Reply to Pioneer and Traktor....questions from a beginner

Hello all,

So, I am new to DJ'ing (as in, I've touched a pair of decks once in my life). I've been taking some courses over the recent weeks, and feel I have a pretty good foundation of the basics. I'm getting a little familiar with Traktor, and have down the basics of beatgridding, looping, cueing, remix decks, using FX, EQing, etc; similarly, I've got a familiar understanding of the basics of mixing and functions of the CDJ's (course I'm taking uses Xone 92 and CDJ 2000's).

And now I'm looking to buy my first controller. My most suitable setup (from an entry level point and cost perspective) will be an all in one. So this here begins my debate: I'm pretty well narrowed down to either an S4 or the DDJ-SX. My first preference is the DDJ-SX. I like the idea of having the pads to make use of the remix deck. But, referring to earlier, all of my knowledge is "from the books." In other words, I can't really see the little nuances the come from actually using the controller/software integration. So I have a few questions:

1) If I go the DDJ-SX route, It'll obviously be mapped. From what I've read there might be some latency issues. I don't really care to do much scratching, so would this be an issue from any other performance standpoint? (and if anyone has any experience with the new DDJ-SX Traktor mapping from Pioneer, I'd love to hear it)

2) The SX is obviously built for Serato, where the S4 is built for Traktor; i.e. buttons won't perfectly correspond if I go the SX route. Now, I feel pretty comfortable with mapping and using modifiers in Traktor, but am I not seeing something that with the physical layout of the SX that might make actual performance a pain? (i.e., not having a dedicated D/W knob, or having one mapped via shift or elsewhere on the board)

I appreciate any advice that anyone can give on my decision as well. Thanks in advance for any help given, and hopefully I can provide some assistance one day!