While the reception to the new DualSense Edge controller has been largely positive, there has been some fairly robust criticism pointed at the pro-grade PS5 pad as well. Poking around in enthusiast forums and gaming communities, we’ve noticed a lot of conversation aimed at the fact that the peripheral has just two rear paddle buttons – as opposed to four.

Many premium controllers, including the Xbox Elite Series 2, include four configurable rear buttons. This obviously allows you to assign two extra commands to your controller, enabling for even more flexibility. This is especially true if you’re planning to use the pad on PC, for example, where you may want the extra buttons to bind hot keys and other commands.

When Sony released the Back Button Attachment for the DualShock 4, it only added two paddles to the back of the pad as well, so it clearly feels this is good enough. For us personally, all we want to do is assign sprint to one of the back buttons, so we never have to press L3 ever again. Are you disappointed with the reduced number of paddles, though? Let us know below.

A true PlayStation veteran, Sammy's covered the world of PS gaming for years, with an enormous Trophy count to prove it. He also likes tennis games way more than you.

One for sprint one for jump. If I wanted to get such a thing. I suspect this is a cheaper unit that MS made, still the same build quality as the standard dualsense. £99.99 is what I think it’ll go for.

@thefourfoldroot1 I think that's optimistic.

I see $129.99 as the reasonable price for Dualsense edge controller

Never even thought about assigning the L3 to a paddle, but yes: absolutely. L3 and R3 on the back paddles and that'd be a dream. The dualsense is certainly the smoothest clicker of all ps controllers, but a paddle is a whole other ball game!

@get2sammyb It is, but this doesn’t strike me as super premium. More sales under a hundred. Just bought a starlight blue replacement for £58, can get a standard for £55, so £100 is still quite the uplift. But yes, I accept it’s optimistic

i just see it within a tenner of xbox equivalent

Personally i think Sony should focus on making a controller that is better suited for children's hands. The dualsense is arguably too big for my kids to use comfortably.

I also think they should try and create some form of adaptive controller similar to what microsoft have done for xbox - particularly since Sony's studios are among the best at providing accessibility options in their games.

As for this controller, im not really interested. I don't play competitively so would get limited benefit over the standard pad, which is already expensive enough as it is

I use a regular Ps5 controller on PC and don't see the need for extra buttons. Plus the touchpad acts as an extra button so technically it would only have 1 less button. If I wanted extra hotkeys I'd just use a keyboard.

I'm cool with the regular Dualsense controller myself.

Yeah... I'm good with the regular PS5 controller. Asking even more money (potentially double) for essentially the same thing (I understand that's not accurate) during an economy crash seems... odd.

Regarding price, it's coming with extras and a case just like the elite so can see it being priced around the same. Only 2 buttons on the back is fine for me. I only ever used 2 extra buttons on the elite series 2. Only used in shooters for jump and the other for crouch. Makes a difference because you're still able to aim. @Dudeman1 That's the only reason I used them.

Oh, also the shorter trigger movement is awesome for shooters.

Only really interested in the build quality, if it's not vastly improved I'm not interested.

I was thinking this earlier and hoping it would mean the price would be lower. Two buttons at the back is plenty for me. As was noted above - one for sprint and one for jump.

It also doesn't seem to come with weights like some pro controllers do. I'm okay with all of this if it's reflected in the price.

@Uncharted2007 its not any more odd than luxury items being released in 2008-2009 (during a much worse economic crash)

I don’t use more than two on my Elite so this will be just fine.

Replaceable thumbsticks needs to be the standard going forward too.

Im happy with the regular dual sense ps5 controller.its good enough.word up son

I really wish they would of just released another back button for the dualsense tbh. I loved my PS4 back button.

Who cares it's a luxury item & the majority of players will just stick with the standard dualsense

Well it needs 4 buttons/paddles not 2

I don’t understand the issue with L3 and R3. It’s NEVER been an issue for me. Quit gripping your controllers so hard.

@Ragdoll72 really? I hated it. Too big and the paddles were too sensitive. I much prefer Collective Mind attachments for ps4, xbone and series x, plus it has 4 buttons. Sadly they don’t have one for the dual sense but I did get the mod kit on amazon and it works perfectly

@Chaotic_Goat yes really, I'm not a pro gamer so it worked well for what I wanted to do.

I think only 2 buttons at the rear when other pro controllers have 4 is a fair criticism. And honestly, I wish rather than simple remaps these extra buttons can also serve as extra inputs and be called R4 L4. All connsole games should give the players the option to rebind their keys.

Omg, this is so important. Trending and all! Imagine if we also knew what the developer had for dinner the day they came up with these life changing items.

I would have to be easily impressed to care. My concern is simply the D-pad. There hasn't been a good D-pad well... since the Saturn. The Dual Shock 2 was ok though. There would also take balls to make 6 face buttons again. That would be impressive.

Unless a new controller brings back a comfortable and precise D-pad, why exactly should i be impressed? There is nothing wrong with analog nubs or shoulder buttons as far as i'm concerned. They work as intended. This new controller is completely useless for me. No reason to upgrade and therefore nothing impressive. Make a product aimed for a niche audience, get niche attention. shrugs

@uptownsoul We haven't actually hit this recession full force yet. It's coming.

If people want so many extra buttons wouldn't it just be easier to learn using a keyboard and mouse. I understand the form factor is muscle memory for most people regarding a controller but if they keep adding buttons I have to imagine at some point it would be just as easy learning KM

I imagine we'll see more features in the ultra pro model. This one is just for mid career professionals. Ultra pro will be for high flyers and executive gamers

I didn't know it only has two. That is a little disappointing. I used to think these things weren't worth the price but the Xbox Pro controller made me a believer. I got it just for Halo Infinite and having 4 paddles does make a difference. I had Jump, Crouch, Sprint, and Call Out Marker set to the paddles and it really did make it play much better. I can't go back to a normal controller for Halo ever since.

Just having two isn't necessarily a deal breaker but it definitely puts it behind the competition a bit.

I'm not impressed by it. Not impressed by the Elite, either. I have an Elite 2 (I won the bad boy for free), and it's nice enough. But the paddles don't matter at all to me. The adjustable triggers are neat — never use them. The robust customizable button layout is probably my favorite feature, which is ironic because I always play with the default.

Really, the only aspects I utilize are the battery (good-ass battery) and its general build quality (it feels great!). Although in the three years I've had it, a trigger has gotten sticky, one of the paddles has lost its 'click,' and an analogue stick broke and forced me to painstakingly open it up to replace it...which I botched, leading me to have to replace the whole damn motherboard. But still, feels great. Not, like, $150 great. But certainly better than most alternatives.

Which is all to say: these "deluxe" controllers really don't have much to offer. They're certainly a nice option, but they don't redefine the input experience or anything.

@Uncharted2007 please share what economic indicators you see that suggest things will be worse than 2008-2009 (when unemployment, at its worst in '09, was double what it is now in '22)

@Nem You tried the new Xbox D-Pad? It's not bad. A little different, but once you get use to it, it's quite comfortable and plays well with fighting games.

@uptownsoul i'm not sure you really need to ask this..cost of living up through the roof (that covers everything gas,electric,food,petrol/diesel etc) which in turn has a knock on effect where business's will suffer leading to more unemployment..taxes and national insurance increases..we could go on and paint a really bleak picture of whats coming..pessimistic outlook? Yes indeed but you did ask..getting back on track i'm not really into these game pads as i dont need one but what i could use is a ps5 compatible street fighter pad as my ryu themed fight pad wont work on my ps5..anybody have any suggestions below the £100 range.

@Northern_munkey what you're is bad, but it's nowhere near as bad as 2008-2009. Do you not remember those years & how unemployment was double what it is today?

Prices going up is bad, I agree. But not nearly as bad as losing your job & not being able to find a new one.

2008-2009 was way worse economically than 2022, and it's not even remotely close.

@Dudeman1 plus some games use the left side and the right side of the touch pad as a button each

@Dudeman1 The touchpad can actually be clicked on both sides, so it is two buttons (at least I’ve used it in games like this, but perhaps it can use the corners independently, or both sides and the middle, so could be more). It can also register swipes in 4 directions, so those are inputs too. I don’t think the dualsense lacks inputs, it’s more that having buttons on the back reduces travel across the pad and allows for a greater variety of input (e.g. if L3 is mapped to a back button the you can press it at the same time as a dpad key, if R3 then you can press this at the same time as a face button).

what a surprise…Not . it’s still a DualSense .

The Xbox pro controller does look a lot more premium/of an upgrade compared to the standard controller, whereas this one just looks like the standard controller with a different colour touchpad. Not a bad thing as I like the normal controller but yeah It'd be nice if this wasn't gauging you price-wise...

Let’s be honest. The dualscense should have had rear buttons from day one. It is supposed to be, you known “For the players”.

@uptownsoul @northern_munkey 07-09 was the worst financial crisis since 1929, which was known historically as the great depression. The housing market basically collapsed for a certain period. I remember there being a time where there was virtually nothing meaningful on the job search websites back then. Things might get a little rocky during the winter but I'm almost certain it won't be as bad as that. Just buy the damn controller anyway, you only live once...

@thebizniznizbiz @uptownsoul i'm not trying to dismiss those years out of hand..i was under the impression the current climate was under discussion (as well as the controller.) Things are going to be tight for everybody..👍

@Ragdoll72 And how are they going to justify the 3 digits price if they did that?

@GarySan Looking at it, it looks like it might be close to what i'd like, but i've personally been done with Microsoft and the Xbox after the 360.

@uptownsoul It's interesting that you're willing to dismiss what's going on currently in order to appease your argument of the '08 crash.

I will say this. I have yet to buy a second PS5 controller since launch as I've been waiting for a blue-gray colored one (hopefully like Uncharted 4's DS4 release) but I'm definitely not buying this one. $70 for a single controller is overpriced regardless of the internal workings if you ask me.

@Uncharted2007 no one's dismissing anything...I'm merely saying luxury products still came out in 2008-2009 (which was a worse economic time than 2022 currently is)

For us personally, all we want to do is assign sprint to one of the back buttons, so we never have to press L3 ever again.

I'm happy with two, it's enough , build quality is just as important.

For us personally, all we want to do is assign sprint to one of the back buttons, so we never have to press L3 ever again.

This is a gaming website and you can only think of ONE way to use 1 of the 2 paddles on this controller? And that single use would be to replace the L3 button? You already have to push the left stick up to move forward, so your thumb is already being dedicated solely to this stick. Why is clicking it at the same time such a difficult task? I'm actually dumbfounded by this. It sounds like a comment from someone who's never played a single shooter (or video game, for that matter) in their life. LOL. To each their own, I suppose.

To me, a much more useful use of these paddles would be to assign them to something like jump, slide, crouch, weapon swap, reload, interact, etc.

It looks like there are four to me. Two on the back & what looks like two on the bottom especially the way they're shaped. Otherwise what them two things sticking out on the bottom for?

FYI guys, economy crisis hasn't even started yet.

War isn't going to slow down, so all Europe is affected.

@Blacksmith1985 Meh, ive never been so busy. We are struggling to recruit, lots of jobs available not enough people to fill them. Working all the hours under the sun......I might buy 2 of these new fangdangle controllers.....tounge firmly in cheek. I appreciate this isnt the situation for everyone. Personally I'm fine with my standard controller, this may be because I've never tried a premium one.

My optimistic take: It will not be priced too far from the Dual Sense. 120 dollars. Right now, it looks like a simple upgrade and the battery life is not in Sony's marketing, so they might not even upgrade it. I won't buy it before it offered at a discount that is >100 dollars. If that means it will never fall within my reach so be it. The OG DualSense is truly awesome.

"For us personally, all we want to do is assign sprint to one of the back buttons, so we never have to press L3 ever again."

THIS. The back button attachment and assigning L3 to one of the paddles was clutch playing Jedi Fallen Order for me.

@OmegaStriver For me, it was a huge pain in the tuchus in Jedi Fallen Order

@get2sammyb Is "Edge of never pleased" a Stevie Nicks homage? I read it like it, but could just be me, that song is always playing in my head.😁

You had me at on enthusiasts forums. It's the Internet. Always gonna be negativity so you will talk about them and give them "air time" which goes to their heads.

The only thing that will make me interested in this is a good battery life….that might not be enough

You know you can reassign sprint in almost every game? If you can't figure out a control scheme that suits you on the current ps5 control you probably doing something wrong. That said more buttons is always better.

It'll be nice to have four back pedals yes but eventually it depends from game to game. Some will benefit from it but most will be perfect with two.

For me, the biggest issues of the PS controllers are battery life and the use of a built-in battery instead of replaceable AA batteries. None of these was fixed with this “pro” version

The paddles are nice, but if you need two of these controllers for a longer gaming session, it‘s just too expensive.

Also, I‘m not willing to pay extra money for reconfigurable button mapping - this should be built-in into the PlayStation operation system and work with all controllers.

@uptownsoul you are correct and possibly wrong at the same time.

Depending on what happens next with geopolitics are economies could regress worse than the credit crunch. I had a start up business prior to 08 and noticed some strange things going on. It was very different to now. You could get 7/8% interest (coming on around 11% APR) on regular savings and it was a really weird but amazing time. The ninja mortgages and gimmicks caught up with the financial system in the end and it collapsed like a house of cards. The debt incurred by governments bailing out banks was the reason for austerity. Simple really.

This time international trade has started to falter. Nationalism rose post 2008 (blame Johnny foreigner). Capitalism has taken a monopolistical turn for the worse and the mega rich company owners have their own political strategies and planted politicians. Workers are having rights stripped away and the politicians in charge are awful or acting against the populous across the globe. Post WW2 agreements have been ripped up and there are clear lines of a 2 way split East Vs West. After Brexit, Covid and now Russia has invaded Ukraine with China's blessing the games up. Things could very well get a lot lot worse. This time, it's not simple. There are issues on multiple fronts which all effect the world and local economies. Global warming is coming home to roost, striking workers, anger and potentially no heating come winter.

@themcnoisy thanks for the lengthy reply...BUT...

I never said this current economic climate couldnt be worse than 2008-2009...of course it "could"...

I said [as of the time of my comment] 2008-2009 is a worse economic time than 2022...

So again, maybe 2022's/current economic climate gets worse than 2008-2009, maybe it doesn't...but As Of Now, 2008-2009 is still worse.

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