I suck at Call of Duty: Black Ops. I like the game; I want to be good at it, but when I start playing in multiplayer my skills erode and my team has to overcome my deficiencies. I just feel like everyone else has a leg up on me, whether it be skill or response time.
The SCUF DareDeVL Pro Xbox 360 controller has effectively changed the way I view first-person shooters. The SCUF customization tunes the controller to fit your personal preferences and enhance the feel of the game you’re playing.
The first change in the controller that I was most excited about were the back paddles. These paddles straddle the battery pack on the curved underside of the controller. You can order the controller with any combination of face buttons assigned to these paddles, as well as d-pad inputs, but it comes stock as A and B. I must say, not having to move my thumb off of the right analog stick helped a lot with reaction time. The paddles feel natural—like controllers should have always had them.
Speaking of the right stick, you’ll notice a change to it. The right stick—or your aiming thumb—has been replaced with a PS3-style domed/convex analog stick. The combination of the PS3 analog stick, with the shape of the 360 controller is a match made in heaven. I sometimes had a problem with my thumb slipping off of the original stick while aiming; now, I feel like I have better, more precise control and a firm grip on the stick.
The last big feature is the adjustable hair triggers. Both triggers each have an adjustable stop on them which makes shooting a breeze. It basically makes you fire with just a tap of the trigger—no longer will you waste precious time by waiting to release a trigger all the way, as it changes the amount you depress a trigger. Like I said, it is fully adjustable and quite easy to adjust. It comes with the tool that allows to you remove or rotate the stop, allowing you to find the sweet spot (the amount of pressure that needs to be applied to make a gun fire) where just a tap from your finger gives you more responsive killing power. Some games (we’ve been told) need adjustments from weapon to weapon, or need to remove the stops all together, but this isn’t the controller’s fault; it’s just how the game was programmed.
The controller also comes with Microsoft’s new d-pad, where rotating it raises the directional buttons up.
So how did these new features affect my fps skills? Well, in Call of Duty: Black Ops I usually averaged 6 kills and 10 deaths for a .6 k/d ratio. My first game with the controller improved that to 16 kills and 7 deaths for a 2.2 k/d ratio. I had to make sure that this wasn’t a fluke. My next game netted me my highest kill streak ever, 12, where I finished 21 and 5 with a 4.2 k/d ratio. My games then hovered around the 4.0 ratio—a dramatic improvement over my previous .6. I can honestly say, the response time with the triggers was noticeable, and while I had to make a conscious effort to use the back panels, after a few games it was second nature and actually more comfortable using them.
You must be reading this and thinking, “great, but there’s no way they’re tournament legal.” On the contrary, they are 100 % tournament legal and have gotten rave reviews from some of the top FPS players in the world.
SCUF has done a wonderful job with this controller and offer multiple versions with varying levels of options on their website, scufgaming.com.
The only thing that I would liked more is if the back panels could be changed after you order the controller. I found myself wishing I assigned X and Y to the back panels instead of A and B. It’s a small hiccup, but it was one regret I did have.
I’m proof that this controller makes a dramatic difference and is a must have for any fps gamer. With more response, accuracy, and control, you’ll notice the difference right away.
