PlayStation 5's pro controller is finally revealed.
(Image credit: Sony)
Sony revealed its new PlayStation 5 tech last night at Gamescom, the German gaming festival, and it backs up months of pro controller rumours. The DualSense Edge Wireless Controller is the latest hardware from Sony, and it's, well… ugly.
The new DuelSense Edge – a name that conjures up smart phones more than pro gaming – comes after months of leaked PS5 controller concepts and one rumoured redesign in particular for a PS5 pro controller that caught my eye. Clearly the DualSense Edge has been in the works for some time and its design has not been taken lightly at Sony.
The design of the PS5's DualSense controller is a real thing of beauty, but this customisable model is a necessary evil. It may diminish the smooth and unique lines of the PS5 controller in favour of function, but it's aimed at a market Sony needs to be involved with. Targeted at an elite gamer who needs to adjust the controller to their needs the DualSense Edge is pure function over form. You can watch a video of the new DualSense Edge below to see for yourself.
The point of the DualSense Edge is to make a pro controller that can be adjusted and tinkered with to suit a player's style and needs, tailoring it to specific genres of games. For example, buttons can be remapped or deactivated, stick sensitivity and dead zones adjusted; players can manually reduce the travel distance of the triggers. All this means the smooth curves of the DualSense are eaten into as little switches and levers, that enable you to pull apart the DualSense Edge, take prominence.
I'm being a little harsh on Sony's entry into the pro gamer space for PS5; considering you can break the DualSense Edge down and adjust it to how you need it to work, it does remain a sleek controller but with a new industrial, well… edge. Some of its design is a little blunt, but it's not as bad as some third-party designs. Take a look for yourself below, or over at the PlayStation blog.
The DualSense Edge retains some of the DualSense's design notes but adds functional pro gamer adjustments (Image credit: Sony)
Daisuke Kurihara, art director on the project has explained the intent was to balance the needs of pro gamers with the design of the DualSense, saying: "The DualSense Edge wireless controller also features a number of thoughtful design touches that we hope players will enjoy, including a distinct DualSense controller-inspired black-and-white colour scheme and a unique PlayStation Shapes pattern on the touchpad and trigger surfaces."
While I still maintain the DualSense Edge blunts some of the original PS5's controllers subtle curves, it's good to see Sony take some more risks with its PlayStation 5 designs and be willing to tinker with its products. This may be a little ugly in comparison to the DualSense controller, but that PS5 pad is a work of art and any tinkering will tarnish it.
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The DualSense Edge won't be released for a few months, so if you're looking for the best PS5 controllers now take a look at our guide. We have a list of the best PS5 games too, if you need something new to play.
Ian Dean is Editor, Digital Arts & 3D at Creative Bloq, and the former editor of many leading magazines. These titles included ImagineFX, 3D World and video game titles Play and Official PlayStation Magazine. Ian launched Xbox magazine X360 and edited PlayStation World. For Creative Bloq, Ian combines his experiences to bring the latest news on digital art, VFX and video games and tech, and in his spare time he doodles in Procreate, ArtRage, and Rebelle while finding time to play Xbox and PS5.
