I recently upgraded my PC and internet connection and have been playing an increasing number of games on my PC. I've never owned an Xbox console, so previously when I played the few games I felt like playing on PC I would use either use a Dualshock 4, Switch Pro controller or other assorted 8bitdo or 3rd party controllers. However, now that I'm beginning to play more games on PC I'm getting tired of using 3rd party programs or Steam configurations to configure these multitude of controllers to work as Xinput pads as there never seemed to be a one-size-fits-all solution to these problems. So, I finally broke down and decided to pick up my first Xbox controller this week, in the sleek-looking "Robot White" color.
I had always heard stories about friends who gamed on Xbox systems who historically didn't like the D-Pads so that was one of my main reasons for never making the jump to an Xbox pad before. But so far, this thing is absolutely sublime to use. I was incredibly surprised to find that it offers a wonderful tactile click in each direction, and when I discovered this I immediately ran to put it through its paces in various platformers and fighting games. And after doing so, it's even better than I expected.
I don't normally play too many fighting games on pads, but this is almost making me want to switch. The thing I love about using an arcade stick is the tactile feedback of every direction in the stick's switches, and this d-pad is offering me that experience as well, which I tend not to find when using pads to play fighting games. The connected diagonal sections work wonderfully, reminding me of how the diagonals felt on vintage Sega pads, and the slight indent allows the thumb to rest comfortably almost similarly to how it does on the concave analog sticks. Platformers and puzzle games also play like a dream. I was blasting through levels in Sonic Mania and clearing lines in Tetris Effect Connected in no time. I even booted up Super Mario Bros. through emulation just to give it a shot and had an overall wonderful experience with the pad even in that game.
Overall I find myself remarkably impressed with this D-Pad (and the controller in general.) It just might work its way up the list to become one of my favorites the more I use it!
I had always heard stories about friends who gamed on Xbox systems who historically didn't like the D-Pads so that was one of my main reasons for never making the jump to an Xbox pad before. But so far, this thing is absolutely sublime to use. I was incredibly surprised to find that it offers a wonderful tactile click in each direction, and when I discovered this I immediately ran to put it through its paces in various platformers and fighting games. And after doing so, it's even better than I expected.
I don't normally play too many fighting games on pads, but this is almost making me want to switch. The thing I love about using an arcade stick is the tactile feedback of every direction in the stick's switches, and this d-pad is offering me that experience as well, which I tend not to find when using pads to play fighting games. The connected diagonal sections work wonderfully, reminding me of how the diagonals felt on vintage Sega pads, and the slight indent allows the thumb to rest comfortably almost similarly to how it does on the concave analog sticks. Platformers and puzzle games also play like a dream. I was blasting through levels in Sonic Mania and clearing lines in Tetris Effect Connected in no time. I even booted up Super Mario Bros. through emulation just to give it a shot and had an overall wonderful experience with the pad even in that game.
Overall I find myself remarkably impressed with this D-Pad (and the controller in general.) It just might work its way up the list to become one of my favorites the more I use it!
