recently we took a look at the best selling controllers on Amazon but thing is being popular doesn't necessarily mean something is good and in the comments you guys bombarded us with all of your favorite controllers that we missed but guys there are like 20 controllers here how can we possibly decide which one is the best by doing something we have never done before a concept we're calling the ultimate single elimination knockout bracket tier list Showdown we've got options ranging from $25 all the way to $200 and guys if you think that more money means more better you are in for some big surprises so let's get into it and see who's going to be the Undisputed intercontinental champion of controllers just like I am the Undisputed intercontinental champion of segue to our sponsor boot dodev learning how to code doesn't have to be boring and monotonous make it fun with boot. deev's unique gamified approach click our link and use code LT to get 25% off your payment today to keep our bracket at a sweet 16 we're going to kick things off with a quick high-end controller Showdown for these last two spots but don't worry guys even though we're starting on the pricee side half of the really great controllers that we're looking at are $50 or less not these ones though our first cage match is between two heavy weights and in the case of the fly Digi Apex 4 I mean that very very literally at 329 G this is the heaviest controller in our Showdown and that's in part because it's the most featur rich it has a removable face plate that covers tension controller for the analog sticks a large battery to power the onboard OLED screen a gyroscope for gyroscopic aiming and adaptive triggers that through software can control their stopping point this is the top offering from fly Digi a name that you're going to be hearing a lot today up against it is the Turtle Beach stealth Ultra which has many of the same features as the Apex 4 trading hall effect adaptive triggers for real trigger stops and even adding a headphone jack as well as an included dock however it's today's lowest rated Gamepad with the common complaint being regular disconnections H it's kind of a key feature Turtle Beach oh dude this is gorgeous oh it's smooth it's like I can actually control what the crap I'm doing oh did you adjust the the tension on the stakes yeah they are at maximum it's I like it feels good I agree yeah I'm going to try the other one it's the one that has the most alternative shape Weir uh yeah it's uh not a plus in my humble opinion uh oh my God these sticks feel so cheap Now by comparison what's the price difference between these two 160 and 200 what this is the more expensive that's the more expensive one oh I mean okay well this is easy I'm sorry but you're out next up the Wolverine V3 Pro is the noons top-of-the-line Esports offering from Razer it's one of the most premium feeling controllers that we're looking at but you need to like back paddles these are right under where your fingers rest and you will want to disable them in software if you're not used to them to avoid pressing them accidentally constantly now I'm not much of a paddle guy but I will say that these are contoured really nicely for your fingers and feel really good cuz they used actual Mouse micro switches I could see this competitor going pretty far as long as it doesn't suddenly die boom razor burst roasted wow what the one of today's boldest designs with lots of textures and pieces of plastic in strange places is the PDP victrix Pro BFG it comes with a ton of extras like this module to replace the right analog stick and face buttons with six buttons perfect for fighting games you can also buy optional hall effect modules which we did and rolled into our cost one awkward thing though when we tested the circularity of the hall effect modules compared to the ones that came with it they were actually worse than the original potentiometer based sticks it also has trigger stops although the toggle for them is needlessly kind of finicky with that said I like having the granularity not to mention the super grippy spot for my Palms as a bit of a sweaty boy I'm going to give it to the vitrix pro now for the main bracket when you pick up the gamer Nova light it's not going to surprise you to find out that it is the cheapest controller in our Showdown that doesn't mean it feels bad in fact I'd say it feels better than the more expensive Logitech controllers that we looked at last time and it even has some more premium features including hall effect sticks but while the triggers are a similar shape to the Dual Senses they feel kind of flimsy and Light by comparison though at this kind of price H it's pretty easy to justify moving on our pick from the last video doesn't need much introduction it offers up hall effect sticks and triggers and has an included 2.4 GHz dongle in a very solid $30 package but the last time it only had to stand out against the popular kids how will our reigning Champion hold up against these much stronger audience favorites I think both of them are very similar when it comes to the quality of the face buttons and the weight of the joy sticks and I am not a fan of the way the 8bit dough brings my elbows in tighter compared to the game sir which gives me a bit of a wider stance what if I told you the input latency was four times better on the 8bit D on a wire is the gam ster any good quite good it is 6 milliseconds on overwire which is well within the Sweet Spot all things considered the Gamester puts up a really good fight and if this is what a little brother controller felt like when I was a kid I would have been thrilled but for just $5 more the ultimate 2C has much better latency over Wireless which makes it kind of a no-brainer in the year 2025 next up is the most affordable offering from easz SMX a company that is well known in the controller community and seemingly nowhere else this one definitely feels its price it's a little kind of bulbous almost like a Fisher Price controller and the buttons are kind of mushy with what might be the worst d-pad in our Roundup up against it is the rematch glow from PDP who makes some of the most popular cheap controllers on the market and has been doing so for quite some time this may be the least featured controller of the day which makes its higher price a little puzzling that is until you turn out the light that is a pretty neat gimmick but not enough to stand out against even a weak competitor I think for most folks who want a glowing controller they'd be better off just picking up a glow circuit skin from dbrand and putting it on an Xbox controller this one's a Puzzler it's a GameStop model so you would just assume it's awful but it can be customized with these cute little accessories it comes in at a reasonable mid-range price and is rated almost 4.7 Stars by oh wait only three gamers also the fact that the base kit doesn't come with everything you need is definitely confusing and good Heavens is this ever the cheapest feeling plastic that I have ever felt on the face plate of a controller like what were they thinking cheap feeling up against it is our other wired controller on the list this is a solid allrounder at a fair price the gamster G7 SE and H have swappable face plates lockable rear buttons and kind of configurable hair triggers although it's done by moving the actuation point in software rather than having a physical stopper so not sure if that fully counts there are a couple of differences between the two and for me I think I'll take the rumble motor the extra grippiness and in general it feels so much nicer in the hand compared to the candy con that I just there's no question sports betting apps ly give the fly Digi direwolf one of the strongest odds to walk away the Victor today with excellent performance for the price and a lot of love for the triggers ooh they do feel nice not to mention the build quality and reliability I have very high hopes for this one there's no fruy extras just the basics that matter and even a somewhat functional d-pad it's still on a circular pad which I don't personally prefer but it's got a reasonably good tactile feel I don't love the rumble motor really but if I had game sound on it wouldn't be bothering me oh yeah the sound it's the sound and I have no such issue with what could be a potential Dark Horse in our race here the Nixie Master P1 has a premium feel with solid Comfort tactile buttons toggleable hair triggers and RGB lighting now it's unimpressive 200 HZ pulling rate may hurt it especially in games where latency is everything but I don't know maybe I'm not that Discerning the rumble feel feels a lot better David I don't know it seems like you were leaning toward the fly Digi but it's a nice Rumble definitely prefer the shoulder on the master P1 oh no I think I prefer the shoulder on the dir Wolf the triggers are way better on the master P1 though those are nice juicy feeling triggers it's going to be the master P1 for me oh it's an upset and the fans are upset does everyone love the fly Digi it's a very popular controller but this is a new controller so hey maybe we're offering a good alternative I like it this is a this is a nice comp editor next up is our first first party controller an Xbox Elite no wait if we look a little closer we can see huh not to mention feel the difference for one thing the easz SMX X10 has a magnetic face plate and handle plates ooh that's kind of cool it also has clicky mechanical style face buttons that I have to say it's kind of surprising how many controllers are switching over to Mechanical buttons now it's not what I'm used to but I can also see why people like it overall it feels almost premium and extremely natural in the hand if you're used to a first-party Xbox controller going up against it is the power a Ops V1 power a is one of the few brands that we're looking at that has serious penetration into big retail chains and has a long history of making serviceable third-party controllers surprisingly the lab's team was quite impressed with the performance of this fortnite themed banana with buttons it managed the lowest input latency over both a wire and with its wireless dongle as well as good circularity on the sticks I got to say I was not expecting a power a device to come in this strong it's got lockable triggers two stage lockable triggers yes and four rear paddles compared to just the two it does not feel as premium in the hand but I still think I have to give it the edge for the extra functionality next up we've got the G5 Pro a very popular controller with pretty positive reviews sticks feel pretty normal the triggers are a little bit on the light side maybe for some people and oh those are so bad these bumpers may be the worst that we've seen so far face buttons feel okay they're a micro switch style face button and it has a removable face plate which is cool but might not make up for some of the concerns that people have raised over build quality going up against it is a somewhat famili face we have favorably covered the predecessor to the King Kong 3 because of its inclusion of hall effect Hardware before it was all the AG and also its easy repairability it's a solid controller at a reasonable price but some software bugs and uneven trigger travel have turned some people off and also shockingly we found that its 2.4 GHz dongle had the highest latency out of anything that the labs tested even higher than this same controller over blue Bluetooth that's embarrassing there also just isn't really anything to make it stand out they've got their modular stuff where you can put the paddles on or take them off which is really nice yeah I think I got to put the King Kong 3 Pro through to the next round not yet no you don't there's a bonus round the easz SMX X20 arrived uh after we had seated our tournament so you need to compare the King Kong to the SMX 20 ooh this actually feels pretty good this is two steps up from the x10 adding trigger locks o which actually feel really nice not to mention are really quick to toggle the modes on I actually really like the ergonomics of that o the shoulder the shoulders are nice too it's got the paddles already so I don't have to put modular paddles on it but they're totally out of the way which is nice this is cheaper than the King Kong Pro 10 bucks than the pro yeah ooh likey oh see you later buddy we might have a new front runner by the sounds of it this is the fly Digi Vader 4 it's step up from their dir will free and it feels like an Xbox controller but with even more extras oh adjustable stick tension ooh this is not a cheap controller but adjustable stick tension I am liking that a lot on the controllers I've seen it on so far and this one has a way better interface for it it's just this dial around the stick what's it going up against though oh here's a familiar name to Xbox Gamers Turtle Beach with the stealth pivot and this has got kind of a neat gimmick there's these locks on the back okay so I've unlocked them now and when they're unlocked you take the sticks pop them in and whoa you can switch them to a dedicated fight mode okay that's pretty cool but to fit all that pivoting in them there are some compromises on the ergonomics and I have real doubts about the reliability of the sticks long term when you're kind of tucking them in over and over again otherwise it actually feels like a pretty nice controller even if it's a bit Duke like in its profile of course another major drawback for this strange little fell is the price it costs about as much as buying a regular controller and a fight controller I don't think I can give it the win but not because it's a bad idea or because it's not well executed it actually seems like a sick controller if you are the right customer for this who plays a lot of fighting games and I'm not okay this d-pad is literally ass so that's something using all the value controllers and then coming back to these really expensive ones they're having a hard time justifying their price all right what about the Apex 4 oh there's no question okay Apex wow that quick he yeah it just feels so much better it's freaking heavy which I don't love but the adjustable tension on the sticks man that feels so good that means we have a fly Digi face off in the next round and I'm very excited about that no no fly Digi okay we're into round two man I'm not going to lie it seems like the x05 got a bit of a free ride to the second round I don't think this is as good as pretty much anything else in the second round here we've switched up games so now it's going to come a lot more down to stick quality and precision not that I'm necessarily the best person to judge stick precision but hey take it for what it is it's worth noting that we switched to a wire on this one because we broke the dongle that is giving a bit of a latency Advantage compared to running wirelessly but it shouldn't be enough to give it the edge especially cuz I don't think it's going to win apido Ultimate 2C here we go I still don't like the stance of this one feel like I could get used to it but definitely not my favorite it feels way more quality when you consider that it's the same price 30 bucks that is the special edition one which is 10 bucks more but it's the same performance wise it just looks I like the d-pad a lot better on this one oh man I really really do not prefer the shape of this every time I pick it up I'm like oh that I'm taking the easy SMX x05 woo big upset I didn't think I was going to pick this either it feels so cheap but I just the control is better I think if I was getting an overall controller I would pick this but if I'm playing Shooters I actually would pick that one over this one the gamer G7 H is going to have to do something pretty special to Come Away with the win here it's tough to be a wired controller in a wireless controller's World paddles aren't getting in my way not pressing them by accident but they're there in case I need to bind them Nixie Master P1 our Dark Horse indeed this Rumble is truly not very good no I can't bring a wired controller forward David you can oh gosh I'd rather game on the game sir this is one of the most popular ones out there so some people out there are very happy that's the thing about a knockout style playoff only one person can be happy and 15 people are going to be upset power a Ops V1 versus easy SMX X20 oh actually feels really good so far how was the circularity of this one again it was good it was like in the good Zone it wasn't the best but it was good so the circularity of the joysticks that we've been talking about is how well the input matches the circle that you draw with it if it's oval that's bad it means that depending on whether you're going up and down or left and right it can have a different amount of input which which is yeah obviously undesirable okay easy as oh this is stiff competition though I really like this one it had to beat two contenders to get here oh I really like the position of the paddles on this one in that I can reach them really easily but I can also completely ignore them if I don't want to use them I wish we were doing a tier list now instead of a bracketed playoff actually we're going to at the end oh okay that's good because there's a lot of really really great controllers that just weren't the best controller you know mhm M mhm I got to take the easyy SMX more like easy Cruising Into the semis woo this one's going to be a heartbreaker for fly Digi fans no matter which way it goes remember that one is $80 and one is $160 oo but they both have the adjustable tension on the analog sticks Apex 4 it's like yeah I play on Xbox but not because I couldn't afford a top of the lion PC cuz like I'm holding this controller like it feels so good it's kind of inconvenient that their more premium controller though is the one that has the less convenient mechanism for adjusting the sticks just to be clear am I supposed to pick the better controller or the one that I think is makes more sense for you to buy I think it's what you like what you would spend your money on if I got them all for free I take this one no question I think that's the winner then yeah okay I think it's a winner okay semis how the hell is this thing still in the running it doesn't seem right I'm hyped if there's another Budget King that's sick how much is it 30 bucks this is 30 bucks $30 it's 30 bucks David what's to hate you know I mean people find ways to hate things but like oh it's a great controller for the price face button responsiveness is definitely the downside to the easy SMX if I'm playing only shooter games and I don't really need my face buttons that much great they're not as good as the gamster though I got to give it to the gamer woo let's give the easy SMX X20 a chance here good face buttons this thing so good yeah it's really nice oh this d-pad is just such a sorry excuse for a d-pad on an otherwise like outstanding controller oh what a oh what a shame okay let's try d-pad here oh I like this one this is a very usable d-pad another Factor 160 versus 60 literal $100 price difference oh this one's better it's better it's better it wins fly Digi has been eliminated from this competition I really really like this controller like I like it a lot if you love The Apex 4 and you spent a bunch of money on it you've got a great controller and you should love it just don't use the d-pad we go into Forza now we decide third place oh fly Digi Apex 4 I like this thing I still really like it it is great meanwhile up against a $30 controller that also made it this deep it's funny how there can be a difference between a light trigger and a cheap feeling trigger both of these controllers have excellent granularity on the throttle like I can make a small adjustment without making a mistake but one just feels better a killer controller for 30 bucks but it's not as good as the Apex 4 and the challenge is which one's the best at each tier I still think this is going to be in like s tier value like honorable mention value King easy X Gamer's Choice indeed okay now it's time to find the king Good Vibration I actually forgot about that the X20 has a nice Rumble motor really nice feeling trigger good analog sticks rubberized tops I remember why I like this one so much got the paddles they're not in the way got the locks gamer what the hell are you even doing here you're a company that we mocked in our early budget peripheral roundups being like ha Gam sir but sir you game I do not like the triggers as much I do not prefer the rumble motor trigger's pretty good the sticks are just perfect maybe they're not perfect I'm sure the lab's results are going to show that they're not perfect nothing's perfect but they're good enough and it's not just the circularity of them the curve is right they feel good but I got to give it to the easy SX it's almost the same price and you don't need a wire I wish had a confetti cannon we we have it the winner the easy SMX X20 you've got to tell me now what was your king the Vader 4 I think it feels almost as good as the Apex or's like yeah it's not quite as premium but I didn't care for that stuff and the fact that the stick control was under the face plate pissed me off I thought that was such a stupid design choice so overall value at $80 Vader 4 easy winner Labs picked the ultimate 2C really for a mix of value good sticks good input latency and it's just a great great all round controller I didn't like the ergonomics that's something that I can't argue with I can't believe that not a single controller on or near the podium was from a brand that I really think of as a gaming brand no no razor no Turtle Beach what you haven't teered anything yet I was going to let you do the tear I'll do the tearing David's going to do the best here this will be it he's going to factor in Labs me and his own thoughts and we're GNA have our tier list for all these controllers because it's very clear looking at the results that just because you didn't make it to the podium doesn't mean you're a bad controller like look at the dirol 3 okay it went up against a really tough competitor in the first round but if it had happened to be seated against the candy con and then gone up against the ultimate 2C it could have easily made semi oh for sure consult the tier list before actually making a purchase but also I think we can probably agree that the X20 is just fantastic controller freaking outstanding both in terms of value and in terms of overall performance and features yep yeah this compared to an Xbox or switch please please let me tell you about our sponsor boot dodev learning how to code can be daunting I mean where do you even start well how about checking out boot dodev a fully online self-paced gamified way to learn backend web 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