Collective Minds Strike Pack F.P.S. Dominator Controller Adapter with MODS & Paddles for PS4

I'm 52 years old and I have loved video games since the old game room arcade days. I had the Atari 2600 as a kid and my brother got the original NES when it debuted many decades ago. I didn't really get too immersed in video games until the first Playstation. From then on, I've been a Playstation fan. It took me a while to get into multiplayer only games, I prefer solo action adventure games like Splinter Cell, MGS or Hitman. So when I finally decided to try it out, I went with Battlefront. I kept seeing clips on YT of this amazing gameplay that I had to see what the fuss was about. I was hooked and when Battlefront 2 was released I played regularly and still do today. I got pretty good and I usually finish most games in the top 5 leaderboard (Blast and Coop are the only two modes I ever really play) I started seeing players do amazing moves and kills and thought to myself, "How are they doing that?" Did some homework and I was exposed to all of these devices players use to cheat. From the Cronos Zen to $300 SCUF controllers. These guys are using paddles and flippers to remap their buttons, plus some of these devices have mods that allow you to auto-aim, and reduce simulated recoil. That's how they were doing it. So I bought first the Cronus Zen, then the PS back button and then finally the Strike Pack.So here are my Pro's and Con'sPros-Of the three options I tried, the Strike Pack was the best. I found the Cronus Zen pretty useless, the mods were all sketchy and defective and for the price it really didn't have much to offer. The PS4 back button was better but the form factor added bulk and heft to the controller that made it difficult to incorporate into gameplay, since it forced me to hold my controller in a way that just wasn't very comfortable to me. The Strike Pack attached to the controller and has a very nice form factor that does not add a heft and bulk to the controller. It's very sturdy and conforms to the shape of the controller very well. Buttons are responspive and have nice feedback.-Setup and loading the mods were easy and simple. Compared to the Cronus Zen which really overcomplicates and personally overcompensates by making the Zen a sort of open source modable device.-Mods were simple and did what they were supposed to do.Cons-Moving and cycling throught the mods is a bit cumbersome and are complicated and relies on a "Press the X button twice, when the light flashes, press the square and hold for 3 seconds..." that's not quite the sequence but it's the gist of how it works. If you wanted to switch between mods or change anything on the fly this makes it almost impossible...it did for me. I'm not 15 anymore, I found this annoying.-The Strike Pack is a wired controller and while I see the benefit of this in terms of response times and lag, it takes away a core feature and benefit of the PS4 which is wireless controllers. This cheapens the experience. I would have preferred the Strike Pack have an attachment that connects to the controller which connects to a wireless dongle. The Cronus Zen offers this option but it is incredibly laggy and not at all useful for multiplayer gameplay.TakeawaysWhile this unit was fun to use and experiement with, I really felt like all of these devices I tried made we a worse player. Reason being, I've developed a certain style of play that is a combination of strategy, skill and technique. For example, I prefer not to use melee unless it's a situation of being in a tight space where it's my only option. I tend to prefer a "run and gun" style meaning I typically do not run from powered players or when I am outnumbered, I much prefer to fight it out. This means in some instances I may actually get killed a lot more often but it also means I'm able to stay engaged in the game for longer. With the Strike Pack, I got those extra little abilities like jump shots and hair triggers but having that ability forced me into confrontations with players that took up more time. The time I spent jumping to evade shots that may have resulted in a single kill came at the expense of losing the volume of kills I already had by way of my normal gameplay. Hair triggers or autorun didn't really add significant value. Things like auto-aim were useless and impeded my gameplay and the ability to react or respond to fire or shots coming from different directions. So in a way, I got what I wanted which was confirmation that I was already a good player and don't need any 'advantages' I've developed a solid skillset that I found was not as enjoyable using devices. So I agree with those who say instead of using devices like this "get better" . If that's not an option say if you have a disability, it's my understanding that devices like this may help. So I'm not saying these devices are bad but if you're hoping to have an advantage by using these...I don't see it. Get better or play something else. There are too many video games out there to be hung up on not being good at a few.

UPDATED to 5 STARS due to great support and new features (mapping paddles now also to Triggers, Touchpad and PS Button; on-the-fly button swapping; Remapper Tool for PC enabling stuff like remapping and deadzone controler) via Firmware Updates - check changelogs at http://collectiveminds.ca/shop/playstation/ps4/strikepack-fps-dominator/ - then Downloads and scroll down a bit. (June 8th 2017 - see details at the bottom)Short summary:+ Paddles work great+ Easy Set-Up+ Solid QualityUPDATE: + Great Support and great new features via Firmware Updates and a Configurator UI- only works with provided, custom USB-Cable- cable stands out when plugged in, carrying controller's weight when on an even surfaceNote: Prepare to need some time to adjust to the paddles.I wanted paddles on my controller for a while, but I kept hearing bad stuff about Scuff and Sharq and others, especially when it comes to longevity and their lack of long-term warranty. And yes, price was also an issue, since I really didn`t see why I should pay 30 bucks more just so I can re-map what my paddles do. Then I stumbled across an ad for the Dominator and spent a week bothering their support team with all kinds of questions.In the end, I bought it, imported it to Europe, since it's not out there, yet. And I am quite happy, I did.I don't use mods - no cheating ;), so I cannot say anything about those, but the paddles so far work fine and that is enough for me.Their position on the controller is pretty much perfect, even if I had to get used to them being there - and used to my ring fingers doing some work while playing - I play with my middle fingers on the triggers at all times, so the ring fingers are the paddle fingers.The setup was easy and straight forward, but I did have to press quite hard to get both the Dominator plugged into the controller and the cable plugged into the Dominator, but they do fit solidly with no wiggle room.Using it with my USB PS4 Gold Headset also works fine - you just have to turn it on after you've activated and registered the Dominator.As I am very lazy - and am very wary of the weakness of plugs and ports and cables, I keep mine plugged in at all times. Which you can do (even if the manual says otherwise), if you follow a certain procedure to start up the console and the controller (it also helps if you have your profile set to automatically log-in):Power up the console by using the button on the console, NOT the PS button on the controller.Once you're in your Profile, then press the PS button on the controller (after one of the FW updates, you don't even need to do that anymore).(If you have a USB headset, now you can turn it on, then you have to select your profile and you're good).Note: This also works when powering up from rest mode, but you have to set rest mode to NEVER provide power to the USB ports and restart the console with the console power button, not the controller.When I first started playing with it, I noticed that I had an issue pulling the triggers, since the Dominator attaches to the controller's underside in the space where my middle fingers would usually curl into. For the first few hours having something there was driving me crazy, but now, after a few days of playing I don't notice it at all.I must've shifted my grip a bit - evidenced by a few little muscles pains, like the ones you get when using muscles you're not used to using, after two days that then quickly vanished.The paddle mapping was easy and I have so far never needed to do it again - the mapping still worked after every restart so far. The paddle operation itself feels good, their position is pretty much perfect and the haptic feedback accurate and nice. I have noticed that they are not quite as snug in their sockets as I'd like them to be, there is a little wiggle room, but I am not sure why and so far it hasn't affected my gameplay.There are two big issues I have with the Dominator though, and that is the USB cable and the angle it protrudes from the controller when plugged in.First, the USB cable is a custom cable with a very specific plug that allows it to fit snugly and securely in the Dominator's port. Which is great until the cable breaks, because most of the regular cables I've tried (including my favorite hardcore super-strong cables from Volutz) do not fit. Collective Minds told me that they'll send a replacement if the cable breaks, but being able to use any cable would've been a plus.Second, when the cable is plugged into the Dominator, due to the special plug and the Dominator's port it protrudes at a downward angle and as a result, if you put the plugged-in controller onto an even surface, the weight does not rest on the triggers as normal, it's fully on the cable - and thus on the Dominator's port and thus on the controller's port. Might not sound like much, but it's a continuous strain on the weakest points in the connection chain simply by laying down your controller. For now I put something underneath it that takes the weight so the cable is hanging freely, but it is kinda annoying.All in all though, I am very happy :)UPDATE:After over half a year of daily use I am still very, very happy. It works great and shows no signs of wear (but I am careful with that kind of stuff).And since Collective Minds keep updating the Firmware and adding and providing new features, I have now given this 5 stars. With the current update (1.40), you now can swap all buttons (and even triggers, like X=RT) on the fly while playing - they even integrated a lock to the remapping, so you don't accidentally do it (all documented in the new updated manual at: http://collectiveminds.ca/wp-content/uploads/ps4_fps_1.4.0_manual_english.pdf ). And the Strike Pack Configurator tool for PC allows for even more options, including setting stick deadzones, that allowed me to keep using my three year old launch controller, that in many games drifts to one side on one stick.It's great to see a company give such dedicated and thoughtful support to their product :)