During this summer, one of my goals is to help my team transition from our Logitech 310s to Sony Dualshock 4s (the second version, where the lightbar is visible through the touchpad). At first, I thought it would be less difficult than it turned out to be.
We originally tried using DS4Windows to emulate the controller as an XBox 360 controller, with LED and touchpad functionality as well. However, we found that if the controller was disconnected (due to requiring a USB connection), the reconnection time could be up to a minute, which would be extremely fatal during a competitive match.
For this reason, we tried using the original (generic) drivers on the DS4, but by doing so we lose LED, Touchpad, and Rumble functionality. This seemed surprising to me, since Steam is able to detect a DS4 and customize the LED and allow for Rumble usage. Because of this, I was wondering if anyone else has attempted (and possibly succeeded) in using all the functionalities of the controller without the difficulties mentioned above.
Honestly till Sony gives native drivers to their controllers (correct me if im wrong but DS4 still doesnt have native play with PC) its too risky to be using a DS controller, as it is sometimes prone to disconnects (at least with DS3) and can take a while for it to be seen again (as you said earlier in your post.)
If you prove me wrong though let me know, i find the DS controllers way easier than the Xbox controllers and would love to use them.
If you really needed to, you could try to solder the USB cable into the controller permanently, although at that point I’d just recommend a Logitech F310 (or some variant with rumble added) if you want the same button layout, native xinput drivers, and a solid wire.
There is an thread on different gamepad controllers here:
https://www.chiefdelphi.com/forums/showthread.php?t=158754
There is some testing and feedback on different gamepads. Some using feedback to the controllers. You may be able to test the resolution of the controller to see if the change is worth it.