The wireless controls of the PS4 and Xbox One consoles are of very good quality, and are specifically designed for their respective consoles. However, if you find yourself in the position that you need to buy a new remote for whatever reason, you will see that these have quite high prices, when on the contrary you can buy a much cheaper USB remote . The question is: can any USB controller be used with PS4 or Xbox One?
Both the PS4 and the Xbox One have USB ports to which we can connect peripherals, and in fact it is curious that even some PC keyboards and mice can be connected and they work without too many problems -especially on Xbox One in this case-. Thus, it is inevitable to ask ourselves the question of whether any remote control that is connected by USB is worth for these consoles, since we can find them at prices that represent a quarter of what the original controls cost.
Will any USB controller work with PS4 or Xbox One?
There are many USB controllers on the market, and many of them actually mimic the design of the original PS4 or Xbox controllers. However, if SONY and Microsoft charge about 60 euros for their controls (without taking into account possible offers, since they have even been for 30 euros), why can we find alternatives for just 10 euros?
The difference is in the quality of the materials and of course in terms of functionality , because without going any further, there are many controls that claim to be compatible with PS4 but then do not have the touch panel, necessary for many games. For example, in the image below you can see a command of just 10 euros that claims to be compatible with PC and PS4, but which actually has the design of the PS3 controller.
In terms of compatibility, the vast majority of USB controllers on the market (and, in fact, even many wireless as long as their connection is Bluetooth and not through a 2.4 GHz USB receiver since in this case not all are compatible) are both compatible with PS4 as with Xbox One, but we will find the problem in terms of the quality of materials and construction, as well as when it comes to functionality. But it works, except for some “rare” Chinese gears, they all work without too much trouble.
And the controls with “official license”?
We have previously discussed the specific peripherals for consoles that are officially licensed, such as the controls of the manufacturer Nacon for PS4. This license gives them permission to use the PlayStation logos both on the packaging and on the controller itself, for example, but it also guarantees full compatibility with the console, something that after all we are not guaranteed with a cheap USB controller.
Some of these officially licensed products may even have greater functionality than the original consoles, such as additional triggers or buttons, more configuration and customization options, etc., but in these cases their price is often even higher than that of the controls. consoles originals. For example, we only have to see products such as the Razer Wolverine Ultimate , a controller for Xbox One with additional buttons, RGB lighting and extensive customization but whose price is 180 euros normally.
Of course we also have other options that even being officially licensed products are cheaper than the “standard” controls of the consoles, and to show a button:
In any case, the officially licensed products do guarantee compatibility, but finally answering the question in this article, 99% of modern USB controllers will work without problems on PS4 and Xbox One consoles.