While a fantastic piece of hardware, the DualShock 4 is not without its issues, the most pressing of which is the quality of the analog sticks. Many gamers have reported cases of the rubber peeling off the sticks. Sony even issued a statement that they are looking into the problem and offered to replace any damaged controllers as they are covered under the warranty. I have not experienced this problem with my DualShock 4, but I have had a different issue: the sticks are slippery as hell.
Sure, it could be my thumbs, but I don’t remember perspiring this much during a gaming session, let alone having overactive sweat glands on my fingers. The issue really comes into play when I’ve got the analog stick pressed for an extended period of time, like during the flying race levels in Lego Marvel Heroes or certain challenges in Rayman Legends. Or pretty much the entirety of Resogun. I’ve found myself losing a life or throwing myself off-course due to having to reposition my left thumb, which can be the difference between life and death, or getting a silver medal instead of a gold.
Perusing my local GameStop, I happened upon a product that seemed to be the perfect solution to my slippery situation: GelTabz Performance Thumb Gripz. The Thumb Gripz are silicon nubs that slip over the DualShock 4’s analog sticks, and are supposed to help with stability and “grip factor.” Plus, having a “Z” instead of an “S” in the title is the universal sign that the product is certifiably badass. So I bought them and popped them on my controller. I figured, at $7.99, it seemed like a good enough price to at least give it a chance. And thus far, I’m extremely happy with my purchase.
Installation is pretty straightforward. Just turn the tabs inside out, place them over the sticks, and flip them back over. They’ll cover the sticks perfectly. Flipping the tabs was a bit difficult, but that’s a good thing – it means that they’re a snug fit.
Once placed, the tabs make the DualShock 4’s indented sticks feel very similar to the DualShock 3’s rounded sticks. And it makes such a difference. They were comfortable, stayed put, and throughout several sessions, I did not notice any slippage whatsoever. And when the same games and situations I mentioned earlier were put to the test, the problem disappeared. They look good, too. I’m normally not one to make any aesthetic changes to my controller, and the white tops kind of threw me off at first. The difference in colors may not be for you, but after using them for a while, I kind of like the contrast. And at $7.99 for four tabs, you get your money’s worth. Just be advised that two of the tabs are black and white and the other two are blue and white, but they all look good on a black controller.
I highly recommend picking up GelTabz Performance Thumb Gripz – especially if you’ve experienced the same problems I had with the DualShock 4’s analog sticks. They’re cheap, comfortable, and make a world of difference. And to top it off, they’re backwards compatible with the DualShock 3. So pick these up, you’ll be zuper zatizfied. Zeriouzly.
Editor’s Note: GelTabz Performance Thumb Gripz will also attach to Xbox 360, Xbox One, Wii, and Wii U controllers as well.
