PS4 DualShock 4 Controller (REVIEW)

I feel this review needed to be done. Since the launch, and my purchase of the PS4 console I've had to buy 3 Sony brand controllers at the ridiculous price of $64 each. The controller that came with the console seemed to last the longest while one I bought on the side for local co-op use lasted a couple of months, or less. The third even less than that. The fact of the matter is these new technologically sophisticated controllers are more poorly made than last-gen's PS3 controllers. It's as if they were made to be a malfunctioning cash cow product for Sony to milk. There is no reason whatsoever that controller such as the PS4 DualShock 4 should cost a third of the price of a PS4 console. Nor is there a reason it should break so easily. There's no excuse for it. The fact that $15 PS3 controllers have a longer lifespan than a PS4 reflects this reality. The truth in this will ultimately be revealed on December 31st of this year when Hori releases their budget priced PS4 mini controller that does away with the touch pad, and adds three center buttons that operate in a similar manner. My only problem with the mini controller is that it will not have a port for a headset which again feels like a way for Sony to continue having their monopoly on the PS4 controller market with no other viable options made available at a reasonable price.

When it comes to issues I've had with the PS4 controller they range from superficial surface wear to thumbstick functionality deterioration, and shoulder buttons oddly being reprogrammed to double as DPad movement and aiming. Even further still the latest controller I bought had a major sprint lock issue in my FPS games. It was so bad I had to shell out another $64 to get a new controller. Something I could have spent on a game in which the developer, and Sony could have made even more on than retail $65 game cost, and the same cost of the controller in regards to additionally purchased DLC. They don't seem to think over there at Sony these days. You can only get so much money out of gamers as most of us live on a budget. When we have to buy controllers over a game you are, as a company, shooting yourself in the foot. That's me being the Devil's advocate for the sake of a cheaper controller.

Another thing that bothers me is that Sony is so stingy with their controllers that they don't even include a new charger cable. This in itself is ridiculous, and again there's no excuse for it at the bloated $64 price. If anything Sony's lack of a proper long lasting controller should detract from the console's review scoring. It's as much of a problem as the malfunction issues Microsoft's Xbox One X is having, and should be noted in kind. Maybe even more so, because of the functionality of the controller, and it's importance to a gamer who has to shell out $64 a pop every time one takes a dump just to be able to play on a network service burdened by a poorly moderated community of hacks and modders. That latter part being a discussion for another day.

In closing Sony's PS4 DualShock 4 controller gets a "Cash Cow/10". It's a product made to malfunction, and guaranteed milk you of money you could be spending on video games, or other worthy hobbies. Buy refurbished if you have to buy at all. That way at least you have an in-store replacement warranty.