It’s not often you’ll hear a PC gamer admit that the combo of keyboard and mouse is ill-suited for gaming. It does happen, though, and there are oodles of adventure games, sports games, and brawlers that play better on a controller. So, you’ll want one of the best controllers close at hand for when you run into one.
There are many schools of thought on what makes one controller better than another, though, and the biggest divide undoubtedly comes down to thumbsticks: do you go for two parallel sticks, as is customary for Sony, or instead offer an asymmetrical approach? The latter championed by Microsoft, yet also an approach used by a good few more. Even if you firmly believe one layout is best, you’ll want to consider other potential features, namely connectivity, compatibility, and adjustability.
Elite Wireless Series 2
XBOX $249
The best controller, no question
While the low cost and the weighting make it feel balanced but also robust. It’s eminently customisable, has USB Type-C charging (wirelessly through the case if you so desire), and a genuinely impressive battery life of up to 40 hours. The thumbsticks and triggers are an improvement over the original Elite, where I did find they would loosen up over extended use.
