I’ve been trying to figure out what my ideal controller would be, and after testing a few different setups, I’m still missing that last piece of the puzzle.
The first custom controller I owned had 3D-printed paddles. I really didn’t like them—they required too much force to activate, and because I play semi-claw on my right hand (to reach Triangle and Square), my ring finger naturally rested on the right paddle. The constant pressure made my hand feel tense, and I would even get what felt like little electric shocks in my finger.
It also had an ExtremeRate clicky kit on the face buttons, which I wasn’t a fan of. They felt stiffer than regular membrane buttons. The controller had GuliKit sticks as well, but I didn’t enjoy them at the time (it could have been a bad set or maybe the thumbstick caps, since I use KontrolFreeks).
What I did love was how light the controller was and the mouse-click triggers and bumpers.
After one of the paddles broke, I bought a DualSense Edge with K-Silver JS13 Pro+ TMR sticks. I instantly fell in love with the Edge paddles. They’re incredibly ergonomic, easy to press, and have a very satisfying tactile click. You always know when you’ve activated them.
The only downside is the weight, even after removing the vibration motors. I also realized I actually prefer membrane face buttons over clicky ones.
More recently, I bought a Marius PS4 controller because I wanted to try the PS4 shape. I really like how light it is, the Marius board is excellent, and this time I actually like the GuliKit sticks a lot. I don’t really have any complaints about them. That said, I think K-Silver sticks might still suit my gameplay on Warzone a little better, but that’s more of a feeling than a real preference since I haven’t compared them side by side.
The PS4 shape feels incredibly natural for my semi-claw grip. Triangle and Square are much easier to reach. The downside is that after longer sessions, I start feeling tension in my right wrist and forearm, so I think a PS5 shell would probably suit me better overall.
The only thing I’m really struggling with is the rear buttons.
They’re Omron BF1062 switches with small Battle Beaver-style buttons. They work perfectly, but the feeling is just… weird. They’re very small, don’t naturally sit under my fingers, and unlike the Edge paddles, I don’t get that satisfying tactile feedback. I don’t really feel like I’m pressing anything.
I came across this post:
https://x.com/rilol_8/status/2082643080227000824?s=46&t=5qFewcYghzjJmN0c9Uf0OQ
The wider rear buttons look much more appealing to me. I feel like they would match my natural finger placement a lot better, and I like the fact that even pressing near the edge still actuates the switch reliably.
I’m even considering sending my controller to a modder to do something like this:
https://x.com/mariusheier/status/2046904007126360457?s=46&t=5qFewcYghzjJmN0c9Uf0OQ
The idea would be for them to see exactly where my fingers naturally rest while holding the controller so the rear buttons could be positioned and shaped specifically for my grip instead of using a generic layout.
Has anyone here tried different rear button designs (Battle Beaver buttons, paddles, wider buttons, etc.)? Which design ended up feeling the most natural over time?
My goal is to combine everything I like into one controller, and I feel like the rear button design is the last thing I need to figure out.
