Have you ever grabbed hold of a gamepad and noticed that it didn't fit quite right between your fingers? Maybe your pinkies are left hanging at the edge of the controller, or you might have problems pressing many buttons at once.
If you have big hands and are often uncomfortable after playing games for long hours, then the default controller, be it a Dualshock, Pro Controller or even a keyboard, is not the ideal controller for you.
Conventional wisdom says that you have to soak it up and try to get used to the uncomfortable controller. Alternatively, you might have to doll out dozens of dollars to buy a custom third-party gamepad more suited to your hands.
But, what if I told you that this need not be the case? That there are cheaper alternatives to make your controller much more comfortable without wasting that much money.
In this article, I´m going to tell you how, by recommending accessories to make your favorite gamepad all the more comfortable. We´ll give you solutions for regular gamepads, Joy-Con, and even keyboards.
For the PS4 and Xbox controllers, you have the Playbudz grips extenders.
When it comes to "normal" gamepads, like the ones you find on the PS4, Xbox, and even the Switch´s Pro Controller, the main problem of having big hands is that you don´t have enough surface to grip. Your pinkie and maybe even your ring finger might be left hanging.
The DualShock controllers for the Play Station 4 especially, have a reputation of being quite small, even though Sony has improved their designs over time.
The solution to this issue is quite simple, you can buy grip extenders, like the ones Playbudz offers. They are available for all the aforementioned controllers.
These extenders are plastic cup-like grips that you put at the bottom of each handle on your gamepad. Doing so is quite easy, as you can see in the following gif:
The advantage that these accessories bring to the table is that they give you more surface area to grip, so your fingers aren´t left hanging, nor do they have to coil themselves in the air.
This will allow you to hold the controller much more naturally, which means it will be more comfortable. Your fingers will not get tired.
Another advantage that these grips can bring is improving your overall hold of the controller and stopping your fingers from sliding down. This is especially useful if you have sweaty hands or if you play for hours on end.
Costing around ten dollars a pair, these are quite the economic solution if you are tired of having to hold your controller with only half your hands.
Their only apparent downside is their appearance, but don´t worry, if you don´t like the bright orange cup, there is a whole variety of colors available to mesh better with your controller of choice.
For the Switch, a pair of extra Joy-Con or a new grip.
One of the main selling points of the Switch is its ability to play it like a handheld or like a home console. The problem that a lot of people face is that to accommodate for its portability, the Joy-Con are quite small, much more than your average gamepad.
If your Switch is docked and you have a Pro Controller or even the Joy-con Grip (like the ones on our page here), this isn't a big problem (although you can still buy the previously mentioned Playbudz extenders for the Pro Controller, if it´s too small for you).
The problem is more noticeable when you are hunched over the small screen on handheld mode, and your fingers have twisted themselves to be able to grip the console properly.
If you think your Joy-Cons are too small, then a replacement set might be in order. Hori made some special Joy-Con for the handheld mode that is much bigger than your official Nintendo alternatives.
As you can see, your fingers have much more room to move and grip with Hori´s Split Pad Pro. It´s almost like they split a gamepad and put it at the sides of the Switch. However, this controller has one glaring disadvantage, it is not wireless, and as such, it only works on handheld mode.
If you don´t want to spend around fifty bucks on a controller that you will only use half of the time, is there a cheaper solution that doesn´t involve buying a new controller?
Yes, similar to how there are grip extenders for regular gamepads, there is a grip for your Switch. You read that right, it´s not a grip for the Joy-Con, but the whole console:
With smooth edges and handles, the Switch Grip Pro adds a pair of handles to the Switch so that your hands have more surface to grip, and your fingers more room to move.
This not only gives increased support for people with big hands but to everyone else as well. the Grip is available for a little more than half the price of the Split Pad Pro. It is a good solution if you always found that handling the Switch on the go was a hassle.
For the PC, a mechanical keyboard to not press multiple buttons at once.
Keyboards are a different beast compared to gamepads and controllers. The lack of space is not so much the issue, neither are the design or layout, as it´s all standardized in the industry. What matters here is that the keys are sufficiently differentiated so that you don´t press multiple each time.
If you have big hands, you should be looking for a mechanical keyboard with sturdy switches that require some force to push. This prevents you from sliding from one key to the next.
Unfortunately, there aren´t accessories like the aforementioned grips that can change the layout or keys of a keyboard. You´ll have to purchase an entirely new one. We already talked about the best ergonomic keyboard, but this is slightly different, we are looking for size rather than overall design.
Ideally, you want something like the Cherry Mx Blue. A keyboard that has "tall" letters, sufficiently spaced out from one another, and requires a heavy push to register each button press.
However, the Cherry might be out of your price range, if so, consider a cheaper alternative, like the K552. It will fulfill the same purpose as the previous keyboard:
Conclusion
Having big hands is no excuse for having a rough time when playing videogames. With a few accessories, you can forget about finger cramps and other sore palms, as you can modify your favorite controller to be more to your liking.
Thanks to grip extenders, you can make your PS4 or Xbox controller large enough to fit your hand. The Switch has similar grips itself that you can use to make the Handheld mode more appealing, and you can even buy more ergonomic Joy-cons if you so please.
Carrying these extra accessories around shouldn´t be a reason not to try them either. If that´s the case, all you need to do is take a look at our guide on travel cases for videogames. With one of them, you´ll be able to play anywhere, anytime.
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We have an entire page dedicated to cataloging Nintendo Switch, Xbox, PS4 and PC controllers, so head on there if you want to see more interesting gaming equipment.