Some of the buttons and triggers present unique problems, though. The three central buttons – menu, options, and share – are different shapes and set in a straight line, rather than off-center. The center of the controller is slightly different: The Xbox button doesn’t light up, but has a small indicator light just above it to let you know when the controller’s connected. The painted face buttons, analog sticks, highlighted with flashy green rings, and d-pad are all positioned well relative to one another. The actual layout of the Horipad Pro’s buttons is mostly identical to the Series X controller.

It isn’t painful to use – I adapted to the position within an hour or two the first time I played, and quicker after that – but it isn’t a grip I’d want to sustain for many hours during a marathon playthrough. The handles are shorter than the DS4’s, though so your middle fingers get wedged into the gap between the top of the handle and the textured back of the controller body. While it’s around the same size as the Xbox Series X gamepad – 6.06 x 3.88 x 2.34 inches (WDH) versus the Xbox Series X controller’s 6 x 4 x 2.47 – the handles are thinner, so your pinky, ring, and middle fingers curl all the way around when you grab them. Independent of what controller it may look like, the grip feels a little cramped. It looks fine, but it also looks a little off.

The 3.5mm headphone jack on the bottom is just slightly off-center, mirroring the DualShock 4, and has a reflective oval that is clearly made to highlight two symmetrical analog sticks. The right buttons and sticks are all in the right places, but it’s more compact, with thinner handles.

17 Images Hori Horipad Pro – Design & FeaturesI’m taking a wild swing here, but I think the Horipad Pro’s shell is based on the Dualshock 4, rather than the Xbox Series X controller.

Xbox hori tac pro