Hori Pad Pro – The Utilitarian 

If you don’t need any fancy features like assignable rear back buttons, and want something that feels like it was designed to suit just about any modern game or playstyle, the Hori Pad Pro is a very straightforward and reliable device for 40 bucks. You will have to deal with a cable fixed to the unit though, as it once again relies on that old breakaway cable near the actual USB port. At least this one feels like it’ll last longer than the 8bitdo.

But of all of these controllers, which would you bet netted me a higher K/D ratio? You’d likely think it was one that had rear buttons, obviously.

You’d be wrong. Though it lacks a damn detachable cable, the Hori Pad Pro, with no frills outside of some software-adjustable response ranges of the triggers and sticks, is such a simple and basic controller that my well-established muscle memory just went to work as it always did, not worrying at all about expanding into rear buttons or anything like that. And as a result, I kinda played better on a controller that had fewer features.

Even when you don’t have rear buttons mapped, they can be a little distracting as they sit right where you grip the gamepad and some may not like this at all. The Hori doesn’t have that problem since it doesn’t have those buttons.

The result is a nice, utilitarian, middle of the road controller. If you find yourself looking at all the features such as rear buttons and thinking “I don’t need that stuff,” you should consider this one. I didn’t find it to be as “cozy” as the 8BitDo Ultimate, but it just did the job without offering features that scream “Hey, look at me!”

You can program it as well, so it’s not too dumb a device. If you want to mess around with the buttons, software accessible on a PC will let you tweak different elements and trigger throw is likely the first one to consider.

The Hori doesn’t seem to want to commit to any specific style like many of these other controllers. And that’s evident in the triggers which have a lower actuation point and are pretty stiff out of the box. They almost remind me of the DualShock 3’s R2 and L2 buttons, though they feel better than those things. If you really need to optimize your controller purchasing decision for shooters, even ramping the actuation to a light tap the controller might not totally do it for you here, so the Turtle Beach or the Power-A controllers on this list might be a better avenue if you’re just a shooter die-hard.

That said, I got some of my highest kill counts in Halo on this thing. I would gladly trade the trigger mechanisms from another controller on this list, but it’s a solid choice nonetheless.

You can also adjust the overall sensitivity of the analog sticks through the Hori app, which will let you turn the analog output of the stick into a digital one, if that suits your needs. You can save up to four profiles on the device, which include the option to remap all of the buttons on the gamepad.