Peripheral PSA: The PS3 Controller I've Always Dreamed Of
I know that I am in the minority on this, but I have always had only the greatest disdain for Playstation controllers. The left analog stick always seemed like it was in the wrong place and R2 and L2 shoulder buttons were just a bit too far for the middle fingers on my tiny hands to reach comfortably. Instead I've always gravitated more toward the Xbox controller layout, or even better yet, the Gamecube's pad.
So imagine my surprise, and excitement, when I saw this little beauty in a Best Buy store about a month ago. This is the Rocketfish Rapid Fire Controller for the PS3. Though according to the box it's main feature is the rapid fire macro button, the true appeal is that it is modeled exactly after the Xbox 360's controller. And though I know that my low opinion of the Playstation controller isn't the popular one, I also know that I am not alone in my complaints. But before I could write this article telling you all about the controller, I wanted to put it through its paces and make sure that it's a worthwhile investment and not just some cheap gimmick.
I'll cut right to the chase, this is an excellent controller. Third party accessories are often a crap shoot in terms of quality, so I honestly didn't have high expectations. The analog sticks and buttons are all highly responsive so that there is no noticeable difference between input with a Dualshock controller and the Rapid Fire. The L2 and R2 buttons are designed as triggers almost identical to the 360's controller, which is both comfortable to hold and satisfying in shooters. Even the accellerometer performed well, and I actually found games like Flower easier to control with the Rapid Fire than with a traditional Dualshock controller (though this may be because I just found the Rapid Fire controller more comfortable in my hands). It feels just like an Xbox 360 controller, right down to the concave tips on the analog sticks. Actually, in some ways, better than a 360 controller. The D-pad, while admittedly not up to the quality of the Dualshock's excellent D-pad, is miles ahead of the 360's to the point that if Rocketfish made this controller for the Xbox I might even choose it over Microsoft's version. The fact that it's $11 cheaper than a Dualshock controller doesn't hurt either.
All is not perfect with the Rapid Fire controller though. The shoulder buttons make a noticeable clicking sound when they are pressed, which sounds cheap. They feel sturdy enough, so it is only really an issue if the sound bothers you, but if you're playing a shooter that uses the triggers a lot then it may begin to grate on your nerves. Another odd quirk is that, though they work perfectly fine in-game, on the XMB menu the analog sticks aren't especially responsive making the D-pad the preferred method for menu navigation. In a final criticism, the Rapid Fire controller surface is made of a glossy plastic material that is a fingerprint magnet, so while the controller may look sleek and shiny right out of the box, it won't be long before it's covered in smudges.
These are all minor complaints though, and do not impact how the Rapid Fire controls when you need it most: while playing games. In all honesty, after using the Rapid Fire for a month I don't ever see myself using the Dualshock again (well, maybe for BlazBlue because of the D-pad). I can whole-heartedly recommend the Rocketfish Rapid Fire to any gamer that, like me, was late to the Playstation party and grew accustomed to other controllers. It also makes for an excellent second controller so that if you have an Xbox fanboy over to play they can't complain about the controller as a reason for why they lost.
NaviFairy
Posted to Miscellany, Video Games on 28 January 2010
· Comments (8)
Other stuff like this: controller, ps3, rapid fire, rocketfish
Great Review!
I can't believe someone actually went ahead and did this! I am a big fan of the PS 3 dual shock controller and have never really acclimated to the Xbox's "digital" solution to an ageless problem. So How DO we make a universal physical interface without some alienation? I think it's impossible to make such a controller as everybody has different preferences. It looks like this pad solves my main gripe with the 360 controller in that it's D-pad is singular in execution and is not mounted on the faceplate but you still find me using my dual shock.
I wonder if Microsoft can assert Trade Dress protection. Any knowledgeable people out there that can weight in?
I'm glad im not the only one who loved the game cube controller
The gamecube controller is my favourite too!
My hands cramp up using xbox ones... but ps3 ones are fine. Not perfect but thy work and my hands don't hurt whilst playing.
You couldn't pay me to use that fugly thing.
Funny you mention the d-pad, because that's always been the thing I like the least about Sony's controller designs. I've always hated the stupid sunken 4-button...thing Sony seems convinced is not only *not* an abomination, but worth putting on every system and controller they ever make.
*dissenting opinion*
I have always preferred the PS controllers, actually. The Xbox ones have always been bulky. I don't really have small hands, either, but the PS style fits better to me, and each generation has added functionality.
THe 360 one feels weird and unwieldy when I go back to it after playing ps3 for a while, and it takes a while to get back used to. I will say the 360 one is far better than the original Xbox one though.
Which brings up backward compatibility.
Ever play Fable or Jade Empire on the 360? With fable especially, the controller doesbn't feel right and it's hard to do certain things like combine certain button presses because the layout is so different between the two. I mean there are even buttons that are completely different and had to be remapped to distant places. I didn't like this.
With the PS3 when you play old games, you just get less out of the buttons, but everything is still in the same place.
That's a decent enough controller I guess, and it'd make switching back and forth easier, but I wouldn't want one. It'd be a step backward to me. For one, the analog sticks not being lined up is one of the main things I dislike about the 360 controller. But again, I started out with PSX. I actually bought the first controller with rumble and analog sticks to play Legend of Legaia (lol) and I'm probably trained in the ways of Sony now.
Even the PC controller I had for pc games had the sticks next to each other like that, so that reinforced the preference.
(I'm not trying to be a Sony fanboy. They do plenty wrong. I just wanted to be a lone voice in favor of their controller because I do like it better.)
Actually Klarth, I bet your opinion is that of most gamers. The Dualshock controller is generally considered the controller standard, in large part because of how widespread PSX and PS2 owners were. Personally, I didn't own a PS2 until pretty late (after I had already owned a Dreamcast, Gamecube, and Xbox) so I never was accustomed to the Playstation controller, especially with the analog sticks lined up. It really comes down to what you are more used to. People who have stuck with Playstation since the beginning will love the Dualshock controller, and those that started with Playstation later will more likely prefer the controllers that they are more used to. This controller is the perfect solution for the second group, though considering that Dualshock supporters are the majority I don't know why they didn't also make a Playstation-style controller for the 360.
As for Xbox backwards compatibility, I would have to disagree. The only buttons that have been re-mapped were the black and white buttons from the original Xbox controller that are now the LB and RB buttons. The black and white buttons were always awkwardly placed to begin with, so I've actually found that original Xbox games play better on the 360 than they did on the Xbox.