Sony has unveiled the first look at the controller for the upcoming PS5, called ‘DualSense’. The reveal comes pretty unexpectedly as there was no buildup or any press event for the reveal.
It seems like after the PS5 deep dive by Mark Cerny, Sony took note of the mixed reception from fans. After all, the things that the fans are looking forward to the most are, well, the console and the games. In a blog post about the new controller, Sony revealed that this is indeed the final design of the controller being shipped to developers.
Like it or not, it is pretty surprising just how randomly Sony revealed this. The ‘DualSense’ controller looks extremely different, yet surprisingly familiar to the DualShock 4.
The most notable thing though of course is the new color scheme. All previous PlayStation controllers (called dualshocks) have been black in color, with the exception of the DualShock 1 for PS1. The DualSense however, looks much more exciting. It keeps the familiar blue of the PlayStation brand, and the white is kind of reminiscent of the Xbox One S controller.
With the new design, there are also some new functions coming to the controller. As explained in the blog post, these will be:
- Haptic Feedback
- Adaptive Triggers with L2 and R2 buttons
- A new ‘Create‘ button that replaces the DualShock 4’s ‘Share’ button
- Built-in Microphone Array
- USB-C Port for Charging
It also seems like Sony has added a permanent push-to-talk/mute button right above the microphone array port.
“DualSense marks a radical departure from our previous controller offerings and captures just how strongly we feel about making a generational leap with PS5. The new controller, along with the many innovative features in PS5, will be transformative for games – continuing our mission at PlayStation to push the boundaries of play, now and in the future. To the PlayStation community, I truly want to thank you for sharing this exciting journey with us as we head toward PS5’s launch in Holiday 2020. We look forward to sharing more information about PS5, including the console design, in the coming months.”
– Jim Ryan, President & CEO, Sony Interactive Entertainment
Sony’s PS5 console, alongside the new DualSense controller, will ship sometime in Holiday 2020.