Page 24 - Old School Gamer Magazine Issue #40 FREE Edition

writing about the controllers for
the Playstation 2 and 3, because they kept using it! While the PS3’s controller did make big changes, it’s still the same form factor. The PS2, on the other hand? The DualShock 2 is so similar to the original DualShock, it works on the original Playstation. Really, go try it out, it works!
The DualShock was the first controller to have a rumble function built-in, and that made the function an industry standard overnight. “Industry standard” is what the DualShock became, for the most part, and its follow-up being basically the exact same, save for slightly better sticks, was not a surprise. The Playstation
2’s controller just being another DualShock isn’t very exciting, but if it ain’t broke...
For the Playstation 3 in 2006, Sony wanted to try something new. Originally, at E3 2005, they showed off the extremely off- putting “Boomerang/banana” controller, an oblong silver freak of a gamepad that was thrown out and replaced with the Sixaxis, a wireless controller that initially seemed to just be another DualShock. However, Sony was,
at the time, in the midst of a legal battle with the company Immersion over the vibration elements of the DualShock, so the SixAxis shipped without vibration. This made the SixAxis far lighter, which made it less of a presence in players’ hands. It was a cheap feeling controller that felt like a step back, even with wireless functionality and gyro motion sensing. The name “SixAxis” came from the gyro, which Sony claimed gave the controller “six
degrees of freedom”.
Once the suit was settled, Sony added vibration back to their controllers, and the DualShock
3 was released. The DualShock
3 kept the motion control and wireless functions, which made
the controller 40% heavier than its predecessor. While the SixAxis is considered a bit of a dud, DualShock 3 is a fine controller, and the PS3 began its redemption arc with its release.
After the release of the Nintendo Wii, both Sony and Microsoft wanted a piece of the motion control pie. Sure, the SixAxis
and DualShock 3 could pick up movement, but the PS3 didn’t
have a single-handed, swingable controller that people could fling into their television. PS Move was their answer to the Wii Remote. Initially used with the Playstation Eye camera, the camera would track the glowing orb on top of the remote, providing similar gameplay to the Wii. The Move was seen as unessential at the time, but it would get a second wind later on.
With the DualShock 4, Sony introduced a large touchpad to
the middle of the gamepad. The pad can be touched at two points simultaneously, as well as allowing for it to be clicked down. DualShock 4 also supports motion control, taking some inspiration from PS Move with a colored light bar that works similarly to the orbs on the Move remotes. It could be used to display information to players, sure, but the Playstation Camera for PS4 could also pick up the light bar to track movement of the controller.
Sony would, late in the PS4’s life, enter the VR scene with the PSVR. The first controllers used for this VR venture were repurposed PS Move remotes. Even now, with the PS5’s PSVR2, the PS Move remotes are fully compatible, meaning that PS Move outlived both the Wii
and Microsoft’s attempt at motion control, the Kinect.
Finally, we reach the modern console. The Playstation 5 launched with the Dualsense, a redesigned DualShock that feels sleeker, is
a bit heavier, and now has force feedback on the trigger buttons. A fun fact about the Dualsense is that the texture on the bottom of the controller is made up of thousands of infinitesimal triangles, circles, squares, and X symbols. The face buttons truly will outlive us all.
Following in Microsoft’s footsteps in two ways, Sony also produced both a module controller and an accessibility device. The Dualsense Edge, with its specialty controller similar to the Xbox Elite gamepad, released in 2023 and allowed
for the swapping of analog stick modules, controller profiles, and rear paddles. The PS5 Access controller, following Microsoft’s Adaptive controller, is also a
highly customizable controller,
but is made for those who cannot easily use a Dualsense for gaming. The Dualsense era of Playstation has the most options, and many consider the Dualsense to be an all- time great controller alongside the DualShock 2.
Playstation controllers have often been at the forefront of excellence for gamepads. There has been maybe one bad Playstation controller, the SixAxis, and that was replaced within a year of it coming out. Sony found its footing with the DualShock, and slowly built on it over the years, crafting a near flawless way to interact with any game. For many, Playstation controllers are the first thing they think of when they consider “video game controller” in general, and that is for a very good reason.
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