DUALSHOCK 4 Revealed: Pushing the Boundaries of Play

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DUALSHOCK 4 Revealed: Pushing the Boundaries of Play

Hi Everyone! It’s a special day at PlayStation, and I hope all of you had a chance to watch the livestream of PlayStation Meeting 2013 in New York, where we just unveiled PlayStation 4. One of the most exciting components of our next-generation platform is DUALSHOCK 4, the new wireless controller that combines with PlayStation 4 to deliver new gameplay experiences that have never been possible before.

DUALSHOCK 4

I’d like to give you a tour of DUALSHOCK 4 and the features that will provide game developers the freedom to create brand new experiences that previously were limited to their imaginations.

Design

DUALSHOCK 4 adopts the familiar form factor of the DUALSHOCK 3 wireless controller with some key enhancements:

  • Motion control is enabled by a new highly sensitive six-axis sensor
  • Dual analog sticks fine-tuned for better precision plus improved surface materials and shape for more delicate manipulation
  • L2/R2 buttons on the top of the controller employ a curved design for easier, smoother interaction
  • A new “Options” button combines the functions of the DUALSHOCK 3’s “Select” and “Start” buttons for operating in-game menus

New Ways to Play, Share and Connect

In addition to these features that build on the controls that you already know, DUALSHOCK 4 offers new features that enable new ways to play, a key part of the PS4 experience. One of the biggest innovations we’ve designed centers on the deep social interactions that will surround all games on PS4.

DUALSHOCK 4

DUALSHOCK 4DUALSHOCK 4

The “Share” button allows you to easily broadcast your gameplay in real-time through streaming sites such as Ustream, where fellow gamers can comment and even join your game in new ways. For example, if you’re stuck in a difficult level, your friends can offer health potions or special weapons that you can use during gameplay. You can also instantly upload images or video to Facebook by pressing the “Share” button. As both a developer and a gamer, I’m personally excited about the opportunity to get help from friends when facing a challenge, and I can’t wait to see what my friends are playing in real time along with videos of their favorite in-game moments.

On the front side of DUALSHOCK 4 is a light bar with LED that illuminate in various colors to match the color of the character in a game as a simple way to identify players. The colors can also provide useful information to players, such as when their character has taken damage during a game. DUALSHOCK 4 was developed alongside a second peripheral, a dual camera which can sense the depth of the environment in front of it and also track the 3D location of the controller via its light bar. The new camera incorporates four microphones capable of accurate sound detection and source origination, and it will support the PlayStation Move motion controller with more precision than ever before.

Camera_05Camera_07

DUALSHOCK 4 also has a touchpad at the front of the controller as a new input method, offering more ways to interact with games. Additionally there’s a built-in speaker and headset jack to deliver high-fidelity sound effects from the games. A headset will be bundled with PS4, enabling gamers to chat with friends during online gaming and to hear sound effects from the controller.

There’s a lot built into DUALSHOCK 4, and the features were all thoughtfully designed with input from the development community (both our internal studios and third parties) and PlayStation gamers. Our goal was to give game creators an open canvas to express their ideas, and DUALSHOCK 4 combined with DUALSHOCK 4 will help us achieve the future of gaming that we at PlayStation see ahead of us.

What do you think? What’s your favorite new feature for DUALSHOCK 4?

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365 Comments

  • I gotta say, I’m not cool with an “always on” camera. If it’s not needed for gameplay I really hope we can turn it off. I’ll probably have a PS4 in my bedroom and I really don’t want some camera watching everything I do at night, if you catch my drift.

  • Great controller, but one request regarding aesthetics:
    Can you use the PS symbol pattern from the Vita? I like that look.

  • Will the DualShock 4 will work on the ps3

  • REALLY IMPORTANT QUESTION so does that means we can play our ps3 games in the ps4 machine??

  • Will ps3 games be able to play on ps4???????

    And will it have blue ray player in ps4 ???????

  • I can’t wait until the ps4

  • will the PS4 be compatible with current headsets (more specifically the PS3 branded virtual surround sound headset)?

  • The controller looks aswsome

  • Really cool controller even a led light in front of it. I’m wondering what the touch pad is for and what the PS4 console itself will look like. Looks like the future of Playstation gaming is really getting close, keep it up Sony ;) .

  • I wonder if the ps4 will have Bluetooth like the ps3 so that i can connect my headset wirelessly straight to the ps4 and not to the controller like xbox has to.

  • I still don’t like how they left L2/R2 button like that. Leaving the button trigger to support it self annoys me, it gets damage over time to easy and when you place it on a surface beside a flat surface the button is accidentally trigger. I prefer the ps2 L2/R2 controller where their is a separate support that make sure this doesn’t happen. I don’t get why they put the led light indicator where you can’t see it if they stating that it would indicate the player health bar, wouldn’t it be more better to put it where I can easy see the light indicator like on top of the controller instead of where it is currently at.

  • The light bar should also be utilized to inform gamers that they have received a message. Perhaps the bar could change color or flash when there are messages in the inbox. From past experience, when I am playing I don’t always see the message notification pop up. Having the light bar react to messages would help me respond to my friends faster.

  • I’m really excited about the LED front light and to see how the depth detection is used as an in-game tool. Finally able to chat with friends on mic. The social media intergration is pretty cool too.

  • @203, In an interview today sony said that the Dualshock 3 will NOT work with the PS4….

    @ 204, In an interview sony quoted ” The PlayStation Network and the cloud can present an additional value to PlayStation gamers. (…) Although PS3 titles aren’t natively supported on the PS4, we’re exploring some very unique opportunities enabled by cloud technology, with the long-term vision of making PS3 games ubiquitous on any device; the technology is so advanced that someday we could easily put PS1/PS2/PS3 and the PS Mobile games on any device, including the PS4 ” ….

  • It looks nice but I really believe its time to update something with regards to the DualShock in terms of design and feel.

    The new features are amazing, yes… and I am really looking forward to using them but it needs to have a wow
    factor… which I believe it currently lacks.

    Sorry SONY, love you but I can’t lie to you

    Where is my Boomerang Controller?!

  • I owned one of those boomerang controllers back when I had my ps2 and I can tell you, it was HORRIBLE. It was way to heavy with long madden sessions/ the long ends of the controller were very distracting when being held and the sholder buttons were way too small. I forgot who made it, but it was not that great.

  • i think the controller is very well designed and allthe features i expecially like the share button, but im curious how the “options’ button is going to work. are going to have to press it then a small box pops up on the screen and you have to choose select or start, that is just an idea that thought would be very bad and hope that wont be how it works.

  • I absolutely love this, but why would you do this to me?
    Release not one, but TWO, new PS3 bundles just before you premiere the PS4?
    Come on, guys.

  • Will they cost more than a regular dualshock 3 once they go on sale???

  • I Like!

  • My question is will Playstation 4 be backwards compatible with dualshock 3 controllers, seeing as how ps3 is backwards compatible with dualshock 2, and on average how much is a controller going to cost separately . also i have to say i like the idea of built in speakers, and an included headset. but the dual camera will definately takje some getting used to. other than that, its looks good so far. dont fail me Sony.

  • Gotta say that I’m very impressed with the redesigned controller and the PS4 in general. I mean REALLY impressed. If it works like intended, it could be a huge game changing!!! You guys really went above and beyond this time.

    Excited to learn more!

  • Will the DUAL-SHOCK 4 CONTROLLER work on the PS3???

  • can we still play our playstation 3 games on there? the headset do we have to buy new ones for online? over all looks sick cant wait!…..

  • Well first, I’d like to see a camera with great picture quality instead of one that looks like a web cam from 1996. Next, I think the share button is the stupidest thing ever. Just make an option in the start menu to screen cap and then share. The share button is ridiculous, what a waste of a button on an butt-ugly controller. Just have a start and option button, is that so much to ask? Stupid social networking, screw that crap. If I like something that I think another person will like, then I WILL TELL THAT ONE PERSON. I don’t announce to the world every stupid little thing that I do, Hey, everyone I took a fat dump today; I picked my nose and wiped it on couch; I scratched my butthole and rubbed my eye. Yeah I don’t do that, so why would I do it with my games? Lastly, I DON’T HAVE A SMART PHONE so any games that require a smart phone to make it more “involved” is basically a useless game that I just dumped money on and then guess what? I don’t buy anymore games. And connecting your phone to the PS4 will just drain the battery and make peoples phones useless. To hell with the DualShock 4. Screw the PS4 for, yet again, NOT BEING BACKWARDS COMPATIBLE. The PS4 is turning out be a sad disappointment.

  • Does any one else think they should have stuck with the dome analog sticks

  • nice i love sony 4 lilife psp

  • I think it’s awesome that you guys added a speaker to the controller, when i first played the wii i thought that was a really cool feature, and it’s nice to see it on the ps4

  • Please tell me we can output the games sounds through the headphones and not just sound effects. Either way I’m pumped for the PS4.

  • i like the blue light in the front of the controller, but i hope it doesn’t shine too bright or you’re able to turn it off or something because playing in a dark room with a light emitting from the controller would be annoying.

  • deep social interactions , but they don’t even bother to reply to our questions in the blog or the forums or at least interact with us

  • I’m loving this controller. I’m glad it has some heft to it. That one actually one thing that took me a while to warm up to with the PS3. The controller just seemed thinner and lighter than the ps2 controller. I like the way this looks and it seems like it’s going to feel a heck of a lot nicer.

    Contoured triggers and recessed thumb sticks just look tasty! I can’t wait! :D

  • My only complaints from the Dualshock 3 were the triggers and just overall how it would get uncomfortable after a while. I hope that those issues are fixed now and I am really interested to see how the touch pad will function :)

  • I am totally digging this new controller! after 3 PlayStation generations its nice to see a change in the controller but still retain its original feel, so cant wait to feel that baby in my hands! :)

  • my vita does all of that crap so why would you just make the same exact thing but a different design why cant you just turn my vita into a full fledged controller like you should have in the first place.

  • yep but can it open jars?

  • If this controller is evidently more durable than the last gen, that would be my favourite feature.

  • No backwards compatibility with PS3 games nor the PSN games WOW SONY you guys suck major

  • @238: We don’t even know how Gaikai b/c will work yet, wait to see how they’ll handle it before you whine about PSN purchases.

    If they let us stream anything we already bought for free, then it’s not really a big deal. These games you mention weren’t designed for PS4, they were designed for the PS3 and the cell. Since the PS4 doesn’t have the cell… figure it out.

    I wish people would at least consider things before whining. I’m annoyed that b/c is gone, but I’m one of the few who would probably actually pay the money necessary to have it. I understand completely why it’s not there. Sucks, but it’s the way it is.

    Maybe if developers would have been more supportive of the cell, they could have used it again and we wouldn’t be in this situation to begin with.

  • Personally I’m not ready for a new console, but the specs for the Ps4 look great! I will have mine as soon as it comes out!

  • I like the controller but whats up with the speaker and that bar. This looks like it came from the wii

  • I don’t see how you can screw up the perfect controller but… well … props you did it.

    You made the handles round, you made concave sticks instead of beveled, you screwed up and made nub like triggers for r2 l2…. come on i know you guys aren’t stupid. what “gamers” greenlit you these garbage changes as a good idea.

    i have faith in your system but looks like third parties need to start cranking out pads quick.

  • mjohnson2796

    they needed to do more then just stay with the beveled sticks.

  • GIVE IT TO ME! MY PRECIOUS!

  • I can’t wait to see how they incorporate the touched. It would be cool if they could have an in game map system so you won’t always have to press the start button to look at your map. And the controller looks beautiful!!!!!!!!

  • This sucker look awesome! I can’t wait to see the actual console!

  • SO IS THE PS4 GONNA FINALLY ADD THE “CROSS-GAME CHAT”? SINCE ALL THIS INNOVATION IS GOING ON I THINK THAT IT SHOULD FINALLY BE ADDED SINCE IT SEEMS LIKE ITS NOT GONNA HAPPEN WITH ONLY 9 MONTHS LEFT OF LIFE FOR THE PS3. ALSO ARE ANY OF THE PS3 GAMES GONNA BE ABLE TO BE PLAYED ON THE PS4? OR ONLY PS4 GAMES CAN BE PLAYED(BACKWARDS COMPATIBLE)?

  • Is the new camera support ps3?

  • Amazing work. Absolutely love the DUALSHOCK 4 look. There are just a few things that i look forward to learning more about…

    1) Will the PS4 support Bluetooth like the PS3 did, it seems like it would due to the fact the controller has a USB port like the DUALSHOCK 3 did…
    2) Will any headset (Sony pulse, Turtle Beach, Astros… ect) headsets be able to link to the PS4 via Bluetooth like the PS3, i don’t really like the idea of having to link to a controller unless all game sounds go to the headset like PS3.
    3) Backwards comparability with PS3 games…
    4) Headset bundled with the PS4 (Sony pulse???)
    5) What sounds are going to come through to the controller and will their be volume control for it… Family might get mad hearing sounds a 3 am!
    6) When do i get to wait first in line for this console!!! :)

  • i like how the Options”button combines the functions of the Select and Start buttons for operating in-game menus( two buttons in ) and the whole look of it, it seems abit bigger then b4 and that i like. share button i love that idea, using that i can easy show my awesome bf3 kills witch in the past was something i wanted to show but couldn’t and the light bar to show character heath. looking forward to having DUALSHOCK 4 in my hands :D keep up the good work sony

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