To a gamer, a controller is a gateway to another world. So it comes as no surprise that they would want their controller to be specially customized. This could be done with decals, paints, or other forms of modification.
Some people just like patterns on their controllers, like stripes or spots. Others customize theirs based on their favorite games like The Legend of Zelda or God of War. Sometimes it has nothing to do with games and instead they customize a controller after their favorite comic book character. Then, there are really cool customs that are steampunk or made with LED lights.
However, there are customizations that do not go over too well. Maybe the main image in the decal is cut off by the control buttons or the controller winds up looking like an advertisement for Taco Bell.
With this in mind, we have created a list of all the really cool and really not cool custom PlayStation controllers we have found. The original, the PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, and PlayStation 4 all have had customized controllers made by fans and artists. These pictures were found by either sellers or just people showing off their own work or findings. So let’s dive in.
29 Lame: Angry Kratos Eyes
This is how not to make a God of War customization on your controller. To each their own, but it looks like Kratos is trapped inside your controller and wants to get out.
Also, that’s a touch-pad, so you'll sometimes have to poke his eyes for your gameplay.
The best part is that it's just G-O-D is written on the buttons. The fact you could not fit “war” in that as well is hint enough to not even put the “god” in there. This controller is just threatening.
28 Dope: Iron Man
The level of awesome is so strong in this controller that it looks like you'd just ripped off a piece of Iron Man’s suit. The shine is beautiful. The placement of the gold and the red just looks perfect. The cherry on top is the glowing lights of the analog sticks. If a collector’s edition of an Iron Man video game ever comes out for the PS4, this controller alone could sell it!
27 Lame: Legend Of Zelda
Holding this controller would not be fun. There is a reason people don’t knit little blankets for the handles of video game controllers. This leather would get on any gamer's nerves. Functional practicalities aside, the Hyrule emblem looks low quality, as it’s quite scratched up. We would be better off purchasing a Hyrule keychain and gluing that onto the controller. Without these two problematic details, it would just be a regular green Playstation controller. Maybe it’s a good first draft?
26 Dope: Vault 111
Now, this looks like Vault-Tec material. It’s very clean and bold looking. If PS4s existed in the Fallout universe and Vault-Tec was awesome enough to provide them to their subjects, then it would not be surprising if their controllers looked like this.
They may have lied to everyone but boy could they market their Vault-Tec themed merchandise, from posters to lunchboxes.
Unfortunately, vault dwellers will have to stick to their Pipboys for game content. That’s too bad since vaults probably get boring.
25 Lame: Mad Max
Oh, do not get us wrong. This looks awesome. But for actual gameplay? It looks like a nightmare! It’s not the spikes, so much as the buttons and the analog sticks.
A player can probably play around the spikes but the buttons look like they are not meant for pressing.
Imagine having to button-mash on that thing. Hard games can make your fingers ache on a regular controller, so this would be awful. You’re better off just displaying this controller and buying a separate one for gameplay.
24 Dope: Steampunk
Who in the world does not love steampunk? The style gives off a mysterious but also mechanical feel. It's like a marriage between magic and science, which is just loads of fun. With that in mind, steampunk controllers are a great customization idea because, in a way, gaming feels like the magic of the arts meeting the science of technology. We only wish the lock could function with an actual key. Now, that would be an amazing controller.
23 Lame: Bling Galore
A little bling here and there is good. Even over the top bling is not bad as long as it’s for a look instead of for practical use. Like a lot of the lame controllers on this list, this customization lessens the enjoyment of the controller’s function. Holding this bling alone would be uncomfortable, but imagine pressing the buttons? Do people forget that gamer hands get incredibly sweaty? Would the bling even stay on, or would it wind up decorating gamers' sweaty hands?
22 Dope: Fallout
A lot of sweet little details went into this customization. The NCR and count-up carvings look real. The artist either did a fantastic paint-job or they actually managed to etch into the controller.
So that there was no doubt this was a Fallout controller, the Pipboy himself is there with his creepy thumbs up of encouragement.
There is also a patch job on the side because, of course, we don’t want the controller to seem too intact if it went through a nuclear war.
21 Lame: Money
We have just one word: Why? Why would you want a money pattern on your controller? If you want to show that you’re rich, then get one of the really expensive controllers! Or are you truly poor but love irony?
Are you Mr. Krabs from SpongeBob?
This looks tacky, cheap, and pointless. See that face on the hundred dollar bills? That’s Benjamin Franklin and he’s judging you. If you really like Benjamin Franklin, then sure, I guess this modification is perfect for you.
20 Dope: Metal Gear
A lot of work went into this custom controller. It displays Foxhound on one side and MSF on the other. To make this one super special, a joystick was built on top of the touchpad! How does someone even do that? That’s incredible! This is a treasure for any Metal Gear fan. The only reason someone shouldn’t use it is for fear of accidentally breaking this work of art. Imagine being able to play all of the Metal Gear games with this.
19 Lame: Minecraft
There are way more creative and better-looking Minecraft controllers out there, surely. What makes this one so lame is that the buttons cover the character, even though the character is the only thing that shows this is a Minecraft modification! At first glance, this controller just looks like an artsy skin without Minecraft involvement. Those who make custom skins for controllers need to think about where the buttons will cut off their images. The handlebars are a much better placement area for character features.
18 Dope: Glorious Steampunk
This controller looks like it kept amazing and intricate details while still maintaining room for gameplay. Even if it becomes uncomfortable to use, it’s still worth using because of how cool this looks.
What if you had to wind it up to play like a music box?
It was created by cybercrafts on deviantart. Their crafts are definitely worth a look. They make various steampunk creations from cameras and instruments, to books and flash drives. They are the basically steampunk rulers of the DIY world and everything they make looks museum or art show worthy.
17 Lame: Cat Face
We love cats. Cats are little angels with claws and deserve worship. However, this controller is just lame. It looks like a cat is trapped instead and the touchpad is his or her only window to the outside world. Also, it’s a face on a touchpad! You know how we feel about faces on touchpads.
We don’t want to stroke the cat’s giant eyeballs.
A better cat-lover controller would have cat ears or cat paws. The toe beans and ears are some of the cutest parts of a cat.
16 Dope: BioShock
This controller has a giant spoiler on the touchpad, so it would not do for someone who has not already beaten the original Bioshock game. But who needs a custom controller for a game they haven’t beaten yet? They wouldn’t know if they loved it or not.
The Big Daddy and Little Sister are beautifully creepy, while the “Would you kindly” is a delicious cherry on top. This controller does an amazing job of featuring one of the most unforgettable twists of video game history.
15 Lame: Taco Bell
Why would you want a company logo on your controller unless you were the owner? Or is there a lounge in a Taco Bell we don’t know about where the staff get to play video games? Another sorry excuse to have this controller would be if it came with a meal you ordered, like those toys in Kids' Meals.
If you ignore the fact that it’s Taco Bell, it could be kind of cute. For this controller, ignorance is bliss. Fortunately, the logo is on the handle, so for most of your gameplay, it should be covered up.
14 Dope: Mass Effect
This fandom controller would only be obvious to Mass Effect fans. The Renegade and Paragon symbols are on the handlebars. It’s a little bothersome that the Paragon symbol isn’t blue like in the game, but oh well.
For those who don’t know, these symbols would sometimes appear in cutscenes and you’d select one for aggressive behavior and the other for heroic behavior.
Basically, you are choosing between Dirty Harry for Renegade and Captain America for Paragon. Fans either loved or hated that mechanic, which is why it’s not in Andromeda.
13 Lame: Spiderman
Since Spiderman has become big on PlayStation 4, it deserves a good controller. This one is just boring. It’s just a part of Spiderman’s suit as a controller.
What could make this better? Put an actual spider on it. A living, breathing spider. A spider that can be your gaming buddy.
Jokes aside. What could have made this dope instead of lame is if it had other parts of the suit, maybe a famous quote or logo. Maybe even adding some more color and/or design could mix things up because this one looks just plain boring!
12 Dope: A Better God Of War
There is not a single part of this controller that is not God of War. This controller looks like it ended its own family of other controllers and used their ashes to paint it white.
This controller has defeated the Greek pantheon and may soon defeat the entire Norse pantheon as well.
All it’s missing are its scars, but that probably would have looked a tad strange, so not having them was a good call. Seriously though, the artwork on this controller is so realistic that I just want to touch it and find out what it feels like.
11 Lame: SpongeBob Nightmare
The nose is the absolute worst part of this monstrosity. It’s so far out there that it looks like it should be a joystick but it’s not, and I don’t know if that makes this worse or better for us all.
SpongeBob is a funny and great cartoon show but the fans don’t gather because they love staring at the protagonist’s silent face.
There is a single point of redemption in all this, and it's that the X button is cute. The X button is a symbol and style from the show, but it, unfortunately, it's not enough to distract from the Pinocchio-esque happening in the center.
10 Dope: Fallout Pipboy
Some of the best custom controller artists are the ones who show that they can do more than just a simple skin or paint job. The Pipboy portion of this controller is a flip cover for the touchpad. How cool is that?
Kotaku wrote about the creator, Devin Smith. “Devin Smith runs End of Line Design, a lil’ company that makes very custom, very fancy video game controllers.”
They even wrote about this specific controller. “Despite the heavy modifications, including new surfaces and an elaborate flipping Pip-Boy cover the whole Dualshock 4 still works as advertised, even the touchpad.” This creator sure knows how to balance art with functionality.