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PlayStation Specialized Controllers
While classic gamepads are good to play any sort of game, there exist more specialized types of controllers made to excel at one specific genre. On this page, we´ll list the different flying joysticks, wheels and fighting sticks available for the PlayStation 4. Click on the names or pictures of each controller and accessory to go to their respective offsite store page.
Fight Sticks
This type of controllers is made for competitive fighting games. Meant to emulate the arcades which gave birth to the genre, these controllers usually have a joystick and at least eight face buttons. As they are custom made, they tend to be on the expensive side, some costing as much as the console you play them on.
The sticks are a pretty common sight at tournaments and any sort of competitive event that involves fighting games. They have a pretty steep learning curve if you didn´t grow in the arcades, so don´t expect to get better just by having one. But, with the training and perseverance that characterizes the genre, you should be able to learn how to use them without much issue. Click on the name of the model to each particular stick store page.
Model | Characteristics | Consoles | Company | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Fighting Stick Mini | Small and portable fighting stick | PS4 and PS3 | HORI | |
Fighting Commander | Gamepad and stick hybrid | PS4 and PS3 | HORI | |
F300 Stick | Multiconsole. Portable | PS4, Xbox, PC, Switch, Android | Mayflash | |
Drone | Honeycomb-inspired design | PS4,PS3 and PC | Qanba | |
F500 Stick | Multiconsole | PS4, Xbox, PC, Switch, Android | Mayflash | |
Crystal Joystick | Has LED buttons, a magnetic handle and USB compartment and a touchpad. | PS4,PS3 and PC | Qanba | |
Real Arcade Pro 4 Kai (White) | With touchpad, a subpanel and programmable buttons | PS4,PS3 and PC | HORI | |
Real Arcade Pro 4 Kai | With touchpad, a subpanel and programmable buttons | PS4,PS3 and PC | HORI | |
Real Arcade Pro N Hayabusa | With touchpad, a subpanel and programmable buttons | PS4,PS3 and PC | HORI | |
Panthera Street Fighter V | Mod-friendly tournament stick with internal compartments. | PS4 and PC | Razer | |
Fighting Edge | With touchpad, audio jack and programmable buttons | PS4 | HORI | |
Dragon | Easy to mod. Has "premium" buttons. | PS4,PS3 and PC | Qanba | |
Panthera | Mod-friendly tournament stick with internal compartments. | PS4 and PC | Razer |
Flying Stick
Have you ever wanted to know what it´s like to fly a plane? For those that want to feel like a real pilot, but without going to flight school, there are Flying Joysticks. These Joysticks are controllers designed to emulate their counterparts in the real cockpit.
On the PS4 you can buy the T.Flight Hotas 4 as a flying stick. What´s a Hotas? Find out here. This type of controller not only comes with a Joystick but with the throttle as well. It is compatible with Windows too, so you are not limited to only using it on your PS4.
The real drawback is the lack of games that support it on the PlayStation, which are (barring some indie games that I don´t know about): Ace Combat 7; Elite Dangerous, War Thunder, Ultrawings and Air Mission Hind.
Regardless, most of these games have a long shelf life, it is not unheard that a player spends dozens upon dozen of hours on each one. So, a flying joystick is still a worthwhile purchase.
Driving Wheel
As the name implies, these are stationary wheels that you can use to drive in racing games. If you are a fan of driving games and are interested in a more realistic and immersive way to drive your virtual car, then these are the controllers for you.
Most wheels come with a set of pedals and or force feedback (vibration, basically) to emulate real driving even more.
Model | Characteristics | Consoles | Company | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
T80 Ferrari 488 | Includes a set of pedals. Has wheel-mounted paddle shifters. | PS4 | Thrustmaster | |
Racing Wheel Apex | Programmable. Comes with a mounting clamp and pedals. | PS4,PS3 and PC | HORI | |
T150 PRO Racing | Includes a set of pedals. Has force feedback. | PS4,PS3 and PC | Thrustmaster | |
Driving Force G920 | Includes a set of pedals. Has force feedback. | PS4,PS3 and PC | Logitech | |
T300RS | Includes a set of pedals. Has force feedback. The wheel is detachable. | PS4 and PS3 | Thrustmaster | |
T300 Ferrari | Includes a detachable wheel, its base and pedals. | PS4,PS3 and PC | Thrustmaster |
Wheel Accessories
While the wheel and pedals are fine ways to emulate driving, you can always go a step further. You can buy a gearbox shifter for the Thrustmaster wheel to change gears as you would in a real car with manual transmission.
There is also a racing wheel with mounts so you can put all your accessories in place. Combine all these gadgets with the PlayStation VR and you might as well be driving a real car from the comfort of your home.
Conclusion
For driving and flight fans, there are options to make playing your favorite genre all the more immersive.
A wheel, coupled pedals, and a shifter can make you forget that you are actually controlling a virtual car. The flying stick, on the other hand, can make you feel like a real pilot, and once you get used to it, it makes doing complex maneuvers a smooth process.
Arcade sticks are for people who are interested in making a name for themselves in their local fighting game scene, or for those who grew up in the arcades and feel weird doing quarter forward on an analog´s stick.
If you want to see more traditional controllers for the PS4, don't forget to check out our list, here.