"Dualshoch III" and other knockoff PS3 controllers

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impossiblescissors
Posts:29
Joined:Wed Mar 10, 2010 8:55 pm
"Dualshoch III" and other knockoff PS3 controllers

Post by impossiblescissors » Sat Dec 07, 2013 1:34 am

Hello all,

If you've ever looked for PS3 controllers on eBay, I'm sure you've seen the knockoff controllers from various sellers (usually located in China.) Some appear to be genuine DualShock 3's at first glance, complete with Sony markings on the controller and packaging. Others are subtly different, like the "Dualshoch III" I recently bought. The "Doubleshock III" has an air of legitimacy because you can buy it on Amazon and because it's devoid of Sony trademarks which would brand it as a counterfeit.

I was interested in how these controllers performed and whether there would be any parts interchangeability with the genuine Sony controllers. There wasn't a lot of info on these controllers online, so I took the plunge. For a grand total of $11 I own a blue "Dualshoch III."

First impression:
The build quality seems to be quite solid. The plastic is thicker and more rigid than the semi-translucent plastic of my SixAxis. Syncing the controller with the PS3 and using the controller to turn the PS3 on seems a little weird at first (like it just can't quite turn the PS3 on) but otherwise the controller seems responsive and works wonderfully when playing games. It also syncs with the PC over USB cable using the MotionInJoy software. I have not yet tested its ability to pair with PC over Bluetooth.

After a few rounds of "Transformers: Fall of Cybertron" I unscrewed the case and partially disassembled the controller. The five screw locations were the same as on the genuine PS3 controllers, but case disassembly seemed a lot easier since the locking tab between the thumb sticks was absent.

The controller innards were interesting, resembling the solid circuit boards of the original PS1 DualShock. The shoulder button layout was definitely a leap back to 1998! The thumbsticks appear to be the three-pin design, possibly compatible with the SixAxis (definitely not compatible with the four-pin sticks of DualShock 3.) The battery is a custom design, thicker than the genuine PS3 controller battery, and held in place with a strip of adhesive foam.

I will definitely post pics of the disassembly sometime later this weekend. Until then, my overall impression is that these controllers are solidly made, reliable, and worth the $11 I spent on mine. There's a good chance that the quality control on these controllers is spotty, due to reviews I've seen where "Doubleshock III" controllers acted squirrelly or died. But I'm happy with mine, and it's great for PS3 and PC gaming.

impossiblescissors
Posts:29
Joined:Wed Mar 10, 2010 8:55 pm

Re: "Dualshoch III" and other knockoff PS3 controllers

Post by impossiblescissors » Sat Dec 07, 2013 9:47 pm

Link to my DualShoch partial disassembly pics.

http://s194.photobucket.com/user/imposs ... hoch%20III

impossiblescissors
Posts:29
Joined:Wed Mar 10, 2010 8:55 pm

Re: "Dualshoch III" and other knockoff PS3 controllers

Post by impossiblescissors » Wed Dec 18, 2013 8:23 am

After using the "Dualshoch III" watching Netflix, I must admit they are clearly inferior to the genuine Sony controller for that purpose. Since the controllers have a reduced battery life, they shut off after just a few minutes of inactivity. This gets annoying whenever you want to rewind the movie, only to see that the controller has shut off. Pressing the "P3" button to wake it up has the effect of pausing your movie. So the knockoff controllers aren't a 100% replacement for the genuine Sony controllers, but they're still a good deal when you can find them for cheap.

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