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SCUF have earned themselves fairly a very good fame for constructing customized controllers through the years. Enterprise onto their web site and you may select from a wide range of pre-made designs that may then be additional tweaked in a bunch of various methods. However essentially the most interesting a part of SCUF controllers are the additional options that include them, from digital buttons to particular hair triggers. So right this moment I’m having a look at one among their choices, the SCUF Syndicate for PS4.
The Syndicate branding comes from the Youtuber of the identical title, A.Ok.A., Tom Cassell, who on the time of writing is nearing a terrifying 10-million subscribers. His precise enter within the Syndicate line-up of controllers seems to be largely beauty, with the rightmost grip sporting Syndicate’s lion brand inside a enjoying card type Spade. A black, gold and silver paint job end the entire thing off. It’s fairly attractive
On high of that particular look that the Influence has it additionally seems like a well-built, premium product. In fact, given the hefty price-tag it ought to. The plastic shell is stable with no ounce of give to be discovered, and the buttons have a smoother really feel than you discover on the common Dualshock.
When you get the SCUF Influence Syndicate into your arms there are some main variations to the way it feels versus the standard Dualshock controller made by Sony. The very first thing I seen is that the perimeters are chunkier and extra shallowly angled. Whereas the Dualshock’s sides come down at almost 90-degrees the Scuf likes to unfold itself out, making the controller really feel extra like an Xbox One pad. It’s excellent for larger arms.
Nonetheless, when you like the form of the standard PS4 controller you possibly can go for the SCUF Infinity, though it solely has two paddles versus the Influence’s 4.
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Paddles? Yup. The second main factor that alters how the SCUF Influence sits in your hand are the 4 paddles situated on the again. Ignoring their operate for now the paddles sit precisely the place your pinky and ring fingers naturally relaxation. This takes some getting used to and at first I discovered it a bit of uncomfortable. On the Dualshock my pinky and ring fingers curl across the grips, however on the SCUF the paddles cease me from doing as a result of my ring fingers wound up sitting on the outmost paddle. This had a knock on impact, inflicting me to stretch my pointer fingers a bit of extra to make use of the triggers. Different occasions my ring fingers would wind up sitting awkwardly on the very edges of the outer paddles, which unsurprisingly isn’t very comfortable.
The grips themselves are wrapped in a barely smooth rubber that has a random patter of raised blobs so that you could get a firmer grasp on the controller. It feels good within the arms, and is perhaps a sensible choice if you end up getting a bit of sweaty throughout these extra heated classes. Of gaming, I imply. Jesus, get your thoughts out of the gutter.
To sum up I nonetheless discover the usual Dualshock 4 to be a comfier possibility. It suits extra naturally in my arms, however that isn’t to say the Scuf feels significantly dangerous: it’s fantastic. And you’ll truly take away the paddles individually when you like by merely sliding them upwards. In my case eradicating the 2 outer paddles made the entire controller nicer to carry while nonetheless giving me two further buttons to mess around with.
Ah sure, lets chat about what the paddles truly do. By default SCUF have mapped them in order that they replicate the 4 face buttons. The thought is that through the use of the paddles you possibly can preserve your proper thumb on the stick always, a really useful factor certainly in a shooter. This implies saving a split-second by not having to maneuver your thumb to do one thing like reload, whereas additionally retaining complete of the digicam.
It takes a little bit of time to retrain your mind to make use of the paddles however when you it feels fairly regular. Objectively talking the paddles do provide a aggressive benefit over gamers who’re utilizing the common Dualshock, however I’ve to say that in apply I by no means significantly seen an enormous distinction. Nonetheless, that’s most likely as a result of I don’t play at a aggressive stage, and whereas I’m fairly good in on-line shooters I don’t dedicate quite a lot of time to any particular one.
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If you’d like to have the ability to remap the paddles then it’s worthwhile to select the EMR possibility when constructing the controller on SCUF’s web site. This offers you an intriguing little magnetic disc, which SCUF calls an EMG Magazine Key, which you place on the again of the controller. With that finished you press and maintain the paddle you need to remap, press whichever button you need it to repeat after which launch the paddle and take away the important thing. It’s a cool manner round the truth that you possibly can’t usually remap controllers on console, however the apparent draw back is that you must watch out to maintain the important thing protected. Lose that and also you lose the power to remap paddles. Replacements can be found at SCUF’s web site, although.
As for the triggers they’re a bit of totally different too as a result of SCUF have added small plastic bumpers on the underside to cease you from pulling all of them the way in which in. By utilizing the included particular key you possibly can rotate these little ridges, both turning them “on” or “off.” Once more, in a aggressive state of affairs the place each second can depend the time saved by stopping the triggers going previous their activation level could possibly be necessary.
There are a few different nifty options situated within the triggers as nicely. Firstly, there are two totally different covers that you would be able to placed on the triggers that serve to make them longer, or you possibly can simply take the covers off totally in order for you one thing that matches the unique Dualshock. The default covers that my Syndicate shipped with are only a tad longer than the standard triggers, whereas the second set of covers add yet one more couple of millimetres. It actually jogs my memory of these horrifying nail extension issues ladies use…*shudders* however I truly fairly appreciated the longer covers. They need to even be helpful for larger with larger arms and longer fingers.
Beneath the covers you’ll additionally discover yet one more little gap the place the SCUF key could be inserted, in a very non-sexual manner, I guarantee you. Except you need it to be, I assume. Anyway, by turning the important thing clockwise twice you possibly can activate the hair-trigger system which can basically tighten the set off, shifting it nearer to the activation level. SCUF recommends doing this whereas in-game by turning the important thing till your gun fires, then loosening the set off just a bit. Once more, this method is all about chopping down the time it takes you to react in-game, and when mixed with the bumpers means you possibly can have very brief journey distance.
Sadly I had a little bit of a difficulty with the controller I used to be despatched over. Being the inquisitive twat that I’m I imagine I overtightened the screw after which pulled the set off, and earlier than I knew it a small piece of plastic inside shattered, which additionally meant I couldn’t get to the screw correctly. However on the brilliant facet it did give me the possibility to check out SCUF’s buyer help service. Their turnaround was immediate: I had the controller again in below every week. The one hiccup is that whereas they fastened the difficulty, they left one small piece of the damaged plastic rattling round contained in the controller. Fortunately I used to be capable of coax it out of the small hole that opens if you pull the set off down.
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In case you completely play video games that don’t make use of the set off’s vary of movement then SCUF do what they name digital triggers that flip them into one thing that feels extra like a mouse click on. The upside is that it’s vastly faster than the traditional set off, however it additionally renders the controller ineffective in terms of issues like racing video games the place the total vary of movement is required to manage fuel and braking power.
Each of the bumpers can be swapped over to digital, too. I wouldn’t think about this could provide a large benefit for the reason that bumpers don’t have quite a lot of extra motion anyway, however in contrast to the triggers you don’t lose something by choosing the digital variations.
Each of the thumb sticks could be eliminated utilizing the particular SCUF device in case you fancy swapping them out for one thing else. Throughout customization you possibly can go for concave or domed sticks, no matter matches your preferences. Plus you possibly can select between low or excessive sticks, a probably useful possibility too, once more particularly for folks with larger arms.
As for the way the thumbsticks really feel, they each appear only a contact smoother than the common Dualshock, and require little bit much less power to maneuver round. The consequence feels very good certainly. It did take some getting used to as much less resistant sticks of the Influence meant I usually discovered myself struggling to get fairly as a lot exact management. After just a few stable hours of play nonetheless, I had adjusted to the variations.
A possible audio downside exists within the type of the three.5mm port. Like a standard controller you possibly can plug in any pair of headphones or buds that sport a 3.5mm connection, however the Scuf’s port is nestled a centimetre or so contained in the controller’s shell with a notch minimize out of the plastic physique. Meaning in case your headphones of selection have a chunky plastic piece across the connection it won’t match. Simply one thing to remember. Personally, although, all my headsets and headphones match with out a difficulty.
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Likewise, the charging port on the rear lives in a bit of sq. cave which could possibly be problematic for some cables to suit into appropriately. Given the already excessive asking worth for SCUF controllers it’s irritating that the Influence doesn’t ship with a charging cable by default. If you’d like that it’s worthwhile to purchase it individually or as a part of the Professional Participant Pack. Don’t fear, it’s simply a regular micro-USB port. Y’know, like one of many dozens all of us have mendacity round our dwelling. Nonetheless, together with a cable wouldn’t have killed you, SCUF.
All in all my variation of the Scuf Influence Syndicate got here in at round £170, which is hardly low cost for a controller. It’s definitely a stunning controller to take a look at and it does really feel good within the arms, however I’m undecided the additional options are price such a large asking worth. With that mentioned the Xbox’s Elite 2 controller retails for £160, so by comparability the costs are comparable when you’re on the lookout for one thing a bit extra…particular.
Placing the worth apart in a darkish cabinet for a minute, the controller itself packs some candy methods and appears terrific. I’m a tad involved by how simply I wound up annihilating the set off system, however that appears to be an indication of my very own stupidity greater than anything. Personally, it’s the paddles that make the Influence particular, including much more flexibility to the common Dualshock’s structure.
In the end, although, would I purchase a SCUF Influence personally? No. However then, I’m probably not the type of one who can make the most of its advantages to their fullest. If fast-paced shooters are your break and butter then the Influence may provide the edge you’re on the lookout for.
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