Back paddles should be mandatory for all next gen controllers
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I've bought my first controller with back paddles, an 8bit do Ultimate, and, honestly, I'm not sold on them yet.
I'm not sure it is an issue with this controller in particular, but I often find myself pressing one of the paddles by accident during gameplay, and holding the controller without pressing them becomes a bit cumbersome/uncomfortable.
I'm not sure it is an issue with this controller in particular, but I often find myself pressing one of the paddles by accident during gameplay, and holding the controller without pressing them becomes a bit cumbersome/uncomfortable.
This. I love them in theory but i've yet to find an execution where these things don't happen for me, tried several.
I really don't like having them, never found a use for them and am constantly pressing them by mistake. That said, if you could add them as an option to a modular controller, that would keep everyone happy.
This is not true at all. Consoles haven't been primarily for kids since the early 1990s. It's gotten to a point where PlayStation and Xbox consoles don't even appeal to kids. Which is resulting in a decline in sales.
Controllers have gotten larger over time. The Dualshock 4, Dualsense and Xbox controllers are too large for most children.
I bought a Dualsense Edge and I won't usually use them. Mainly because I will accidentally hit the buttons so fucking often.
I guess I was the only one who bought the PS4 back paddle attachment as Sony didn't bring it back for the PS5 :(
Can recommend the eXtremeRate paddle modkit!
Can recommend the eXtremeRate paddle modkit!
Why stop at one? Why not have five buttons on the underside? Why not have a huge button you can bonk with your forehead? Or floor paddles, that's ten extra buttons for your feet. Oh, twelve if you add a heel button.
Surely this will allow game companies to make the perfect game that will triple the market.
Surely this will allow game companies to make the perfect game that will triple the market.
They're a nice to have I suppose, but they're by no means necessary and honestly the ones on the Deck can feel a little awkward to use sometimes
Back buttons are ok, but I rarely find a use for them, and would rather just hold the controller instead of hitting them.
Hall Effect Sticks, absolutely.
Hall Effect Sticks, absolutely.
I think so too. There's a lot of times for me where a game runs out of face buttons and put important actions on like the d-pad and it's not optimal.
I don't use them on the back of the Steam Deck, but I guess I haven't really understood how they can be beneficial. What do you guys map to the back buttons usually? Can someone give an example of a game and usage?
I think the type of paddles on the Elite are trash. Scuf makes paddles for the Elite Series 2 that are much better.
The dome paddles on the Dualsense Edge are great, and I remember the paddles on actual scuf controllers being good.
Yes, the more the better.
I stopped playing games where you often have to push the sticks in (R3/L3).
It's far too hard to push them and if done too often it always leads to pain and inflammation in my thumbs (sucks to get old).
I stopped playing games where you often have to push the sticks in (R3/L3).
It's far too hard to push them and if done too often it always leads to pain and inflammation in my thumbs (sucks to get old).
Not Steam Deck, but on my Dualsense Edge I have 3 profiles set up for FPS, Action, and Stellar Blade. FPS is just jump and crouch. Action is usually jump and Dodge/roll, and my stellar blade setup is dodge and whatever the L1/Block action is called.
Scuf (has Corsair ever made a controller?).
They sued Valve and got a $4 million verdict over it. They actually lost a shitload if related patents on their site:
SCUF Patents | Controller Patent Innovations
Customize your SCUF® controller & game like the elite on PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, PC & legacy consoles. Take your gaming to another level with SCUF® controllers!
edit: ah I see, scuf is a corsair subsidiary. Anyway Scuf seems to own the patents.
Back paddles are a godsend for shooters and fighting games especially. For shooters, sprinting, scoping, and crouching not being on L3/R3 is great. And fighters, being able to map button combinations (I.e., 1+2 or MP+MK) to a single button means you can react more quickly and consistently.
Innovation did happen with the Wii, but core gamers largely rejected it. Still, the idea lives on in VR and on the Switch.
some kind of neural interface will probably be the next innovation.
Innovation did happen with the Wii, but core gamers largely rejected it. Still, the idea lives on in VR and on the Switch.
some kind of neural interface will probably be the next innovation.
This is also true. It's not uncommon to cut features due to controllers not having enough buttons, though. Tricky thing to solve.
Having just played through the entire Soulsborne franchise this past year for the first time, I'll go as far as to say that back paddles are essential. My Demon's Souls crab claw just will not do any more.
8bitdo Pro 2 is the GOAT as always.
8bitdo Pro 2 is the GOAT as always.
Thanks for answering. Seems ok. Maybe it's just the Steam Deck that has its buttons too inaccessible. Paddles might be better for this sort of thing. Nevertheless, I'll try mapping one of them to dodge in like Dark Souls or something and see how it goes.
Hopefully the standard PS6 controller will feature the half dome back buttons. Also they need their own dedicated button mappings that games can make use of.
The half dome buttons are comfortable to use, and they don't feel in the way when holding the controller like normal.
The half dome buttons are comfortable to use, and they don't feel in the way when holding the controller like normal.
I think the desire for mandatory at default comes from the issues of the current situation. Specifically that often no or very few paddle options are available at launch of a new console. Also having to rely on 3rd party companies to release them means both a hit and miss in build quality and feel, and higher prices. Even when it comes to the official releases, they often come as part of a deluxe package and not everyone who wants paddles needs all the bells and whistles that come with say the Elite that makes that controller so much more expensive than the standard one.
I personally don't think they necessarily need to be standard to every controller, but it would be nice if 1st parties released a version of the regular controller where the only extra was back buttons and did so at launch.
WhyNotBoth?
Dont understand why anyone would be against it.
The biggest flaw of controllers is removing your thumb off the right stick to stop and perform an action
Paddles solve this and makes the entire experience smoother
Also if kids can learn how to use the right stick to navigate 3D environments, they can learn to press a button on the back of the controller. Its not hard or any more complex
The biggest flaw of controllers is removing your thumb off the right stick to stop and perform an action
Paddles solve this and makes the entire experience smoother
Also if kids can learn how to use the right stick to navigate 3D environments, they can learn to press a button on the back of the controller. Its not hard or any more complex
I hate these buttons and the last thing I want is for use of them to become mandatory. They're awkward to press on purpose but easy to hit on accident. We have enough buttons already; if you absolutely need to add more, something like the PS4/5 touchpad is a better option. Playing Stellar Blade I've found the way it uses the touch pad for three inouts (press, swipe up, and swipe down) to be pretty nice.
I wish. The main reason I love the DualSense Edge is that I can pretend those buttons don't exist anymore.
yeah why would you settle for like 2 or 4 extra? this is clearly superior it just has a bit of a learning curve
Back paddles should absolutely be there, but the default should be that they're just an extra way to push an existing button, and you opt-in to having them be unique buttons.
Give people a generation to get used to them before considering making them a unique button by default.
Give people a generation to get used to them before considering making them a unique button by default.
Amen. Gamepads are so damn inout-starved that whenever i play a port to PC the buttons have way too many actions mapped to them and you're still in scroll-city sooner or later, see invenfory in Souls games or HZD and HFW. Hence all the "hold button" stuff, too.
Also nothing could possibly be more alienating than dualstick camera + aiming controls and the awkward claw grip and such.
Also nothing could possibly be more alienating than dualstick camera + aiming controls and the awkward claw grip and such.
I absolutely LOVE paddles on controllers, and found myself liking games with them that I didnt' expect. Like, of course, for FPS, but Souls games are great with them. Especially if you set L3/LS as jump and map that to your usual "jump" paddle.
I don't think they should be "mandatory" or standard next gen, or ANY gen, though. I know a lot of people just don't like them and WILL NOT use them.
It would undoubtedly raise the price, and I can't imagine that there will ever be a time (except like right after launch) that controllers WITH paddles won't be available to buy.
That said, if they somehow DID became "mandatory," I'd hope they make them have 4 paddles. I love my Dualsense Edge, but after getting used to the layout of the 4 on an elite, it just makes me wish there were 4 on it whenever I use it.
I don't think they should be "mandatory" or standard next gen, or ANY gen, though. I know a lot of people just don't like them and WILL NOT use them.
It would undoubtedly raise the price, and I can't imagine that there will ever be a time (except like right after launch) that controllers WITH paddles won't be available to buy.
That said, if they somehow DID became "mandatory," I'd hope they make them have 4 paddles. I love my Dualsense Edge, but after getting used to the layout of the 4 on an elite, it just makes me wish there were 4 on it whenever I use it.
The back paddles on the steam deck are terrible. It's not representative of good back paddles in the least.
That being said, I don't think back paddles need to be mandatory. There are plenty of third party options and first party options to suit the market.
This should be a higher priority than back paddles. And I don't think back paddles should be mandatory. It constricts innovation in controller designs if we wanted to make tiny versions of the controller (like, how do we make back paddles on sideways Nintendo Joycons for tabletop experiences?).
I agree, but outside of a Pro bundle, I doubt it will happen. Even then, those of us in the market for those consoles are also likely to get a controller anyway.
I have no problem buying them on their own. Been using controllers with back paddles for almost a decade now. Currently using the DualSense Edge and Elite 2 for PS5 and PC, but I've also had multiple Scuf controllers for the PS4 and Series X.
I have no problem buying them on their own. Been using controllers with back paddles for almost a decade now. Currently using the DualSense Edge and Elite 2 for PS5 and PC, but I've also had multiple Scuf controllers for the PS4 and Series X.
