Review: Snakebyte Wireless Game:Pad 4S

Gaming can be an expensive hobby. You get yourself a console, a few games, and controllers for you and a sibling or friend, and next thing you know you’ve spent alomst $1000. The price for a Dualshock 4 for example can run you $74.99 CDN, and if you’re someone that plays a lot of local co-op that can really drain your wallet. That’s where third party hardware companies like Snakebyte come into play, with their more cost effective controller, the Game:Pad 4S. How does this controller fare to the real deal? The short answer is the controller is good, but not great. Let’s dive into some specifics for the long answer.

First, let’s talk about the look of the Wireless Game:Pad 4S. The Wireless Game:Pad 4S is a carbon copy of the previous wired version, forgoing the slender, elongated design of the Dualshock 4 controller for a similar form factor to the Xbox One or Switch Pro Controllers. On first blush the controller looks really stealthy and slick, with the available colour and pattern options being a standard black, grey, bubblegum camouflage, and blue camouflage, which is the unit we were given for review purposes.

For the most part the controller operates on par with the Dualshock 4, mainly with its battery life and rumble motors, but there are a few glaring issues that showed it’s inferior design. The first issue is the Game:Pad 4S’ direction buttons, which is a one piece D-pad as opposed to four separate buttons. It took some getting used to when testing out the controller on side-scrolling platformers and fighting games that are very D-pad dependent.

One head-scratching choice that was made in the design of the Game:Pad 4S Wireless was to not label the four symbols buttons with the actual symbols, but rather with the names of the buttons: Triangle, Square, Circle, and Cross. As someone who has only seen the symbols on the buttons for over two decades, the switch somewhat irked me. It’s a bit of a nitpicky thing to point out, but maybe it’s just my OCD kicking in.

Also, while the design is very sleek, there are several hard edges that are quite the contrast to the Dualshock 4’s rounded design. The hard edges most likely won’t effect most players, but if you’re accustomed to lengthy play sessions of more than a couple of hours the controller may start to feel a little uncomfortable on the hands.

While it shouldn’t be considered as a direct equivalent to the Dualshock 4, Snakebyte’s Wireless Game:Pad 4S is one of the better third party options for Playstation 4 owners who are looking for a cheaper solution when they are in the market for a new controller for themselves or to stock up for local multiplayer sessions. The one piece directional button may take some getting used to, and the controllers edges may feel uncomfortable during extended play sessions, but the overall quality of the product and comparable battery life, combined with the price point makes the Wireless Game:Pad 4S a viable Dualshock 4 replacement.

A review unit of the Game:Pad 4 S Wireless was provided by Snakebyte