I used one much of gaming controllers over the years. From the original PlayStation latest arrival XboxI’ve probably used every mainstream console’s controller at least once. What was true until recently was that the official control agency would the best. They’ll beat third-party options in terms of ergonomics, responsiveness, connectivity, and battery life most of the time.
However, this has gradually changed over the years: First-party controllers began to have more problems, while third-party controller manufacturing quality has improved to be on par with Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo.
Consider this, the PB Tails Metal Crush Defender game controller is a really interesting concept. It’s a single, high-quality controller that works across multiple devices and avoids the problems that often occur with first-party controllers today. But while the idea is great, it needs a bit more polish to become a real competitor.
Drift problem
The biggest problem most people have with their controllers (myself included) is joystick drift. Seemingly common on Xbox, PlayStation and Nintendo controllers, this problem comes from the analog joysticks gradually becoming less precise over time, to the point where they eventually start to continuously detect the into small orientation even without touching.
Photo: Henri Robbins
There are quite a few theories as to what causes this, with the most popular being smaller (and therefore more fragile) joysticks, cheaper parts, and cut corners or tolerances. Tighter production to reduce the “dead zone” in the center. of the controller.
Either way, the problem has become big enough for Nintendo to take over facing a class action lawsuit get over it. The problem doesn’t seem to be widespread (or more realistically profitable) enough for any first-party manufacturer to start using drift-free joysticks. Instead, most gamers accept that they will have to buy a new controller when their controller starts to drift, look for Self-repairor turn to the aftermarket for controllers that don’t have this problem.
Hall effect solution
A fairly common solution is to insert your Switch’s Joy-Con controllers Hall effect control lever can eliminate bar drift. But installing something like this is quite technical and complicated for the average person, and it’s not covered by a warranty, so it’s not a great solution.
Enter the extension PB. The company’s controller uses Hall Effect switches (which you can read more about technology in this explainer), which they claim is resistant to drift over time. Its latest model, the Metal Crush Defender, goes one step further. This controller uses a Tunneling Magneto-Resistance (TMR) joystick, which is theoretically more responsive, more accurate, and more durable than conventional Hall Effect joysticks. Plus, the controller has multi-device support. It is compatible with Android, iOS, Windows, MacOS, Raspberry Pi and Switch natively and wirelessly. The only platforms missing are Xbox and PlayStation.
