8BitDo Ultimate has been working great for me, look for one of the ones with hall effect sticks

You can’t beat a good old Xbox 360 controller

8BitDo Pro 2 is fantastic, best pad I’ve ever used.

In my opinion, it doesn’t really matter, just get a controller with a stick layout you like, and make sure that it uses hall effect sticks, as they don’t wear down, unlike traditional potentiometer-based sticks. The Sony DualSense Edge is pretty nice and uses hall effect sticks, but it’s expensive. Here’s a list with many more controllers with hall effect sticks, I’m sure you’ll find something that’s more affordable: https://www.hlplanet.com/controller-hall-effect-joystick/

Dual sense, hands down. Will be nr 2 if they re-release the steam controller.

Edit: On linux, works perfect, can’t tell on Win.

Features and reliability are my metrics.

Dualsense Edge is the best feature-wise, imo. Costs too much though. But you can replace sticks that wear out.

Next up for me would be a Dualsense modded with hall effect sticks. These are great.

Best budget pick is the latest 8bitdo pad with hall effect. I think one of them is only 30 bucks, avoids the stick drift and should last a long time.

I don’t know which brands and models specifically are good, but I would look for controllers labeled with hall effect. It makes a controller much more resistant to stick drift, although it doesn’t say anything else about any other quality or durability (such as your bumper issue)

I’ve been using the Razer Wolverine Tournament Edition for years, after wearing out a regular Xbox controller and returning the Xbox Elite controller because I didn’t like the design. It’s held up well. Looks like the latest version has hall effect sticks too.

I’ve been using a Gamesir Kaleid T4 for wired PC gaming and it’s been a solid controller so far. I’m not a competitive player and 99% play single player. The hall effect sticks and triggers are quite nice, beyond reliable after my last controller decided that the right stick’s left and right were now diagonals.

Also, comfortably affordable at <$50.

I’ll be the guy who suggests the unusual options, then:

• a steam controller; they take some getting used to, but they have some really nice quality of life features that nothing else has (mouse control via the joystick pads, and the paddles on the back!) and are ideal for bigger hands as it’s nice and chunky. They’re built specifically for PC use, so the support is as good as it gets. I think they don’t feel as “premium” as they’re quite lightweight plastic as opposed to the heavy metal of e.g. Xbox elite

• the Nintendo Switch Pro controller; this one wins on the durability front imo, all Nintendo’s stuff is built to survive children, so they do a lot of drop testing, pouring drinks over it, basically all those fun things kids like to do to your expensive toys

its pricey but the dualsense edge is my favorite controller of all time.

• symmetrical sticks are better for retro games (dpad position is more comfortable) and modern games (easier to claw grip the dpad to change items while moving for example).
• back buttons are surprisingly useful for every genre. i have dodge bound to the same back button no matter what game or genre im playing.
• hair triggers are great for soulslikes and other action games that dont require analog triggers.

PS5 Dualsense controller has worked like a dream for me. It’s lasted longer than my Series X controller already, and I have no issues with using it due to Steam Input. Plus, some games even take full advantage of the features it has, like adaptive triggers and HD rumble.

I would go find a display where you can hold a controller, or play a friend’s PS5 first just to make sure, but I think that Sony solved their issues with the large-handed crowd with the Dualsense. The form factor is extremely comfortable, and something about the weight of it just feels so right.

Plus, the touchpad works like a mousepad, so any games where I can use the controller during gameplay but for some reason need a mouse to navigate menus are a complete non-issue now. In fact, many times I can launch whatever I want to play and play it without picking up anything other than my Dualsense.

That said, there is a caveat: The Bluetooth compatibility may not be too great. I haven’t tried to use it much, but I think I remember experiencing a few issues with that. Got a 10ft braided USB-USBC cable though, and that’s eliminated my issue.

I’m running Pop!_OS, and was expecting problems while using it, but the compatibility is so much better than even the PS4 controller. Don’t waste time with tools like DSX - it really does just work out of the box.

My favorite is still the Dualshock 3. Works mostly out of the box in Linux (you need to tweak a setting in the bluez config as of somewhat recently). I haven’t tried making them work on Windows in well over 10 years but from what I can see Steam has special support for them, otherwise you need a standalone driver. Can’t say anything to how comfortable they’d be with your hands however :P

I have been happy with the Sony controllers. They’re comfortable, have relatively small dead zones, and are still working well after more than a few years of use. Both the DualShock 4 v2 and the DualSense are supported by Steam Input, can be used on Windows, and have native support (from Sony!) in the Linux kernel.

My favorites are definitely the Xbox Elite controllers, but like you said, they got garbage build quality. First Elite had the same bumper problem, returned it, next one had the same issue. Elite 2 was the same, I think.

The Dualshock 4 and Dualsense worked without any problems for me on Windows (Steam). But my first Dualsense also had a problem after about half a year (returned it), and my current one has shut itself off occasionally while playing. I also just can’t get used to the symbols on the face button and like the Xbox ABXY more. If I can change it in a game, I’ll always set it to the Xbox variant.

I’m currently back to the 8bitdo Ultimate, which had some issues early on (I think connectivity), but it got some firmware updates and has been fine so far.