Nyko PS3 controller mimics Xbox 360's style

Nyko appears to have chosen sides on which game console controller it likes better, launching a Playstation 3 controller with the Xbox 360's layout.

The Raven doesn't look exactly like an Xbox 360 controller. It has sort of a winged design, hence the name, and a "Soft Feel Surface" instead of the usual hard plastic. The similarities are mainly in thumbstick layout, with the left stick and directional pad swapping locations. There's also a pair of trigger buttons and bumpers on the top side that look a lot like those of an Xbox 360 controller.

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To be fair, Nyko is also releasing another Raven configuration with the PS3's traditional left thumbstick layout. But given that the company hasn't made an Xbox 360 controller resembling the Playstation 3, it seems more like Sony's the subtle jab.

Nyko isn't the first company to attempt a Playstation 3 controller with Xbox 360 aesthetics. Dreamgear sells the Shadow 6, which looks even more like a Microsoft creation, but it's only available online. Datel's Turbo Fire Bluetooth controller is sold at GameStop, but despite looking very similar to an Xbox 360 controller -- matching color scheme and glowing center button and all -- it lacks the same thumbstick configuration.

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Which do I prefer, you (didn't) ask? Sony's PS3 controller is lighter, but ultimately I'm happier with Microsoft's Xbox 360 controller. The gently curved edges have more of a mind for ergonomics, it seems, and the thumbsticks are stiffer, and therefore easier to use for shooters. I'd want to see those benefits in a mock Xbox 360 controller for PS3.

Nyko's Raven controllers cost $35 and should arrive this fall.

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