Expensive special controllers are very popular, but often cost well over €200. But for just under €20 you can recreate one of the most important features of this ‘pro controller’. MeinMMO author Marko Jevtic tells you why you should do this.
For console gamers in particular, their controllers are the absolute most important tool in their favorite hobby. But especially with shooters, the pitfalls of an analog stick in comparison to the mouse are revealed.
Expensive pro controllers like those from SCUF want to close this gap with a few clever tricks. One of the key features of such ‘pro controllers’ is the ability to swap out your analog sticks for longer alternatives. Such features make these controllers very popular but also insanely expensive.
But it is precisely this important and popular feature that you can easily replicate for your standard controller. It only costs you €20. We’re talking about the thumbstick attachments from KontrolFreek. I’ve been using these attachments for almost 10 years and can’t recommend them highly enough.
In their promotional video, KontrolFreek briefly explains how these attachments help and how to use them properly:
Plastic attachments for up to €20 increase precision in shooters
What is the problem? Little control, jerky aiming movements and a lack of fine motor skills – most of those who play shooters with controllers know these problems. The right stick is often just trickier and harder to tame than you’d like.
This is one of the reasons why controllers like the SCUF Reflex are so popular for the PS5. This pro controller sold over 100,000 copies in just 3 hours of release. And that despite the fact that the cheapest version of it costs €220, the most expensive even €270.
That’s a lot of money for most gamers, but features like swappable thumbsticks make such a big difference to other gamers that it’s worth the investment.
The KontrolFreek essays want to help out exactly there and use the simplest laws of physics to do so.
What do these essays do? For around €20 (although there are cheaper versions too) you get 2 plastic attachments for your controllers. You can easily clip these to the sticks of your original gamepad, which means that the thumbsticks grow in height.
This also increases the leverage on your sticks. The longer the thumbsticks are, the more control you have over the movements with your thumb.
The exchangeable thumbsticks in expensive controllers such as those from SCUF are based precisely on this principle. For many shooter fans, this is the most important feature of these pro controllers. For about 20 € you can easily retrofit any controller so that you can also use this advantage.
There are several versions of the KontrolFreek attachments, which differ in colour, shape and height. You also have to decide which controller they fit on before you buy them.
I recommend buying the highest possible attachments, either concave or hybrid. In my experience, these are best suited for shooters. The attachments for the PS4 controllers also fit the PS5 and Switch Pro controllers, but not the Switch JoyCons or Xbox controllers. Here you would have to buy the specially developed KontrolFreeks.
In my experience, however, it is sufficient if you only retrofit the right stick. Since you get 2 attachments in one pack, you can pimp 2 different controllers at once.
Here are selected KontrolFreek attachments for PS4, PS5 and Switch Pro controllers:
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Here’s the same selection for Xbox:
*Affiliate links. We receive a small commission from Amazon if you make a purchase. Thanks for your support!
What are the benefits of the attachments? Gentle pressing in any direction is thus made much easier, as you have to exert less pressure with your thumb to deliver sensitive movements.
That’s a blessing, especially in shooters. With more fine motor skills, you can more precisely control the sticks as you want. This also makes it easier not to go to the extremes of the stick movements – which in turn means that you don’t cancel the strong Aim Assist in games like CoD Warzone so easily because your movement was too strong.
After a short period of getting used to it and maybe playing around with the control settings of your favorite shooter, you will quickly notice how much better you can shoot with this extra leverage. Your aim assist sticks to enemies better, the strong recoil of your guns is easier to tame, and you also feel more in control of headshots with snipers.
If you gamble something where these attachments get in the way, that’s no problem either. You can take them off and put them back on again in no time at all. This gives you more flexibility with the height of your stick than with some SCUF products, where you have to decide on a stick height in advance.
In short: Kontrolfreek promises more precision, and these simple plastic attachments for a maximum of €20 live up to that promise. This gives you one of the most important features of controllers that cost 11x or more.
What are the disadvantages of the essays? Perhaps the most important downside you need to know before you buy is the adjustment time. Since the sticks are now higher, your grip on the controller also changes, depending on your personal position even significantly. For example, you will quickly notice that your right thumb is much more stretched on the stick than without the attachments, even in the resting position.
This also has the side effect that your stretched thumb further increases the improved leverage, but it can feel unpleasantly ‘tense’, especially at the beginning. The distance to the buttons is also higher. In the first few hours, this can cause you to miss the reload button.
If the rubber on your standard stick is a bit worn, there could be minor issues with the seat. In particularly intense moments, it can therefore happen that the attachment falls off the stick and lands on your lap. This should rarely happen, but it can happen.
Conclusion: The best investment for my controller in almost 10 years
I bought my KontrolFreek attachments for Battlefield 4 back then, that was in 2013 and shortly after the launch of the PS4. Since then, I’ve used the same attachment not only for the PS4 controllers, but also for the PS5 and my Switch Pro Controller. So for almost 10 years I’ve been shooting better thanks to the KontrolFreek I bought for 20 €, and that across several console generations and manufacturers.
Of course, they don’t replace every popular feature of these pro controllers like SCUF, which includes the so-called paddles, i.e. the buttons on the back of the controller. But if you don’t have $200 or more to spare after purchasing your PS5, or if you want to upgrade multiple controllers at once, these plastic attachments are a great choice.
This is one of the reasons why I can easily recommend the KontrolFreek thumbstick attachments to anyone who wants to get better at shooters.
Rumor has it that Sony will soon be launching a ‘Pro Controller’ for the PS5. Leaks report that this also offers the popular, longer sticks:
According to the leak, Sony will soon bring pro controllers for PS5 with new features and additional buttons