Proving that most “leaks” are fabricated nonsense, we have the first images of the redesigned Xbox PS5 controller.
As you’ve no doubt seen, meme makers have been having a field day with the new PlayStation controller. From Stormtrooper references to Xbox/PS lovechild insinuations, there are hundreds of humourous takes on the new controller.
Personally, I’m torn. The overall shape, having moved closer to that of the Xbox controller, is actually quite good, but I can’t help feel Sony must be kicking themselves for having added the underutilised touchpad to the DS4, as they are now forced to include it for backwards compatibility.
For my tastes, the contrasting colours aren’t great, largely down to the positioning of the divides on the controller. No doubt there will be a monochromatic colourway released eventually, or one with more complementary colours, but for now, it’s understandably proving to be very divisive, even amongst the most hardcore of PlayStation fans.
It’s in the inside of the controller where the most significant changes have occurred though. Haptic feedback in the triggers is nothing new to gamers, having been available for the best part of a decade now, but the adaptive triggers are an extremely interesting addition. The triggers have variable tension, which will allow more tangible feedback in driving games by enabling you to sense when brakes lock-up for example, or for more realistically distinguishing between the feel of the trigger on a sniper rifle compared to a handgun. It’s a genuinely innovative feature, worthy of more attention than the design.
Sony made a big deal about removing the Share button, but in reality, it’s just been renamed the Create button and had some slightly increased functionality. Share/create – tomato/potato. It is a distinction without a difference in reality.
The light bar has been repositioned, now flanking the touchpad, which unless I’m mistaken, negates the reason for its invention in the first place. Surely it was introduced to allow tracking when paired with PSVR and motion tracking with the camera? We can only assume it’s no longer a necessary feature, but why they would leave a power-hungry LED in the controller is beyond me. Functionality aside, everyone knows (some) gamers love RGB, so there’s sure to be some fans of this design choice.
The headphone jack remains (whoops and cheers from wired headset owners), while the in-built microphone is confirmed to still be present. We already knew this, of course, following Sony’s patenting of the technology to provide gameplay tips (or allegedly sell you in-game items) based on your activity in games. As a side note, I’m still surprised after all the bluster around the Xbox Kinect microphone being always on that more hasn’t been made of the PS controllers having an in-built microphone.
So there we have it. The first actual images of something related to the PS5 that isn’t just a fan render or a “leak” originating from 4chan or Reddit. What do you think of the new controller?
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