Disclaimer: Scuf Gaming sent us a package containing the controller for review.
Manufacturer: Scuf Gaming
Platforms: PlayStation 4
Price: $169.95 (Wired Only), $199.95 (Wireless with USB plug-in)
Last week, Scuf sent me their fancy new PS4 controller: The Scuf Vantage. This $200 bad boy is Sony’s answer to Xbox’s premium controller, the Xbox Elite controller. With interchangeable sticks, triggers, and buttons, remappable buttons, finger paddles on the back, and more, the Vantage is nothing short of perfection for the hardcore gamer.
I was lucky to get the controller at the same time as I got Call of Duty: Black Ops 4, so I could review both at the same time and it made for the best possible experience. I was swapping back and forth between the Xbox One and PS4 versions of Black Ops 4, using my standard Xbox One controller and the Vantage on PS4.
It was light and day, truthfully. My performance was significantly enhanced with the Scuf Vantage, the ability to trim off those milliseconds between my fingers moving across the controller or having to take a finger off a stick to press a face button or something really changed everything. My mobility was increased with the ability to slide in-game by tapping a paddle on the back of the controller and keeping my thumb on the right stick to still move my gun.
On Xbox, I’d have to sacrifice my 360-degree head movement to move my thumb to the B-button but with the Scuf Vantage, I can do both without moving any of my fingers. This premium controller is also incredibly comfortable. Many have noted that the default Dualshock 4 is pretty small and can cause pain in the hands, something I’ve struggled with due to having Arthritis in my joints.
The Scuf Vantage eliminates this issue by changing its shape and size into something far closer to the mold of an Xbox One controller. The sticks are no longer 180 degrees to each other like on the DS4 and instead are more diagonally placed like on Xbox One. As noted, the ability for your hands not to be super active or placed in really specific ways (Ex. The Claw) helps create more comfort and less fatigue while playing your fast-paced shooters.
If you feel the controller is too heavy, you can also remove the vibration modulators inside the grips of the controller and set them aside.
Should you need to, you can also remap various buttons to the back paddles. There are four paddles on the back, which map to the traditional face buttons by default. You can reorganize them if you’d like, change one of the paddles to input to the triggers, touchpad, or something else. While you likely won’t do this on shooters like Call of Duty, there may be a benefit to other types of games like racing games or something.
The Scuf Vantage also has customizable triggers. You can adjust both the triggers themselves to be longer or shorter for fitting different hand sizes and whatnot as well as how far down you can push them. This helps fix/eliminate latency when playing shooters, ensuring you’re shooting faster and not wasting those split seconds pressing down on the trigger for too long.
Perhaps one of the coolest features of the controller is one that is sadly only available when it’s plugged in. If you’re a headphone user, there’s a small touch bar at the bottom of the controller. You can adjust the volume of your headphones on the fly by sliding your finger back and forth on it, it’s a fantastic way to adjust your music if you’re listening to Spotify while playing a game, adjust the game volume, and more without having to open up the somewhat slow PS4 UI.
I did have an issue where I wasn’t able to hear through a pair of cheap Sony phone headphones. They fit into the jack on the controller, work on my standard DS4, and phone but for some reason, no sound played through the Vantage and the console didn’t seem to recognize they were plugged in. It’s inconvenient and one of the few flaws in an otherwise fantastic controller but could be problematic if you use something like your iPhone headphones as your primary microphone for communicating on PS4.
Customizing the Vantage is also easy, quick, and painless. Simply lift up the controller’s magnetic faceplate, pick off the pieces you want to change out, and snap the parts in. That’s it. No screwdrivers, no screwing anything in, just snap on and off. I initially looked at the controller and thought to myself, “Something’s going to fall out, get stuck, or the inputs won’t be recognized.”
I switched out the thumbsticks and at first, I thought it was broken because the stick kept getting stuck to one side but once I attached the faceplate back on, it worked flawlessly. The only issue I have is that there’s no competent way to store all these loose pieces. The controller comes with a storage case for the controller but there’s no compartments or place to store the individual pieces. Given this is my main controller now, I just stuffed them in the carrying case but if you’re someone who’s lugging this around to competitions or something, you may find that you’ll be bringing some ziplock bags with you as well.
The Verdict:
If you’re in the market for a new PS4 controller, the Scuf Vantage is undeniably the definitive way to experience your games especially if you’re into shooters. It’s an incredibly comfortable counterpart to the standard Dualshock 4, Scuf takes note and refines components of its competitors, and enhances player performance significantly by shaving time off finger movements. A lot of pros use these controllers but it’s not simply because there’s a lucrative sponsorship in it for them, it’s because these controllers are the real deal.
