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Pros
- Excellent build quality.
- Loads of aesthetic options.
- Mods can give you an edge in first-person shooters.
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Cons
- Can get very expensive with all the options included.
- Some mods only work with some games.
- Mods are basically cheating.
Custom controllers come in all shapes, sizes, and prices. They can be as simple as getting a first-party gamepad in a different color, or as complex as spending weeks molding and painting your own unique project. The Xbox Elite Wireless Controller offers some mechanical and programming customization, but it only comes in black. If you really want to customize your gamepad both mechanically and aesthetically, and you lack the skill or time to do it yourself, Controller Chaos might be the best option for you. Controller Chaos is a company that doesn't make gamepads, but remakes them. It takes stock PlayStation 4 DualShock 4 and Xbox One Wireless Controllers, and even Nintendo Wii U Pro Controllers, and overhauls them with custom color schemes and paint jobs. Then it adds, optionally, a variety of mods that can help you in playing certain first-person shooters (read: cheat).
Custom Options
Controller Chaos offers custom controllers with a wide variety of options. You can get different colors and finishes for the controller casing, different colored buttons, and art on the touchpad and light bar. You can also have custom gamer tags and call signs written in various fonts on the grips and back of the controller, and if you really want an ostentatious look, you can replace the analog sticks and face buttons with flat brass or silver bullet casings. These are all stock customization options.Controllers start at a base $89.95 price, with individual customizations ranging from $4.98 to $29.98. Internal mods start at an additional $9.98 for individual mods, $19.98 for the Rapid Fire Chip, and $49.98 for the Master Mod (you can read more about these mods below). You also can spend an extra $19.98 for a hard, zip-up case, and $12.98 for a 10-foot cloth-wrapped USB cable for use with the controller.
View All Custom Paint Job
Controller Chaos went beyond the standard options and designed a custom DualShock 4 specifically for PCMag. The PCMag.com gamepad has a glossy black backplate and a combination red-and-white front plate, with the site name printed on the touch pad. It's a striking and unique design, though getting a fully customized paint job like this will likely cost more than using the standard selection of options (of which there are a very generous number). The completely custom paint job aside, the PCMag gamepad would cost $219.75 with all the design and mod options included.Build Quality and Design
Beyond the look, the custom Controller Chaos DualShock 4 feels excellent. The completely replaced and customized casing of the gamepad is a glossy plastic that feels very solid and sturdy in the hand, and a bit more pleasant to the touch than the standard DualShock 4. The X, Square, Triangle, Circle, and PlayStation buttons are all made of the same glossy plastic, and the analog sticks, direction pad, and triggers feel identical to those on the stock controller.