Asymmetrical layout. Dual rumble. 220cm cable. Native XInput. And it costs less than a large pizza.
The budget PC controller market is a minefield. For every decent option there are ten generic units with mushy buttons, hollow chassis, and sticks that drift within a month. The Diswoe 8601, available on Amazon, sits in a different category. It’s a deliberate, well-engineered Xbox 360 style wired controller that gets the fundamentals right at a price point most competitors can’t match.
Here’s the full breakdown.
What’s in the Box
The 8601 is a wired USB controller built around the asymmetrical Xbox 360 layout, the most ergonomically proven design in modern gaming. The left thumbstick sits higher on the chassis for natural 3D movement positioning, the triggers are pressure-sensitive analog levers, and the face buttons and bumpers use tactile membranes.
Key specifications at a glance:
Connectivity: USB wired, 220cm (7.2ft) cable Layout: Asymmetrical, Xbox 360 style Sticks: Clickable thumbsticks, potentiometer-based Feedback: Dual asymmetric vibration motors D-pad: 8-way directional Finish: Matte non-slip ABS plastic Protocol: Native XInput (DirectInput also supported) Compatibility: PC Windows 7/8/10/11, Steam, Raspberry Pi, Steam Deck
Build Quality and Materials
The chassis uses matte-finished ABS plastic throughout. The matte surface does meaningful work here, maintaining grip during extended sessions in a way gloss plastic simply doesn’t. Internal construction uses reinforced plastic ribs to resist torsional stress, which is why the 8601 doesn’t creak under pressure the way cheaper units do.
The 220cm cable is longer than most competitors in this price bracket and is built with proper strain relief at the connector. Diswoe specifically advises disconnecting by the housing rather than the cable, which is the right advice and reflects awareness of where budget cables typically fail.
The dual vibration motors are asymmetrically weighted and positioned in the grips, which produces a more natural range of haptic feedback than single-motor designs.
Driver Installation: The One Hurdle
The 8601 is native XInput but on Windows 10 and 11 it can register as an “Unknown Device” on first connection. This is a common issue with third-party 360-style controllers because Windows prioritises first-party hardware IDs for automatic driver assignment.
The fix is straightforward:
- Open Device Manager and locate the “Unknown Device” or “USB Receiver” entry under Other Devices
- Right-click, select Update Driver, then “Browse my computer for driver software”
- Select “Let me pick from a list” and choose “Xbox 360 Peripherals” as the device class
- Select “Xbox 360 Controller for Windows” (version 2.1.0.1349)
Once associated, full XInput functionality is enabled including pressure-sensitive triggers and dual-motor rumble. This is a one-time process and the driver association persists across reboots.
Performance by Genre
Racing and simulation: The pressure-sensitive triggers provide incremental throttle control that works well in Forza, Project CARS, and similar titles. Budget potentiometer triggers do have a slight non-linearity compared to Hall Effect alternatives at higher price points, but for most players the difference is not meaningful.
FPS: The thumbstick tension is moderate, suited to casual and semi-competitive play. Centering accuracy is good out of the box. Over heavy use, potentiometer-based sticks will develop jitter before Hall Effect sticks would, which is the standard trade-off at this price.
Action-adventure and RPG: The strongest category for the 8601. The asymmetrical layout reduces thumb fatigue across long sessions, the 220cm cable allows for a relaxed seated posture, and the face button and bumper feedback is solid throughout. Elden Ring, The Witcher 3, and similar titles are exactly what this controller is designed for.
Fighting and sports: The 8-way D-pad is clicky and provides clear tactile feedback for diagonal inputs, a notable improvement over the original Xbox 360’s notorious D-pad. For casual FIFA and Mortal Kombat play it performs well. For frame-perfect competitive fighting game inputs, a dedicated fighting pad with a mechanical D-pad remains the better choice.
Stick Drift: The Honest Assessment
The 8601 uses standard industrial potentiometers rated for several hundred hours of active use. For casual to moderate gaming this translates to 12 to 18 months before drift becomes noticeable. Heavy users will hit this sooner.
The upside of the 360-style chassis is repairability. Seven standard Phillips or Torx screws is all that stands between you and the internals. Potentiometer cleaning with electrical contact cleaner, membrane cleaning with isopropyl alcohol, and stick re-seating are all straightforward procedures that can extend the controller’s life significantly.
Hall Effect sticks eliminate drift entirely through non-contact magnetic sensing, but the cost of these components currently sits above the 8601’s price point. As sensor costs decline this will change, but for now potentiometers remain the budget standard.
Diswoe 8601 vs. The Competition
| Feature | Diswoe 8601 | Logitech F310 | PowerA Enhanced |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | ~£14.59 | ~£18.00 | ~£25.00 |
| Layout | Asymmetrical | Symmetrical | Asymmetrical |
| Vibration | Dual motor | None | Dual motor |
| Cable length | 220cm | 180cm | Detachable |
| Extra buttons | None | Mode switch | 2 back paddles |
The Logitech F310 costs more, has no rumble, and uses a symmetrical layout. The PowerA Enhanced costs significantly more, has back paddles, but is frequently reported to have hollow build quality and higher stick drift incidence. The 8601 wins on price, rumble, cable length, and structural feel.
Quality Assurance
Diswoe participates in Amazon’s Transparency program, assigning a unique verifiable code to each unit. This protects against counterfeit products, which is a genuine concern in the budget controller market where “generic” copies of popular designs are common. Each 8601 you receive has been verified through quality control prior to dispatch.
Verdict
The Diswoe 8601 is the most straightforward recommendation in budget PC controllers right now. Native XInput means it works immediately with the vast majority of modern PC titles. The asymmetrical layout is ergonomically superior to symmetrical alternatives at the same price. The 220cm cable is genuinely long. And the dual rumble motors are standard equipment rather than an upgrade.
The driver installation quirk on Windows 10/11 is a minor inconvenience that a five-minute one-time fix resolves permanently. The potentiometer sticks are the honest limitation of the price point, and they’re repairable when they eventually wear.
For casual to mid-range PC gaming across any genre, it’s the best value in its category.
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