I’ve never been one for shelling out for a controller when my PlayStation 4 came with a perfectly decent one, but it turns out I’ve been denying myself an experience that you really can’t put a price tag on.
…At least that’s what I’ll be telling myself as I work on replacing my many DualShock 4 pads with SCUF Impact controllers.
These incredibly intuitive controllers allow you to tailor experience to meet your needs thanks to their ingenius four removable back paddles – and they aren’t just something that appeals to eSports pros – they’re something that I actually found to be perfect for more casual gameplay too.
The patented back paddles allow you to avoid unnatural hand positions when playing, essentially extending your play session and cutting down on a lot of hassle, as you’ll be able to keep your thumbs on the thumbsticks whilst still making use of other actions.
I tested the controller with a pretty wide range of games, mainly trying it out with The Witcher III, The Binding of Isaac, God of War, the beta for Black Ops 4 and Dark Souls III.
Amazingly, and potentially inexplicably, the controller actually improved my gaming skills, which I really didn’t think was actually possibly with “just a controller.”
I’d assumed I’d be so unused to back paddles that I’d completely forget to take advantage of them, but my fingers instinctively went for each paddle when needed without me needing to think about it, even when deep into a multi-button combat scenario.
Mapping the back paddles was really easy too, as it was done with “Electro-Magnetic Remapping (EMR) Technology,” which basically had you press your face button at the same time as the paddle you want to assign it to, which was much easier than the plug-into-your-computer-and-map expectation that I’d had.
The controller features a very unique back texture as well, which was ribbed to allow for a better grip. A lovely feature for normal gameplay, but definitely less absorbent than a classic PS4 controller if you’re going to be several hours deep into a gaming sesh in a heatwave, like I was.
With lots of different designs available and lots of customisation options, this really is a one-of-a-kind controller that I really can’t stop raving about.
The biggest downside to the SCUF Impact is its price-tag. Prices for these bad boys start at the £109.99 mark, rising up to £119.99 (the cost of the Magenta, which is my personal favourite).
The price was exactly why I really didn’t want to like the controller. I really wanted to notice absolutely no difference between this and the DualShock 4, but it turns out that money really can buy happiness.
Costing around twice as much as a regular ol’ DualShock, these controllers are definitely an investment piece, but are they worth the money? In my opinion, 100% yes.
If it makes me a better player at my favourite games then it’s worth the price tag – especially when you consider that a game is around £50 at launch and probably won’t give you anywhere near the playtime of one of these babies.
If you care about your set-up, your play style and your skill level then these are the controllers you need to have in your collection.