I've been a fan of Hori's aftermarket video game accessories for a long time. The first time I personally purchased a Hori product was back in 2006 when they released screen protectors for the Nintendo DS' plastic resistive touchscreen. Admittedly, this was a pretty simple product that anyone who had access to the infrastructure could produce, so it was kind of inconsequential, but this interaction gave me the confidence to purchase my first mass-produced arcade stick, the Hori Real Arcade Pro 3 (which I immediately disassembled and reconstructed with other aftermarket parts, but I digress).
"Mini Pad" ("Wired Light Controller" in Japan) is a line of more generic controller designs that aim to be smaller and cheaper but still (nearly) fully featured. For the PS4, the Mini Pad omits wireless connectivity, the "Light Bar" (an RGB LED indicator) and the onboard speaker that was largely reserved for occasional gimmicks, and replaces the trackpad/touchpad with a button used in combination with the analog sticks to simulate gesture inputs.
These are fantastic trade-offs for the competitive offline player who needs to carry their controller around between PS4s to play matches. The sheer pocket-ability of this controller makes it far more convenient than nearly anything else on the market. The only problem I had with this controller was the hardwired connector, so I spliced some cables and pulled out the soldering iron to make the USB cable that goes between the controller and the game console.
I own two of these, one in generic dark blue, as well as this limited edition Dragon Quest Slime themed one. The Slime controller actually came with buttons that match the casing, but I elected to swap them out with the original PlayStation coloured buttons. Not only did I give myself an aesthetic upgrade, I also gave myself a batch of replacement parts if any of the components on the controller I actually use wear out (like the conductive rubber pads that actuate the switches).
