XBox One controller vs PS5 controller on PC: My personal experiences

Sarra · May 8, 2021

So, disclaimer, I don't own an XBox or PS system. The last system I owned was a Wii, before that a Game Cube, and a PS2. I used the controller for driving games, mostly MudRunner, DiRT, and Assetto Corsa. I also used the XBox controller with a few platformer games, usually Metroidvania style.

XBox One controller

The XBox One controller replaced a 360 controller. The XBox One controller was used wired, wirelessly with a bluetooth radio, and using the XBox dongle. 90% of the time I used the dongle. I used an Insignia brand radio from Best Buy, which was HOT GARBAGE, as well as an IO Gear radio, which was absolutely 100% better than the other one. The XBox dongle and IO Gear radio were both nearly identical, as far as I could tell, for latency and overall performance. They also were on par with the wired performance. This is a Microsoft product being used with a Microsoft product (Windows), so it's pretty flawless for compatibility.

The XBox controller was comfortable, but after long sessions, I would find myself hyper extending my thumbs to stay comfortable, which would cause me problems. By hyper extend, I mean dislocate. I have hypermobility in my joints, so it actually doesn't hurt when I do this, but the joint is injured and hurts later. Mild posture training and just being cognizant of the issue resolved it. However, the controller did start to feel 'heavy' after a while, and I would find myself doing things to stave off fatigue from holding it.

The XBox controller uses two AA batteries. I don't know if my controller was defective, or if I just was mashing the crap out of it, but a pair of disposable Duracell batteries would last me less than an entire weekend. I was going through batteries at a startling rate, and thus I bought rechargeable batteries. A pair of Eneloop Black batteries would last between 15 and 20 hours of use, before needing a fresh charge. The controller was really good about giving a hint at the battery level, since the haptic feedback would actually die before the batteries died.

PS5 controller

I got the PS5 controller to replace the XBox controller. I used the PS5 controller wired and with the IO Gear bluetooth radio. The Insignia radio is so bad, that I was getting massive performance hits with it. It would flat out not even recognize control inputs, it was very laggy, and I honestly had a very bad time with it. Swapping to the IO Gear fixed everything. I cannot tell the difference between wired and the IO Gear radio, performance wise. The software is... Janky at times. I'm using Steam for controller support, D4S didn't want to work for me. There's no touchpad or motion sense capacity yet, but that is immaterial to me since I just need the thumb sticks, D Pad, and triggers/X O square triangle buttons.

Aside from getting used to the different position of the left thumb stick, I found the PS5 controller to be more comfortable than the XBox controller. The built in battery is lighter than the AA batteries the XBox controller used, and I find myself getting fatigued after a much longer interval than the XBox controller. The controller shape makes hyper extending my thumbs more difficult, and I haven't found myself actually doing that while using the controller. After a long weekend playing MudRunner, my wrists are less sore than if I used the XBox controller.

The haptic feedback in the PS5 controller is more appealing. When a truck shifts, you get a slower/deeper rumble then back to the vibrate, which kind of gives the impression of a truck bumping the jake brake while it's shifting, unlike the XBox controller, which just vibrates on the opposite side for a second.

I get around 7-9 hours on the PS5 controller. I can play games in the morning, plug in the USB charger, go do errands for a few hours, then get another 5-8 hours out of it before the battery dies.

My 'score':

XBox Pros: Better for bigger hands

Stronger haptic feedback

Swappable batteries, for going from dead batteries to full in just a few seconds

Available in colors other than 'White and Black'

Cons: Heavier

Eats batteries at an alarming rate

90 day warranty

Expensive (I spent $91.38 on mine)

PS5 Pros: Lighter

Better for medium/small hands

1 year warranty