I’m sure this has been asked but I haven’t really found a good answer. What is the advantage to each one and is it more of a compatibility issue?
The biggest difference is that the cthulhu lacks 360 support and an rj45 jack, meaning you’ll have to solder for older console support. Beyond that, the cthulhu has more classic support (worth considering if you play on retro systems) and the ps360 has limited ps4 support (times out after 8 minutes, soft reset with select+3k). Akishop is working on ps360 updates (nothing guaranteed though), I’m not aware of any cthulhu updates in the works.
So none of them work good enough on the ps4 yet?
Exactly. For the PS360+ to work properly on PS4, there needs a hardware update, akishop will probably make an announcement if/when it’s ready.
And since the newest PS4 Update, the PS360+ doesn’t work at all on my console. Not even when connected to the CronusMax 
Having owned and used several of these in mods, I recommend the cthulhu for reliability. Never had a problem with them. But I had two replace at least two PS360+ because of apparent hardware failure.
Why would you even think a Cthulhu works on PS4?
I love how uninformed people somehow think that the MC Cthulhu is the magic solution for everything up to and possibly including XBO, PS4, etc. 
ANY kind of research for the MC Cthulhu (you will find the datasheet) will tell you EXACTLY what consoles it’s compatible with, and that list hasn’t changed in 4+ years.
Update your ps360 firmware, it works now (unless there’s been a new update in the last 2 weeks, I haven’t used mine on the ps4 since then).
Thank you for the advice, but I’m already on 1.65
It worked before the PS4 Firmware Update two days ago (2.04). The PS360+ still works on other consoles, but on the PS4 it’s dead.
I’m betting Akishop is already working on a fix. I wish Sony would just leave this alone, I can’t imagine the very niche ps360 userbase being any sort of threat.
I don’t get it either. I hope the fix will come soon - I had to update to the newest Firmware in order to download DoA:LR. And I contacted Akishop in case they didn’t knew about the update.
Meybe they’re working on some kind of… PS4ONE… or something 
Can anyone explain how the Hori Fighting Commander 4, Guilty Gear pad, MadCatz TE2, HRAPv4, etc. authenticate with the PS4? I’m fairly certain none of them have bluetooth support, so is there a ROM chip on these boards that contains firmware which the PS4 is handshaking to verify they’re licensed?
If so, couldn’t copying that firmware to a Cthulhu or PS360 trick the PS4 into thinking they’re one of these licensed boards?
Or why can’t we just pay the licensing fee Sony is charging Hori, MadCatz, etc. to get official support on our community boards? The retailers can just pass the cost on to the consumers, I don’t think anyone here on SRK would have a problem paying another $5-10 for official PS4 support.
I know Microsoft has a stick up their ass and they just simply won’t allow their security chips to officially be on another board that has Sony support because they’re menstrual little bitches (at least according to MadCatz). But I doubt Sony would have any problem licensing Cthulhus and PS360’s.
Logistically, what’s cockblocking us from just working out a deal with Sony to officially license these PCBs instead of this cat and mouse 8 minute timeout game they’re playing?
All the sticks that work with PS4 have some sort of Bluetooth security chip, you can even see it on the PCB’s it’s normally that round black thing.
Oh ok, so even the wired pads have a bluetooth radio. Is it a stipulation that the authentication only be done over bluetooth? I mean if they’re being paid royalties, I wonder if it’d even really matter to them. I’d be interested in reading a little more about the politics of the whole licensing song and dance from someone within the industry.
As well as whether Akishop has even reached out to Sony on the matter. Is there an official 360 security chip on the board of the PS360+ or is that some kind of crack?
Also, is Toodles himself governing the Cthulhu? Or did he basically just design it and then hand it off? Like who’s making all the business decisions regarding who manufactures the boards, what retailers get to distribute them, etc.?
If Akishop were to ask sony for a licensing agreement, I am pretty sure their reply would be a cease and desist order. If you want a controller to be licensed, it has to be manufactured accorded to specifications provided the licensee. In this case both sony and MS insist that their licensed controllers only work on their systems and to be not cross platform compatible with their competitors.
I knew that was Microsoft’s attitude but I didn’t know Sony were equally turdy when it comes to cross compatibility. I just assumed them to be a little more open due to the whole PS3 peripheral > PS4 support on a developer by developer basis thing. So in that case I’m assuming there’s no official 360 security chip on the PS360+ and they’ve cracked it instead?
They could possibly still work out some sort of deal to release their boards with PS3/4 support only out of the box, and if firmware upgrades just happened to find their way on the internet that added additional console functionality, legally they wouldn’t be responsible. Basically the same deal with jailbreaking or any other softmodding that happens with over the counter electronics, the manufacturer is never responsible for what modifications the end user might make after buying said product.
Or hell, really if they’d just officially license separate PCBs, as long as they were compact enough and easy to solder to (or using plug in pig-tails) they could leave it in the hands of us the end users to do the multi-modding. That’s kind of what happens already with all the padhacking, we don’t actually need every console under the sun out of the box, we just need a company that’s on our side as far as making smaller boards that are more arcade stick form factor friendly.
We have a MarkMan for cases, what we need even more is a ‘MarkMan’ of circuit boards.
@revolt , I just played some Guilty Gear Xrd with my PS360 equipped stick, have you checked to see if it’s working on other systems? Maybe you have a bad cable? I know there was a recent batch that has a non working rj45 connection, have you tried the USB out?
We have that in the community basically. But what you’re specifically asking can’t really happen on a legit scale, not in that way anyhow. The companies want finished products only on their system as licensed devices… any open ended device can spell disaster for their certification since they have 0 idea what’s on the other end of that I/O, whereas a finished controller ends with the user interface as certified.
As far as the bluetooth on every controller, I’m less inclined on that now, and I think for 3rd party devices that are wired it’s more akin to the 360 handling… as in it’s a security check against whatever the security IC can give over the wired connection. The wireless security I think is reserved for the likes of the dual shock wireless controllers. How in the hell that 8 minutes overlaps so well, I have no idea.
Even if it lacked an EEPROM for eventual legacy flashing (as you said we have those already, I’m sure 5 years from now we’ll have an everything PCB), just to have a third party peripheral manufacturer that played by Sony/Microsoft’s rules when building next gen devices, but designing them with the full knowledge and intention that we’ll be cracking them open for use in sticks would be a major boon.
They could use the cheapest shittiest parts ever just to keep costs low, but throw in a quality 2" x 1.5" PCB that has everything we need at the ready. Someone to operate under the guise of a controller manufacturer, but designing with us in mind.
No more mind boggling first party pad hacks, no more “is it common ground?”, no more buying Hori Commanders (with who knows what odd size/shape) and doing tons of soldering, just rip it apart, plug in a ribbon cable, and you’re good to go while maintaining the peace of mind that it’s licensed and it’s just gonna work and be fully compatible.