All the features you want at a price everyone can afford
- Developer: PDP
- Platforms: Xbox one
- Reviewed on: Xbox one X
- Supplied by: Zebra PR/PDP
The PDP DX controller is at the moment one of the most impressive accessories I have ever had the pleasure of using at its price point and I’m more than happy to explain why.
Straight off the bat, the model I received was in a striking blue with a wicked camo design, and better yet, it’s not a print it’s actually etched into the controller at different angles so that as you move it around, the light makes the camo shine in different ways. I am always one for cool design, and this was a real treat.
Second to that, considering this is a £30 controller (officially licensed by Microsoft, I might add), it is packed with features. Not only does it have a standard 3.5 mm jack (no adapter needed), it also has two mappable back paddles that you can map on the fly straight from the controller, as well as built in volume and party/chat mixer controls.
That’s a huge amount of features considering the price point, and at the moment I don’t think it can be beaten.
Full disclosure, I have never owned an Xbox Elite controller, so I can not compare, but I have owned a couple of other modded/pro controllers from other manufacturers, and they did not do half as much as the DX controller does.
I have used the DX every day since receiving it, and have very little to report in terms of cons – it feels great in your hand and performs perfectly, no sticky buttons or ghosting sticks, it has not missed a beat.
The volume control features are a nice surprise, as most like me would buy the DX mostly for the mappable back buttons, but the volume and chat mixer have been my favourite features.
Let’s say you’re mid game on COD, 2 players down in CWL search and destroy and your team are messing up your concentration, what do you do? Usually find a safe spot and mess around with the Xbox menu or just deal with it. Not with the DX. Just hit the dedicated button and use the D pad to adjust to your preference and crack on with your game.
The mappable buttons don’t fall by the wayside, they are helpful. In the past I have found that controllers that use them are stiff and quite hard to get used to, ending up with me just not using them and having to spend close to £100 for a jazzy Xbox controller I’ll probably never pick up again. With the DX, on the other hand, the buttons are so easy to reach and press that it is almost too easy to use.
Personally, I have found the DX the most useful in COD, mapping the left back button to X and the right to B. This for me has been of extreme use, I don’t use a secondary in CWL so the back buttons take care of sliding/crouching and reloading, and this means my thumbs never have to leave my stick apart from the odd time I have to jump.
I love it, and I genuinely think it helps me improve my game. There are, however, a few I have with the controller overall.
First, the triggers are in my opinion too bulky, I would have preferred them to be slightly more curved and shapely. Second, whilst the overall construction feels good, some of the plastic feels a bit cheap. Obviously it’s wicked for its price, but I wouldn’t have minded a higher price if it meant a more premium feel to the shoulder buttons and triggers.
Next is not a con so much as a preference. There is no wireless option, and I really wish there was, or at least the option to choose either or.
Last is that even though the built in audio controls are awesome, they stop you from being able to adjust mic monitoring, and that is a slight annoyance to me.
SUMMARY
Overall, for the price I don’t think you can beat the DX, it performs amazingly well and does everything it says on the box, with only a few small drawbacks.
I would say even if you want a straight replacement controller or something more geared towards competitive play, this is a welcome addition to any setup.
