In the current generation of game systems, I like the Xbox One better for the user experience, but the PlayStation 4's DualShock 4 gamepad stands out as the best controller I ever felt in my hands. I yearn for a way to play Xbox One and PC games with a DualShock 4; while a third-party tool lets me play with the DualShock 4 on my PC, for the Xbox One, so far, I've been out of luck. That changes with the ControllerMAX CronusMAX, an incredibly powerful, if esoteric, gaming device that lets you use nearly any controller with any PC and many game systems. That includes using the DualShock 4 on the Xbox One. It's not perfect, but at $59.95, it's an absolute steal for any hardcore gamer with very specific tastes in controllers, but very broad tastes in systems.

Design

The CronusMAX looks like a sort of USB diagnostic device. It's about the size of a USB flash drive, but with a red numeric LED display on the top, a USB port on the end, and a mini USB port on the side. A small button sits below the display, but unless you're going to juggle multiple profiles you won't have to worry about it. Finally, a pinhole button sits on the underside of the device for manually resetting it.

In order to be so flexible, the CronusMAX has to be a bit complicated to set up. It's worth it, though. Its USB connector plugs into your game system or console. The USB port connects either to your controller or to a compatible USB Bluetooth dongle, while the mini USB port connects to your computer for configuring the device with Gtuner, the program you use with the CronusMAX.

Gtuner

Gtuner is the Windows program that lets you set up the CronusMAX. You need a PC to get the CronusMAX running, because nearly every setting and mode is configured in the software, with a wired connection to the mini USB port. The software itself looks complex and intimidating, but you only need to use one menu and change a few settings to get going.

The main setting you need to access is Output Protocol. This setting is found in the Options menu under the Tools tab, and it determines what sort of commands the CronusMAX sends to the connected device. It can be configured to output commands to an Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, or Xbox One. It also has an Automatic mode for both the Xbox 360 and PS3, but its PS3 support in that mode is spotty, and you can't use it with a PC in that mode.