Expensive specialized controllers are very popular, but they often cost over 200 €. For just about 20 €, you can replicate one of the most important features of these ‘Pro-controllers’. MeinMMO author Marko Jevtic will tell you why you should do this.
Especially for console gamers, their controllers are the most important tool in their favorite hobby. However, especially in shooters, the drawbacks of an analog stick compared to a mouse become apparent.
Expensive pro controllers like those from SCUF want to close this gap with a few clever tricks. One of the most important features of such ‘Pro-controllers’ is the ability to swap out your analog sticks with longer alternatives. Such features make these controllers very popular, but also incredibly expensive.
But this important and popular feature can be easily replicated for your standard controllers. It will only cost you 20 €. We are talking about the thumbstick attachments from KontrolFreek. I have been using these attachments for almost 10 years and I can’t recommend them enough.
In their promotional video, KontrolFreek briefly explains how these attachments help and how to use them correctly:
Plastic attachments for up to 20 € increase precision in shooters
What is the problem? Little control, jerky aiming movements, and lack of fine motor skills – most people who play shooters with a controller know these problems. The right stick is often just trickier and harder to tame than one would like.
That’s why controllers like the SCUF Reflex for the PS5 are so popular. This pro controller was able to sell over 100,000 units in just 3 hours after release. And that’s despite the cheapest version costing 220 €, while the most expensive costs even 270 €.
That is a lot of money for most players, but features like interchangeable thumbsticks make such a big difference for other gamers that the investment is worthwhile.
The attachments from KontrolFreek aim to help exactly there and use the simplest laws of physics.
What do these attachments do? For about 20 € (though there are also cheaper versions), you get 2 plastic attachments for your controllers. You can easily clip these onto the sticks of your original gamepad, which raises the height of the thumbsticks.
This also increases the leverage on your sticks. The longer the thumbsticks are, the more control you have over the movements with your thumb.
This principle underlies the interchangeable thumbsticks in expensive controllers like those from SCUF. For many shooter fans, this is the most important feature of these pro controllers. For about 20 €, you can easily retrofit any controller to utilize this advantage.
There are several versions of the KontrolFreek attachments that vary in color, shape, and height. You must also decide which controller they fit on before purchasing.
I recommend buying the highest possible attachments, either in concave or hybrid form. In my experience, these are the best for shooters. The attachments for PS4 controllers also fit on PS5 and the Switch Pro controller, but not on the Switch JoyCons or Xbox controllers. For those, you would need to buy the KontrolFreeks specifically developed for them.
However, in my experience, it is sufficient to retrofit only the right stick. Since you get 2 attachments in one package, you can upgrade 2 different controllers.
Here are selected KontrolFreek attachments for PS4, PS5, and Switch Pro controllers:
*Affiliate-Links. Wir erhalten bei einem Kauf eine kleine Provision von Amazon. Vielen Dank für Eure Unterstützung!
Here is the same selection for Xbox:
*Affiliate-Links. Wir erhalten bei einem Kauf eine kleine Provision von Amazon. Vielen Dank für Eure Unterstützung!
What are the advantages of the attachments? Smooth pressing in any direction is thus made significantly easier, as you have to apply less pressure with your thumb to achieve sensitive movements.
This is a blessing, especially in shooters. With more fine motor skills, you can control the sticks more precisely as you wish. This also makes it easier to avoid extreme stick movements – which in turn means that you can also maintain strong aim assist in games like CoD Warzone without easily breaking it due to strong movements.
After a short adjustment period and perhaps some tinkering in 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 better to enemies, the strong recoil of your weapons can be controlled more easily, and you feel more in control when facing headshots with snipers.
If you play something where these attachments are a hindrance, it’s also no problem. You can quickly and effortlessly remove and reattach them. This gives you more flexibility regarding the height of your stick compared to some SCUF products, where you must decide upfront on a stick height.
In short: KontrolFreek promises more precision, and these simple plastic attachments for a maximum of 20 € can deliver on that promise. This gives you one of the most important features of controllers that cost 11 times or more.
What are the disadvantages of the attachments? The perhaps most important disadvantage you need to be aware of before buying is the adjustment period. Since the sticks now sit higher, your grip on the controller changes, which can feel significantly different depending on personal posture. You will quickly notice that your right thumb rests much more stretched on the stick even in the rest position than without the attachments.
This also has the side effect that your stretched thumb further increases the improved leverage, but especially at the beginning, it can feel uncomfortably ‘tense’. The distance to the buttons is also higher. This can lead to missing the reload button in the first few hours.
If the rubber on your standard stick is already a bit worn, it could lead to minor issues with the fit. In particularly intense moments, it may happen that the attachment falls off the stick and lands in your lap. This should happen rarely, but it can happen.
Conclusion: The best investment for my controllers in almost 10 years
I bought my KontrolFreek attachments for Battlefield 4 back in 2013 shortly after the launch of the PS4. Since then, I’ve used the same attachment not only for PS4 controllers but also for the PS5 and my Switch Pro controller. So for almost 10 years, I’ve been shooting better thanks to my once purchased KontrolFreek for 20 €, across several console generations and manufacturers.
Sure, they don’t replace every popular feature of these pro controllers like those from SCUF, such as the so-called paddles, which are the buttons on the back of the controllers. 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.
That’s why I can easily recommend the KontrolFreek thumbstick attachments to anyone looking to improve their performance in shooters.
Rumor has it that Sony will soon be releasing a ‘Pro Controller’ for the PS5. Leaks suggest that it will also offer the popular longer sticks:
