and Gamecube controllers. Not even close.
I didn’t mind the PS2 controller until I got a 360. It helped cement the 360 as my console of choice for this generation, and the only thing I really regret about having to choose PS4 for the next (I live in Japan so can’t even get an xbone…). The PS controller triggers are just plain bad and it doesn’t feel as good in my hands…
Bah, 360 controller! Give me the original xbox one, the one made for my giant hands, the one that felt like you could never break it, the one you could use to bludgeon a lion to death should the need arise. That was a real man’s controller! Well other than the black & white buttons, those were mental, give me shoulder buttons any day.
As far as stick layouts go I vastly prefer the 360 layout, I even bought a swanky pro gaming PS3 controller in the 360 layout, cost me about $100 but damn was it nicer to use.
There’s a madcatz controller (http://www.madcatz.com/mlg/ps3_controller.htm) that has moveable sticks & dpad, modules you can actually remove & rearrange as you like, I think that’d be a great thing for both sony & ms to steal
PS3 for console gaming, 360 for PC gaming.
I used to particularly despise the DS3… it never felt right in my hands, always felt like either my thumbs were forced into unnatural positions if I held it firmly, or would fall out of my hands if I got the thumbsticks into a comfortable position. The sharply angled plastic under the cyllindrical sections holding the face buttons and d-pad would dig into my fingers no matter which way I held it… I hated it.
Then I figured out a couple of things that made it more comfortable. Firstly, I was coming from the perspective of the duke and the 360 controller, so I was used to having to grip fairly hard to not drop the thing – less of an issue on the DS3. Changed my grip to be more relaxed, and although I still feel like it’ll slip out of my fingers because my pinkies aren’t able to grip anything, the sharp edges no longer dig painfully into my fingers, and the thumbsticks are at a reasonable angle to my thumb-joints (ie. no longer at right angles). The thumbsticks themselves are still terrible… every time I pick them up, they feel like they leave a greasy residue on my thumbs, which pretty much negates the extra-grippy surface of the sticks… Might actually be because of the grippy surface – grooves and holes get filled with oil/sweat and dust and don’t dry out for months… My 360 thumbsticks, however, are pretty much worn smooth, and are always dry when I pick up the controller.
-My hands are small (small Asian guy) so I never really understand the problem with small controller
-Xbox controller is a a bit larger than PS (which I am used to), and I didn’t really mind it (tried playing gears on it before, the control seems fine, couldn’t really notice/care about the difference)
Well… I didn’t really mind it at first anyway until…
…one day I visited a public gaming place and play Tekken 6 on the Xbox 360 (the PS3 was occupied… which would have been my choice)
…and I swear, for the love of me, I tried and tried but there was just no way I could perform anything with the ridiculous X-Box D-Pad (can’t double tap to run)… and I was beaten by my friend who is just a button smasher
(NOTE: I have beaten him REPEATEDLY before, using only my GODDANG FEETS on the PS3 controller)
…after that… can’t say I am pleased :/
(otherwise, other games seems fine really)
Western people have natural larger physical build than Asian… so they require a larger controller for console that is made specifically aim at their market, I can completely respect that :/ (if this was a poll on an Asian gaming site, the result would be completely dominated by PS-Controllers)
…but the D-Pad… the dang d-pad… that’s just pure ridiculousness, and it’s one aspect that completely make the controller for the X-Box a no sale for me (size is not the problem at all)
I’ve never liked the PS3 controller, but the new one looks a little better – Xbox wins with layout, size and concave analog.
Used to be the 360 controller for me, no question.
Then I busted my thumb at touch football one day, and it was physically painful for me to use the 360 controller for more than 5 minutes months down the track.
Any pain has long healed since then, but I find the PS3 controller more comfortable now. Weird, huh.
I really dont have a preference, but a lot of my friendos who own a xbox rant and rave about how crappy the PS3 controller is. It works fine for me. They say that the analog sticks are to close together, I never noticed it. Another friends says she hates PS3 controllers because they break too easy when she rages and slams the controller down… … … I think you can guess my reaction.
When I play, im focused on the game and pay little to no attention to the controller. But thats me :]
N64. Your argument is invalid.
the playstation controllers were good back in the day when everyone used D pads, because your fingers sat naturally on them… now everyone uses sticks… sony really need to swap these around
360 controller. Vastly superior!
Is also perfect for PC use.
But, my problem is I want a PS4 but with a Xbone controller.
And I definitely want a Xbone controller for the PC!
As the possessor of the tiniest hands on earth: PS3 controller is far better. Also way lighter and I find the buttons easier to press.
http://www.kotaku.com.au/2013/06/the-big-question-dual-shock-3-or-xbox-360-controller/
@markserrels you’re still keen for the results! (which look pretty close :P)
Man, I swear I saw a similar article to this before but no one mentioned it so I thought I was imagining things :D!
___
PS3 for me!
PS3 controller, with lip extenders on the L2 and R2 triggers, because the stock triggers are woeful.
I have long fingers, so the 360 controller doesn’t feel intuitive, plus I’ve been using a DualShock since I was 7.
The real question is Xbox One or Playstation 4 Controller!?
X360, whilst I never owned the 360 console it was only until I purchased one for my PC use that I realised how much comfortable it was in comparison to my PS3 controller for my giant hands. Honestly, it made my hands sore just thinking about having to use the PS3 controller after that especially with the trigger buttons & tiny hand grips
PS3 has a better D-Pad & layout but the 360 controller has better triggers & analogue sticks I think. I find it easier to play shooters on the xbox controller but fighting games seem a lot more comfortable on the Playstation (although I occasionally get my middle finger pinched by the L2 and R2 buttons when I get carried away)