I tried the $200 PlayStation 4 controller that people are buzzing about and it was a huge letdown

First and foremost: What's the deal with this $200 controller? What is it adding?

Like the Xbox One Elite gamepad from Microsoft, the Scuf Vantage promises a level of customization that can't be done with a regular gamepad. You can swap out the thumbsticks, the triggers, and the d-pad — you could even outright swap the faceplate if you're so inclined.

Additionally, there are paddle attachments for the back that allow users to access buttons they'd otherwise have to use their thumbs to reach.

For instance: Instead of taking your right thumb off the thumbstick while aiming so that you can push the X button to jump, you could simply map the X button to one of the rear paddles.

That might sound small, but it's pretty meaningful if you're playing a competitive shooter like "Fortnite" where aiming while jumping provides a major advantage.

Additionally, the Scuf Vantage outright adds two additional shoulder buttons along the sides.

In short, the $200 price is largely attributable to customization options and additional buttons.

Right off the bat, just holding the Scuf Vantage, the controller feels cheap.

At $150, the Xbox One Elite gamepad immediately feels like a premium product. The materials on it are clearly high-quality rubber and metal, and the controller has heft to it.

Its directional pad (d-pad), which is easily removable, satisfyingly snaps into place.

Everything about using the Xbox One Elite controller, even before you play a single game with it, feels high-quality.

The Scuf Vantage does not convey the same sense of quality — from the flimsy plastic thumbsticks, to the cheap-feeling plastic used on the entire back of the gamepad, to the rattle that the rear paddles make upon contact (more on those in a minute).

Frankly speaking, the Scuf Vantage feels like it's lower-quality than the standard PlayStation 4 gamepad that comes with the console. And that was my first impression of the device before using it in a game.

Using the gamepad exposed some major flaws with base functionality — and that's before we start talking about all the additional buttons.

The game I played most with the Scuf Vantage was "Apex Legends," an incredibly fast, fluid, competitive Battle Royale game that benefits from precision control.

It's a game that could take advantage of what the Scuf Vantage has to offer.

Every time I was able to jump around while aiming (and shooting) at enemies was a delight — it did indeed enable me to do something I was previously unable to do.

The downside, however, was also immediately evident: The right thumbstick, used for aiming, was repeatedly unreliable.

I'd find myself aiming at an enemy or attempting to grab loot on the ground when, suddenly, my view would float for a second or two. I honestly couldn't believe it at first — we're talking about the most foundational of functions. If you point at something with your thumbstick, it should go where you point it.

But with the Scuf Vantage, I repeatedly experienced "thumbstick drift."

This is such a big problem that it outright obviates any benefits the controller otherwise offers. Simply put: If you can't depend on aiming 100% of the time, the controller isn't worth buying.

The bells and whistles are poorly implemented — I repeatedly found myself pushing the extra shoulder buttons by accident because of where they're placed.

Of the four paddles on the back, only two are somewhat easily accessible — at least with my small hands. The two middle paddles are nearly impossible to reach with any ease. Should you decide to outright remove the paddles, there are sharp, angular pieces of plastic behind them that I found tremendously uncomfortable.

Worse: The extra shoulder buttons are far, far too easy to accidentally push.

You could re-map those buttons so that they didn't accidentally trigger anything when you pushed them, but then what's the point of them existing in the first place?

I don't know who the Scuf Vantage is for, and I wouldn't suggest anyone buy it.

At $200, the Scuf Vantage feels overpriced — whether we're talking about build quality, or what it offers over standard PlayStation 4 controllers, or any other potential reason you might be considering it.

If it were just $100, I'd still recommend buying a standard, less expensive DualShock 4 gamepad over Scuf's PS4 gamepad. Frankly, it lives up to every negative stereotype about third-party game controllers.

Sony's PlayStation 4 deserves a gamepad that's as good as the Xbox One Elite gamepad, and the Scuf Vantage just doesn't fill that role.