Elite Competition

As an Xbox fan and supporter since Halo Combat Evolved, Project Gotham and Fusion Frenzy, it kind of hurts to say that possibly my favourite thing about the Xbox One generation would probably be the Elite Controller. If I am going to purchase an expensive controller, I am more than ok with that because I will spend a lot of time gaming and a lot of time using the controller. If the controller has better features and feels superior then it will pay for itself over the consoles lifespan.

If there was one thing that was ever missing from the Playstation 4, it was a counterpart to the Microsoft Elite. If you never used the Elite, it was an iteration on an already great controller that had a great weight to it, grippy controls, premium finishes and worked smooth. It was also easily integrated with the xbox dashboard with its own app for fine tuning controls. This wasn’t just any cheap game store brand knockoff, this controller was made by Microsoft. There is a massive difference between a third party accessory and one made directly from the company which is why I have never purchased a pro PS4 controller until now. There are plenty of licensed third party pro controllers for the Sony console right now but they never felt like they were any kind of equivalence to the Elite. The Scuf controller looks like a zombified PS4 dual shock, you have to add a screw to the trigger if you want to shorten the distance and the way the paddles on the back are laid out don’t make sense for the human hand. Then you have the Razer and a few other makers of licensed accessories. Every time I see any of these other controllers I am reminded of playing LAN Halo at my friends house when that system came out and someone would always have to use a couple of the MadCatz controllers. One had a built in fan to keep your hands cool and the other one was almost as big a frisbee. Needless to say, they didnt control well, you would always play poorly with them and they never lasted. I think one of the main objectives when creating a third party controller is to emulate the shape of the original and this is another one of the reasons why the Microsoft Elite shines. It seems as though we may finally have a legitimate contender for pro PS4 controller. Long time console and PC headset and accessory maker Astro, who was recently purchased from Logitech, has now come out with the C40. The hopes are high for this controller and the bar has been set by the Elite as to what a premium controller should be. The big question is can it stack up?

Instant Impressions

As an Astro A50 headset owner I am curious as to why they called it the C40. Their current headset range goes from A10-A50 from the low end to the top tier. Assuming they follow the same formula for the controllers, at $199 I don’t know that they really have the ability to make an C50 that would cost more. I know a lot of people had issues with Microsoft pricing their Elite controller at $149 but I think that was more a case of the vocal minority. The Elite didnt set the chart on fire but clearly sold well enough for them to iterate on it and release a second version. I am more hopeful for Astro to make C10, C20 and C30 and see what those controllers would offer. It was a very calculated decision to make it for PS4 instead of trying to compete with arguable the top first party console controller ever made; the Xbox Elite Controller.

Without even opening the box, an immediate downside to this controller is that the Microsoft Elite has been out almost since the launch of the Xbox One. Whereas the C40 is getting released much closer to the end of the PS4 life cycle and how much value will you be able to get from it. As all rumours have been indicating we are going to be getting the next generation of consoles near the end of 2020. This will give you approximately a year and a half with this controller if you upgrade to the PS5 next gen right away. You have to assume that the clientele that will spend $200 on a controller is also the same early adopter that will purchase the PS5 on day one. The high hope but unlikely scenario based on how Sony has operated in the past is that this controller will be backwards compatible with the PS5. The fact that it doesnt work seamlessly and we will get into that later in the review leads me to believe that it doesnt have any chance of working with Sony’s next console. Another big knock is that this controller is $199 to the Elite $149, which means you would hope that it will be built better and will be much more worthy of your hard earned money.

Good

You instantly get a premium feel, from the packing itself to holding the controller. It feels well built with the use of top quality materials. It comes with a large setup map that will having you gaming in minutes which is great and will have you gaming in minutes. They have kept it clean looking using mostly black with some reds and whites. I applaud the minimilsitc aesthetic design they have went with.

One feature that I enjoy is the ability to modify the controller with the included screwdriver. It allows you to change the left joystick position to the standard parallel that Sony uses or swap to the offset that Microsoft uses. There are four screws on the front of the controller that will only take you about half a minute to adjust the joystick to the play style of your choice. There are two paddle buttons on the back of the controller and remapping them could not be easier. There is a small button on the back which you push, it vibrates to let you know that you are now in program mode, press the paddle button you want to change, then the button you want to be mapped to the paddle and then you’re done. It really is that simple and this is one of the few ways that this controller excels over the Microsoft Elite. I also do appreciate that there are only two paddle buttons on the back as opposed to four that can be found of the Elite. Maybe its due to the fact that I have been gaming since the start of the NES but my brain and hands just can’t process the four paddle buttons but is able to process the two.

Bad

I am not a huge fan of just how different it feels from the actual DualShock 4. One of the best features of the Elite is that its basically the exact same standard controller that ships with the Xbox but superior in almost every way. I am not sure why they went with this design choice unless Sony has a strong patent on the shape and design of the DualShock 4. This is a very big controller which feels closer to the Duke than it does to the Sony counterpart it is aiming for. This leads to a problem with the paddle buttons on the back because since its so large my hands have to rotate inwards to push up on the thumbstick to sprint in most games. This rotation forces the bottom of my hands to constantly push the paddle button, which lead to me having to turn off the left paddle and completely negating the point of having it there. Speaking about pushing on the joysticks, I am not sure what coating is put onto these joysticks but my thumb was constantly slipping off. I dont have this problem with any of the other controllers including the Nintendo Pro, DualShock4 or the Microsoft Elite. There are a few extra thumbtacks that the kit comes with but they are also made using the same slippery substance.

Ugly

We live in what feels like the golden age of convenience. You are assuming that purchasing a $200 controller and you will get the best possible gaming experience. There are a lot of shortcomings with the C40 including that it can’t turn on your PS4. Instead you have to walk to your system every time to turn it on. I keep my PS4 Pro out in the open so that it can properly ventilate but a lot of people keep theirs in entertainment units. I still dont like that fact that if I am on the couch and so is my controller that I can’t turn on my PS4. There is a large reason why digital is surpassing physical in video game sales and that is because we want things to be simple and easy. People don’t want to have to get up, find and switch the discs. People just want to push a button and be done with it.

Even worse, you don’t have to option to turn off the device like I do with the DualShock4. Maybe you’re done playing or just want to step away but don’t want to turn off the system. The C40 doesn’t have to option to turn off the device like the DualShock4. The alternative is to leave it on which defeats the purpose of having a long battery life or to turn off the PS4. It would also be nice if the controller communicated with the PS4 to let me know how much battery I have left. I use this feature on the DualShock4 a lot and it allows me to determine if I need to charge my controller before the next gaming session. The charging port of the C40 is strange for a few reasons with the first being why they chose to use USB to USB Mini as opposed to USB to USB-C and the second is why they decided to hide the charging port in a tucked away area. After just using it for a few days I was instantly annoyed everytime I had to attempt to get the USB mini in the slot.

Verdict

Keep in mind that this review is done within weeks of the C40 being released and that some of these issues can possibly be fixed within a firmware update. However, as a devout A50 user, that headset had few a far between firmware updates, so I wouldn't hold your breath.

I can’t recommend this controller for a multitude of reasons but at the end of the it just doesn’t feel good to use as the DualShock4 Astro probably set out with goal of being the equivalent of the Microsoft Elite but I feel like that might not have even bested the DualShock4. I am happy that Astro has entered the controller market and look forward to seeing what they can offer in the future but the C40 just left me missing the DualShock 4.

I am still left hoping that Sony willl have seen the success Microsoft had with the Elite controller and release a DualShock5 Pro for the PS5. Until then my theory of third party controllers will continue to this day; Third party controllers will never be the equivalent of first party controllers. I guess we are just lucky that this one didn’t have a fan in it.