Pros
Lots of customisation choices
Durable construct high quality
Excellent rear grips
Remappable again paddles
Cons
No protecting case
Expensive
What is the SCUF 4PS controller?
When it involves professional-grade PS4 controllers, there aren’t that many choices, until you have a look at the SCUF 4PS.
For the Xbox One, there’s just a few top-notch choices together with the official Xbox One Elite Controller or the SCUF Infinity 1. But the selection for PS4 is way extra restricted.
But, fortunately the SCUF 4PS exists and it brings you the basic DualShock 4 controller with some added bells and whistles that may make you wish to fork out over £110 for such a pad.
The base mannequin is £95.99, however add any of the varied customisation choices and the value can soar as much as across the £150 mark.
Is it well worth the cash? I’ve put the SCUF 4PS via its paces to seek out out.Related: Is the Xbox One Elite Controller well worth the improve?
SCUF 4PS controller – Design
The primary design of the SCUF 4PS controller is an actual mimic of the official DualShock 4. The touchpad within the centre, is a little bit smoother and options much less of the dotted sample than the official pad, however is simply as useful. It’s bought the in-built controller speaker too. All the same old buttons are featured, and the 4PS has retained the curvaceous form of the unique.
There are only a few additions that make this controller have an expert edge on the basic.
Your SCUF 4PS journey begins on the SCUF web site, the place you’ll want to decide on a base design, which is able to come right down to your color preferences and partly your worth vary too. The pure black mannequin is £95.99; bump as much as colored buttons and it’s £109.99. Having a colored physique will imply the controller begins at £119.99, whereas mimicking a participant, workforce or companion print could have base costs beginning at £127.99.
Opting for the digital camo collection like I’ve right here sees costs begin at £109.99.
You can choose to take away the symbols on the face buttons in case you so want, for £4.99 on high of the essential value in fact too.
The general construct high quality additionally speaks volumes as to its worth too. You’re not taking a look at a cheaply-made pad with the SCUF 4PS. It’s well-made and is almost precisely the identical weight as the usual DualShock 4. The soft-touch finsih on the entrance face of the controller is a welcome change and even this relatively garish color makes a distinction from the usual black or white of the DualShock 4.
In phrases of construct high quality, I solely have one criticism and it might be distinctive to my specific pad. The entrance and rear panels of the physique of the 4PS don’t fairly meet on the base of the analogue sticks and alongside by the headphone jack. It’s extraordinarily irksome for such a premium-priced product, and makes it look a bit sub-par regardless of the polish discovered throughout the remainder of the 4PS’ design. Related: Xbox One Elite Controller vs SCUF Infinity 1All the essential fashions include the 2 rear paddles and rear grips, that are the 2 most vital options of the 4PS.
The
rear paddles are conveniently situated inside middle-finger’s attain,
hanging down in a method that you simply don’t need to stretch making the impact
uncomfortable. SCUF has additionally flicked out the paddles on the finish, making
them curve across the tip of your fingers. They’re textured too for
further grip.
As commonplace the rear paddles are mapped to X and circle, which is beneficial for many video games – particularly FIFA 16, I’ve been instructed – but when that’s to not your liking you’ll be able to select so as to add remapping while you customise your 4PS earlier than delivery. That will add an additional £19.99 to your general value, however it’s a helpful characteristic to have in case you’re not content material with doubling up your X and circle buttons.
Remapping is a little bit of a fiddly course of although, particularly in comparison with the simplicity of the Xbox Accessories app for the Xbox One Elite Controller.
To remap on the SCUF 4PS you’ll want the accompanying Mag Key, which seems to be like a keyring, however really makes use of electro-magnetic know-how inside. You place the important thing on the again of your 4PS in order that the magnets join. Then you maintain down the paddle and the important thing you wish to remap it to on the similar time. Then take the important thing off the again and transfer it not less than 5cm away for the remapping to finish.
It’s a laborious course of and one that can have to be repeated everytime you wish to reassign buttons to your pair of paddles.
There’s additionally solely two paddles as a substitute of the 4 on each the SCUF and official Elite Xbox One controllers. Whether that’s a problem might be down to non-public desire, however I used to be completely pleased with the 2.
As for the grips, they’re gray in color by default, however you’ll be able to choose to
select your personal color when customising. Opting for purple, white, blue or
inexperienced will value you an additional £1.50.
Putting color choices apart, it’s the performance that severe avid gamers will discover exhausting to
beat. Their rubberised, nearly soft-touch end signifies that the 4PS
stays in your hand no matter how sweaty your palms get.
Related: PS4 vs Xbox One When it involves analogue sticks, the 4PS as commonplace comes with the identical set because the DualShock 4. But, for a worth, you’ll be able to select the sticks you’d favor to make use of. Options embody domed or concave sticks with lengths starting from medium via to common and lengthy. You’ll must fork out a further £4.99 per stick if you wish to improve them from the essential choices.
Unlike the SCUF Infinity 1 or the Xbox One Elite there isn’t the choice of getting a number of analogue sticks and altering them on the fly. So when you’ve made your resolution, you’ll have to be pleased with it.
One factor that you could change on the fly is the D-Pad. You can merely choose to your 4PS to characteristic the basic arrow-style D-Pad, or for an additional £6.99 you’ll be able to seize your self what SCUF calls a Control Ring. This spherical disc clips into the D-Pad and provides you a bigger floor space to play with.
Some say that this makes it lots simpler to play preventing video games, however I personally haven’t but discovered a use for such a characteristic. It’s raised, rubberised edge is just a bit limiting, particularly after utilizing the sleek steel faceted D-Pad discovered on the Xbox One Elite Controller. Related: Best PS4 Games 2016
SCUF 4PS controller – Performance
The SCUF 4PS is a superb professional-grade controller. It adopts the DualShock 4 design while including some beneficial further options, the paddles being a selected boon.
However, the truth that they’re robotically mapped to circle and X isn’t a really helpful for many video games, particularly FPS video games the place these face buttons are often soar or crouch/inclined.
I might suggest that you simply go for the electromagnetic remapping if you wish to make actual use of these again paddles. Yes, it might be a faffy course of, however as soon as I discovered a button combo that labored for me it made issues so a lot better.
For instance, altering simply one of many rear paddles to triangle made the paddles much more helpful throughout a wide range of FPS titles, in addition to different genres.
The analogue sticks are very responsive, however usually barely restricted journey compared to the DualShock 4. This wasn’t a problem for me, however extra skilled gamers could discover the distinction. Related: PS4 HDD Upgrade – How to improve your PS4 storage
Should I purchase the SCUF 4PS controller?
If you need the a professional-grade PS4 controller then the SCUF 4PS is one in every of a choose few viable choices. Thankfully the 4PS might be a stable addition to your PS4 peripheral assortment. Its sturdy design, glorious rear grips and soft-touch end make for a wonderful controller.
Plus, these rear paddles make it lots simpler to maneuver sooner across the pad itself.
The solely factor which will put you off is the value. As I’ve talked about earlier than, base costs begin at £95.99, which incorporates the rear paddles, all black controller and gray grips. However, if you would like the electromagnetic paddle remapping, a selection of analogue sticks, the management ring or extra color choices, then you definitely’ll want to judge how a lot cash you wish to spend.
Here’s a fast overview of the customisation choices obtainable:
Base controller – £95.99 – £127.99
No set off rumbles – £2.50
Electro-magnetic paddle remapping – £19.99
Analogue stick choices – £4.99 per stick
Control ring – £6.99
Plain face buttons – £4.99
I imagine that you could simply make do with the plain black controller plus electromagnetic remapping, which might solely value you £115.98 for the highest finish options. You’d actually discover the distinction over the basic DualShock 4 controller.
Verdict
Although it’s not fairly on the identical degree because the Xbox One Elite Controller, the SCUF 4PS is actually a wonderful selection for PS4 avid gamers in search of a aggressive edge.