[Review] PS4 StrikePack Eliminator Mod Pack
Being disabled, I really can’t afford custom controllers like SCUF controllers or even first-party controllers such as the Xbox Elite Controller, when the prices are so high ($149.99+ and $179.99 respectively). Plus what if the controller breaks? You’d have to buy another. Attachments on the other hand are less expensive and more easily replaceable. For example, Sony’s DualShock 4 Back Button Attachment is only $29.99 USD on Amazon. Collective Minds Gaming Co. Ltd. is also back with the next iteration in their PS4 StrikePack line of attachments: The Strike Pack Eliminator Mod Pack adapter. The question still remains though: How is it?
I’ve been using the original PS4 StrikePack, the PS4 StrikePack F.P.S. Dominator (“the Dominator”), for about 4 years, and have loved every minute of it. Even so, I’ve had a couple of issues, as I was still lacking access to buttons. In my review of the Dominator, I said “[…] I’d like to see [...] a version of the StrikePack with four paddles, rather than just two. Two paddles get the job done just fine, but four would be perfect for someone like me, so we could map L1, R1, L2, and R2. As it stands right now, we have to choose between L1 and R1, and L2 and R2.” It seems like Collective Minds was thinking ahead, because while not paddles, the Strike Pack Eliminator Mod Pack (“the Eliminator”) has 4 buttons, so it looks to be about what I wished for.
In the box, you get a braided, custom 10-foot USB cable, and the adapter itself. As with the Dominator, the Eliminator does not require you to open the controller or anything. It simply clips onto the back of the DualShock 4 and gives you 4 programmable Action Buttons, labeled 1 through 4, with 1 & 3 being on the left controller grip and 2 & 4 on the right. These buttons are somewhat clicky, which in my opinion is a good thing. The space between the buttons is also textured for grip. The Eliminator also connects to the PlayStation 4 the same way as its predecessor -- via the included USB cable. This time, you can program the Action Buttons to be any of the 18 buttons on the DualShock 4 (or any 2-button combination), including the Home button and the 2 touchpad buttons, right out of the box. Also, unlike with the Dominator, the PS4 does not recognize the Eliminator as a USB headset, which means you can plug in and use any 3.5mm headset, as long as your DualShock 4 is one of the newer ones (model CUH-ZCT2U and later).
To program the Action Buttons, you just hold either the corresponding triangle-shaped button on the back of the adapter and press the button(s) you want to assign to the respective Action Buttons. For my purposes, I’ve just mapped them as L1, L2, R1, and R2, which finally gives me full access to the DualShock 4… six years into the console’s lifecycle. Better late than never, though, right? It still opens up countless games for me to play properly without having to figure out a good remapping, like in 2018’s Spider-Man.
As with the Dominator and the Switch Up Game Enhancer, I would recommend that you update the adapter’s firmware, which is still a painless process. To do that, you'll need to download the updater Tool from any of the adapters’ product pages on the official Collective Minds website or their own websites (here and here respectively), run it, plug the adapter itself into your computer, and download/upgrade the firmware. With the Updater Tool, you can also choose the specific firmware you want, and even downgrade the firmware. Speaking of the Switch Up, yes, it does support the Eliminator! Woohoo! (Here is my Switch layout.)
It’s not called the Strike Pack Eliminator Mod Pack for nothing. The Eliminator has various mods, including anti-recoil, quick scope, auto run, and turbo. It also supports Mod Pass, a yearly $14.99 USD subscription service from Collective Minds that gives you access to Mod Packs and Game Packs for a variety of different games, the catalog of which is continuously updated. These games include: Dark Souls Remastered, Destiny 2, Overwatch, Monster Hunter World, NBA 2K, Fortnite, Grand Theft Auto V, Call of Duty: Black Ops 4, Minecraft, and God of War (2018). The Packs contain various control mods for the respective titles. However, these are neither here nor there for me, as I got the Eliminator purely for the Action Buttons.
However, even with how much I love the Eliminator, it’s still not perfect. Even with it, I still can’t play Monster Hunter World one-handed, but that’s more due to the game’s control scheme, rather than a fault of the adapter. That being said, I do have a few issues with the Eliminator, all of which are more of design issues. The first is that Action Buttons 1 and 2 are halfway under the wells for the analog sticks. This makes those Action Buttons harder to press for me, although it’s not that difficult to press them regardless.
Also, as stated before, the included USB cable is custom What I mean by that is that it has its own housing. To accommodate this housing, the adapter has a custom connection channel, meaning you can’t just use any old USB cable. Unfortunately, this connection channel seems to be reminiscent of the one used on the original Dominator, before the redesign fixed this very issue. By that, I mean the connection channel is angled downward, which means when you put the controller on a table, the weight of the controller is on the USB housing, which in this case looks to be relatively flush on my desk. However, add the weight and force of playing one-handed on top of that, and you can imagine just how much pressure is applied. So, I am concerned that the USB housing will get permanently bent, even though I know from personal experience with the original Dominator that it should still work.
The rest of my issues are minor. My next issue is that the position of the Action buttons are on more on a 70-degree angle, whereas the Dominator’s paddles are at 90 degrees, give or take. Another issue that I have is two-fold. The first part is there is quite a bit of space between Action Buttons 1 & 3, and 2 & 4 -- about a thumb-width of space. This leads into the second part of this issue. Action Buttons 3 and 4 are further down the grip than I’m used to with the Dominator’s paddles. All this means, however, is just that I have to get used to the placement of those two Action Buttons. After all, it did take me a while to get used to the Dominator too.
In addition, as with the Dominator, there is no official method to use a DualShock 4 with the Eliminator on PC. There are ways to do it, of course, but the methods include downloading a third-party program and installing specific drivers. It’s worth noting that this workaround installs the controller with the StrikePack as an Xbox controller. Now, this is a double-edged sword, because certain PC games, like Overwatch, require an Xbox controller, but because it’s recognized as such, this means the touchpad and its buttons do not work. At the end of the day, this workaround is adequate, but you’re still relying on programs that you may not know anything about.
It’s also worth noting that I have tested a DualShock 4 with both the Dominator and the Eliminator on the PlayStation 3. I’ve found that while yes, they do work, the Home button does not. So, you will need a PS3 controller if you plan on using either StrikePack on that console, just so you can access the XMB from in-game. That isn’t a big deal, but it’s just something to keep in mind. For certain PS1 titles that are playable on PS3, such as Parasite Eve 2 or the original Resident Evil 2 however, it might just be more beneficial to use something like a MadCatz FightPad Pro, which was designed to work on both PS3 and PS4.
Much like the Dominator before it, the Strike Pack Eliminator Mod Pack has become an inseparable part of my gaming experience. Since I got it, the Eliminator has been of use in every PS4 and Switch game I’ve played. In fact, most of what’s in my Playthroughs section, and everything I stream, I can only play, because of the StrikePack line. The Eliminator can be better, but as someone who can only play one-handed, the 4 Action Buttons, in particular, are exactly what I need. Would I recommend it? Yes, without a shadow of a doubt, and here’s the best part: It retails for only $44.99 USD! There is also an Eliminator for Xbox One, but my problem with the Xbox One version is that Action Buttons 1 and 2 on it are all the way under the controller itself. You can purchase the PS4 Strike Pack Eliminator Mod Pack from Amazon, and the official Collective Minds and StrikePack Eliminator websites.
Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars
Accessibility Rating: 4.5 out of 5 Stars
Collective Minds Gaming Co. Ltd. is a Canadian company that produces peripherals and accessories for various video game systems. Their products include the Mindforce controllers for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3; the StrikePack F.P.S. Dominator for Xbox One and PlayStation 4; the Cronus Zen, and; the Switch Up Game Enhancer for Nintendo Switch. Collective Minds sent me a PS4 StrikePack Eliminator Mod Pack for review, and I would like to sincerely thank them for doing so.
