I’ve been a big fan of the Xbox 360 controller since the launch of the 360 itself and I’ve long desired a similar option for the PS3. Don’t get me wrong, the DualShock 3 is a fantastic controller and works perfectly for just about every genre, but when it comes to shooters, I prefer the ‘alternate’ layout of the analog sticks. This preference has led me on a seemingly endless search for a usable third-party option that offers what the DS3 doesn’t. I’d venture a guess that I’ve tried somewhere in the neighborhood of about 12 different controllers, all of them containing at least one fatal flaw.
[boxout]Traditionally, it’s build quality. Third-party manufacturers know that they can’t construct a controller that requires them to sell it for the same price as the DS3 to make a profit. For that kind of money, consumers will simply buy a Sony controller and unfortunately, the majority of people looking at third-party accessories are likely just hunting for a cheaper product. Which is exactly the problem with most of the controllers I’ve tried; they’re cheap.They’re either using RF technology that requires a dongle, or they’re not wireless at all, or they don’t have rumble, etc. I have stumbled across a couple of them that do feature every single bell and whistle that the DS3 comes with, but if the company behind the controller has forked out the kind of dough it takes to pack it with those features, the quality of the internal components usually dramatically suffers.
This brings us to the Gioteck HF-2. As the name would indicate, this is the second iteration of this controller. It comes with the alternate analog stick layout and the concave stick/trigger design found on the standard Xbox 360 controller. It also comes with Bluetooth connectivity, rumble, a ‘turbo’ function and a nifty switch that allows you to swap the functions of the bumpers and triggers on the fly. The two things it’s missing that the DS3 has is Sixaxis support and an internal battery.
The analog sticks felt good and the triggers were great
I was a little skeptical when I first laid eyes on it because its design was actually a bit of a turnoff. The controller has kind of a fat outer shell and I worried it would be uncomfortable. Turns out it actually felt pretty natural for me to hold, despite being different from any other controller I’ve used before. I do think that people with really small hands might have a small comfort issue but for most, it likely won’t be a problem.
The analog sticks felt good, the triggers were marvelous and the face buttons were acceptable. The D-pad uses a design similar to that of the Xbox 360 remote but it seemed a little more precise, yet not quite as accurate as the DS3’s individual buttons.
Speaking of the analog sticks, they’re actually customizable. You can hook the HF-2 to your PC and choose between different settings of varied resistance. There were only two of them at the time of writing and that was the only part of the controller we could customize, but Gioteck says on their website that the controller is capable of entire firmware updates. It’s unclear what they could offer beyond what they already have but it could be interesting to see what they come up with in the future.
The bumpers (L1-R1) threw me for a little bit of a loop at first because they don’t engage at the high side of button like you would expect. In order to compress them properly you have to press it towards the far edge of the button, which means almost completely moving your hand on the controller. As I played with it, I realized that Gioteck designed it that way so you can hit the outer edges of the bumper with the inside of your knuckle, without taking your fingers off the triggers. Although it took me a few minutes to get used to, that portion of the controller is actually brilliantly designed. Not only was it comfortable but, after some practice, it turned out to be more efficient too.
Bumper design is actually quite brilliant
There are really no glaring weaknesses when it comes to the design of the HF-2 but there are still a few minor things I’d like to see changed for a future model. For starters, the face buttons sit a little bit too high on the controller and require a long press to get them all the way down, meaning you can’t mash them quite as quickly as those on other controllers. And while I loved the customizable analog sticks, the tiny flares they have on each side are just a tad annoying. I’d love to see Gioteck just round them off and make the top of each stick a perfect circle. And of course, I feel compelled to also ask for an internal battery and Sixaxis support, but implementing those two things would likely drive the cost of the HF-2 beyond its very reasonable range of £22-£30.
Small gripes aside, The Gioteck HF-2 is the best third-party PS3 controller I’ve tried to date. It’s not as good of an all-around controller as the DualShock 3 but if you’re hell-bent on finding a pad that has the alternate stick layout, you’ll struggle to find a better one than the HF-2. Gioteck have left themselves room to improve for the inevitable HF-3 model but they’ve still succeeded in creating one of the best non-Sony controllers on the market.
GeneralJeeb
Where’s the PS button that thing! Looks like a snazzy controller, and a possible purchase as one of my DS3’s is on the blink so this could make a worthy replacement. Shame about the lack of an internal battery though
Matt W [Echo]
The home button is the thumb-shaped thing on the center of the controller.
dude90
Looks bulky, rather stick with my DS3.
woodsy321
CAN WE HAVE A POLL ON THIS PLEASE TSA?
MadJunkBoy
this seems like a pretty good controller for those who wants a PS3 but can’t let go of that XboX controller… i like it=)
e8
vice versa. tried the 360 controller a few times, but after years of playing with dulshock, it feels unatural. maybe we’ll see same principle applied.
bacon_nuts
Could not be dealing with changing batteries, I’ll stick with my two tone green DS3
jayjay119
‘In order to compress them (bumpers)properly you have to press it towards the far edge of the button, which means almost completely moving your hand on the controller. As I played with it, I realized that Gioteck designed it that way so you can hit the outer edges of the bumper with the inside of your knuckle’
This sounds like the best change, I hate how hard to use the bumpers are on the 360 controller. Personally I prefer the DS3, the analogue layout doesn’t bother me even for shooters as it feels natural witht he shape of the controler, but on the 360 it would feel strange. However shooters do feel more at home on 360. This is a nice bit of kit for those that really do dislike the traditional DS3 layout.
jayjay119
Also, it really surprises me that Sony have yet to make an official revision of the DS3 changing the texture and location of the left analogue and offering it as an aldernative standard controler that customers could choose on purchase, seems it would bring in a lot of doubtfuls.
Cerberus64
I’ve never understood the allure of the XBox 360 controller – I don’t know about other gamers but my right thumb isn’t 2 inches shorter than my left and holding one of these ‘alternate’ controllers just feels wrong.
DirtyHabit
Eh? The left stick is just placed further up the controller, so forwards is forwards (rather than sort of diagonal) and the right stick is more or less where it would be on a DS3.
JesseDeya
Forwards is still forwards on a DS3. The brain is surprisingly adept at figuring these things out regardless of the small angle changes between the two, which explains why I can switch between my DS3s and Xbox 360s controllers without a second thought.
I literally just played 50 hours of Mass Effect 1 on Xbox, then switched to Mass Effect 2 on PS3 and after five minute I was back in the groove.
I prefer the DS3 for the built in battery, better face buttons, MUCH better D-Pad and more sophisticated rumble.
I like the concave triggers on the Xbox controller, so I bought $4 clip-ons at GAME that give me that on my DS3s. I also like the concave face on top of the Xbox stick, but not enough to buy the $4 silicon accessory to do the same for my DS3s. Point being, you can mod the DS3 to get the best of both worlds.
I have big hands, but neither controller feels ‘better’ in terms of size. The Xbox fills more of my hand, but it’s also a heavier controller. The DS3 sits more daintily in my fingers, but being lighter it’s just as comfortable imho.
DirtyHabit
@ JesseDeya. Agreed, I have no real issues with either controller, I also use both regularly. The only thing I will say is that the D-pad positioning on the 360 controller is better IMO. Although the DS3 D-pad its self is far better.
R1MJAW
I totally agree Cerberus. I really didn’t enjoy using the 360 controller, it’s just not comfortable.
jayjay119
Me neither really, the 360 controller rapes by making you hold the entire thing your hands and makes it difficult to use any fingers other than your thumbs and index fingers. With the DS3 I hold it with my fingers not my hands. I can comfortable have my thumbs on both analogues/ face buttons with four fingers (two index and two middle) constantly on L1,2,R1 and R2, while supporting the back with my fore and little fingers; making for a much more fluid gaming experience.
Kled
I wish I could use PS3 controllers on my Xboxes. Maybe the controller is more confortable (not for me, some people say so), but I think that a monkey with a dart gun is more precise than all the xbox controllers I have had (I had to change 2 of them).
beeje13
I think there are adaptors Kled.
tactical20
Love the xbox360 controller and still think the DS3 is pretty naff.
grimm
I prefer the DS3. It just feels like a controller that I’v been used to for SO many years now that it just feels natural holding it.
The 360 controller just feels bulky to me.
BrainDiver
Yeah, I’m pretty sure my hands have been molded to perfectly fit around a DS3 from all my years of owning the various incarnations of the PS.
Hooley01
You could buy the XCM cross battle adapter 2.2 and use an actual xbox controller on your ps3!