Best answer: Yes, Sony has confirmed a new controller. A precedent was set where new console generations are met with controller redesigns. This change rings true across the industry, including with Microsoft and Nintendo, and it’ll continue int he next generation.
Current iteration: Sony DualShock 4 ($47 at Amazon)
What can we expect?
New controllers are almost always redesigns that iterate on the previous model, taking what worked and fixing what didn’t. Certain features or buttons may be added depending on features that the PlayStation 5 specifically supports.
Sony announced Tuesday that the next controller, though it hasn’t been named the DualShock 5 officially, will feature haptic feedback technology and adaptive triggers.
First, we’re adopting haptic feedback to replace the “rumble” technology found in controllers since the 5th generation of consoles. With haptics, you truly feel a broader range of feedback, so crashing into a wall in a race car feels much different than making a tackle on the football field. You can even get a sense for a variety of textures when running through fields of grass or plodding through mud.
The second innovation is something we call adaptive triggers, which have been incorporated into the trigger buttons (L2/R2). Developers can program the resistance of the triggers so that you feel the tactile sensation of drawing a bow and arrow or accelerating an off-road vehicle through rocky terrain. In combination with the haptics, this can produce a powerful experience that better simulates various actions. Game creators have started to receive early versions of the new controller, and we can’t wait to see where their imagination goes with these new features at their disposal.
According to an interview with Wired, it looks similar to the DualShock 4 and charges via USB-C. You can check out the article for some impressions on how the new controller handles.
What controller does the PlayStation 4 use?
The PlayStation 4 uses the Sony DualShock 4 controller. DualShock 4 controllers are compatible with all PS4 models, even the PS4 Pro. Aside from your usual face buttons and thumbsticks, each one features a large touchpad on the front of the controller, a light bar on the top, a speaker right below the touchpad, and a share button to the left of the touchpad.
Will the DualShock 4 be compatible with the PlayStation 5?
It is unlikely, but not impossible. A PS3 controller isn’t compatible with PS4, and a PS2 controller wasn’t compatible with PS3. Usually, when a new controller is announced, that makes the old one obsolete, but stranger things have happened.
Old reliable
DualShock 4 controller
$47 at Amazon
Your PS4 buddy
The DualShock 4 may not be compatible with the PlayStation 5 when it comes out, but it’s still valuable for playing your current games on PS4 or PC. Plus, Sony is coming out with new colors soon so you can expand your collection.
