PS4 controller: new details emerge pre-reveal

Great news about L2 and R2 triggers, felt the controller needed some work so I am pleased. Roll on the 20th

The triggers are the worst thing about the current pad, imo. Pleased they’ve addressed it. Can’t wait to finally see it.

No second screen! Hooray!
*Waits for predictors who said otherwise*

About L2 and R2, you are talking about concavity right?

Apparently it couples with iOS and Android devices out of the box.

Ok, this mystey intrigues me. Good to hear, that they redesigned the Triggers and still sticked to the “original” design. Loved PS controllers from the beginning.

I hope they move the left thumb stick higher up. If it is the same as DS it is a deal breaker for me.

Hmmm…well, if it’s more or less the same as the current Dualshock, just with a little pad thing in the middle, I guess I don’t have a problem with that. The Dualshock has always been the closest a controller has ever come to perfection. Only thing that would have made it perfect would have been six buttons on the right, instead of four, but that’s mainly because it would make fighting games easier to control.

And I don’t have deformed hands, so the left stick is in the perfect place, since my hands are, you know, symmetrical.

It’s not just L2 and R2, the sticks feel too loose and travel too easily as well.

Is it sad that the main thing I care about nowadays is Backwards compatibility? If it has it, possibly a day 1 purchase since I haven’t treated myself in a while. If it doesn’t, maybe some other time. I don’t have room for PS3 and PS4, nor am I scrapping my collection.

@10 why can’t you just put the ps3 away in a attic or cupboard or something? You would think this was a 4×4 or something

@9

+1

@4
Are you kidding or hinting?
Pairing the PS4 with iOS and Android devices would be very smart.
You can already pair the Youtube app with iOS devices…that would prevent the need to have a screen on the controller and use everyone’s favourite device at hand without having to pay loads…also multitouch functions and so on.

@11 What’s the point of that? It’d either be there forever or it’d be a complete nuisance to set it all up again when I want to play a PS3 game, meaning the first of the two is more likely to happen.

I like current dualshock, of course triggers had issues.
It’s great that they fixed them.

Fuck sake, unbelievable.

I think a lot of people will feel like Silk tbh. This has been a long gen and we all have a lot of investment. New consoles are going to be expensive, and lite on new content. For many folks letting go of the old console is going to be harder this gen then in the past. Esp if the new systems don’t blow people away right out of the gate.

Maybe include a decent length charging cable this time. Or the option for batteries or a rechargable pack?

@7 I have to disagree. I believe that 360 controller is the best controller to date. I used to like the dualshock but after using the 360 controller for so long I have a distaste for the dualshock now. We all have our opinions and I wanted to share mine.

If it does have a touchpad, it should be interesting on how they use it. Maybe they should have put it on the back like the vita so they can do some corss-platform stuff with it. IDK if it would work right but thats what I think they could do. I don’t own a vita so if what I said was not correct fell free to correct me.

all i can say is people are dying for something new. this gen has been too long. the people that play old games regularly are a minority imo. if you care that much about BC you will hold on to it. i bought a BC compatible ps3 and i have maybe used it once to play mgs3 and turned it off after half hour. way too many new games coming out to be having time to replay old games. school and work and i barely have time to play most of the new games and this is the situation a lot of my gamer friends are now in. i like the dualshock and i hope they keep the shape the same and just hope they make minor upgrades to triggers and sticks maybe. i really really hope they have that share thing though bcoz it sounds very cool.

like clupula below the 360 controller is just big and clunky for my taste. i could never get used to it.

@19 – The 360 controller always felt like it was designed by Sloth from Goonies to me. Too big, asymmetrical thumbsticks, shitty d-pad, too colorful. It’s not the worst controller ever made (that would be the monstrosity that was the Gamecube controller), but it’s pretty close to the bottom for me.

@19
Vita needs the touchpad on the back because the key is not obscuring the screen. If it’s not a screen and just a touch pad then the front is probably the best place for it. I’d hope it was a decent size though. Just filling the gap that is there in a regular pad would be too limiting.

In general I much prefer the heft, buttons and layout of the 360 controller. D-pad on the PS controller is great though.

It is very important that they give it concave analogue sticks at least even if they don’t move the left analogue stick position in the xbox 360 controller layout.

This is an argument that annoys the crap out of me. Which controller is better is 100% personal preference! There is no right or wrong, one is not better than the other, unless it is your personal preference!
I personally like them both, but think both have their flaws. The DS needs better L2 and R2 buttons (easily addressed with a set of £1.99 clip on triggers) and concave thumb sticks. The 360 pad has a terrible D pad and the bumpers are poorly positioned. These are my opinions, I in no way believe them to be facts!

Yeah, the thumbstick placement on the dual shock is horrible. I’m hoping they change it.

@24 – I agree, its what ever your personal tastes like the best. I never cared for the PS controller for some reason, my hands never liked the stick layout. I always preferred the Xbox Controller S and then the 360 controller. I have to say, except for the default thumbpad, the 360 controller is my personal favorite.

@25 – I think doing that would seriously kill off a great deal of their fanbase. While there are many people who prefer the 360 controller, there are just as many who prefer the Dual Shock. Many of us only would not buy a system with asymmetrical thumb sticks.

360 controller is the most ergonomic. It doesn’t involve you bending your thumbs into unnatural positions in order to use it. Also, the DS thumbsticks are not resistant enough for twitch gameplay.

I was really hoping Sony would reinvent what is essentially a decade-old product, but they seem to have done what they did last gen, and bottled it.

Hmm, I wonder if there are actual physical benefits to the placement of the left analog stick on the Xbox 360 vs the PlayStations horizontal layout. I’m talking positioning only, I don’t care about the individual controller or the sticks themselves, JUST the placement.

@28, The wired X360 controller is one of the more comfortable ones that I’ve used but the normal one with the batteries seriously irritates me. The way I typically hold the controller involves my knuckles rubbing up against it & after a 20 or so min gaming session it pisses me off. If I try to hold it another way my hand gets cramped after about 10mins. Sony’s 4th gen controller really needs to be much smoother with better triggers & more durable sticks.

And to think they were ACTUALLY going to make this:

http://files.icgamers.com/playstation-3-hardware/ps3-controller-concept.jpg

http://todellisuus.net/~malakai/random/ds4_2.jpg

With triggers would be great imo

@30 – So glad they didn’t go with the batarang.

As I’ve mentioned in a separate thread, the PS controllers are not suitable for people with small hands because our thumbs are not long enough to go from gripping the sides to resting atop the thumbsticks. So I end up using the tip of my thumb which loses lots of accuracy and feels awful/painful.

I bought a third party one in the end, which is much small and mirrors the xbox layout. It isn’t the layout I prefer, it’s the size.. the controller is like 30% smaller which means I can get my fingers and thumbs where they need to be.

Looks like the new ps4 pad will have the same problems for me personally, so might have to hold off and see if any third parties release a mini one.

@21 That’s your opinion and I respect that, however mine differs in some very key areas. I have big hands so the 360 controller is perfect for me. The ps3 controller is two small and I feel like I would snap it in half if I gripped it to hard. I dont like the positioning of the thumbsticks and i never liked the triggers. For me the 360 pad fixes all the problems I had with the ps controller so it was like a revolution to me. The only thing I dislike about the 360 controller is what you said and thats the d-pad. However I think they did fix it with the new d-pad they had on soem of those newer controllers.

@22 Ok thanks for the info, like I said never owned a vita and never spent anytime on one. I also agree about the 360 controller and its layouts/buttons.

@31
What use is the touch panel on that? It would be as useful as sixaxis.

@35 could use it wipe jizz on?

I hope they fix the analogue sticks. They’re… ungainly!

I can’t believe they are going to trot out the same tired old DS design AGAIN. That is so goddamn lazy!

Massive, massive fail.

It’s also very disappointing that there is no screen in the controller. WiiU showed how to innovate and bring new ways to play. PS4 sounds like it’s going to be the same old tired shit in a shiny new box and that’s simply not good enough.

@31

The fact that the D-Pad takes priority over the stick in terms of positioning shows how outdated the controller design is.

A touchpad?

Is that it…?

Meh.

I’ll be glad if they don’t change it too much. I’m so used to it any major change would feel weird (and I don’t think it’s needed). Maybe I have this opinion because I don’t play FPS.

@OG/Silk – ever thought about holding off a day 1 purchase if you’re still really into this gen’s games or have a huge backlog? Wait until you’re done with this gen before moving onto the next? You’ll save yourself a hell of a lot of cash that way too.

I know.. we’re all gonna want these things day 1…..

@39, it’s clear that you believe the left stick is positioned better on the xbox 360, curious as to why. I find that the dualshock positioning is better, but not the actual sticks.

They can’t really put a screen on it as it would undermine the PS4 – Vita connectivity although it would have been a good move IMO…

It would have opened up games like LBP in a big way. I don’t really think a touchpad can offer enough to bother with really. Maybe for swiping but thats about it.

The left stick needs to move up also, games are in 3D now, the dual shock is still based on a time things were mainly 2D.

Triggers are a nice easy fix. Share button will be fun.

Overall: playing it safe to keep the costs down.

@42

If you hold the DS controller your (anyone’s) thumb sits over the buttons and D-Pad. That’s entirely by design. this is because the PS1 only had the D-Pad and buttons. this is essentially the same product design.

The sticks were retrospectively fitted below the natural thumb position and further towards the centre of the controller, meaning you have to bend your thumbs into a right angle in order to sit on top of the thumbsticks. This is unnatural and uncomfortable, especially for long periods of time. It also doesn’t help that the DS sticks are loose and poorly gripped.

In contrast, the 360 puts the left stick and buttons under the natural thumb positions, seeing as they are the most used elements of the controller. This is also entirely by design.

Sony are afraid to innovate (or even get up to date) because of the backlash they got last time and because lots of people genuinely like the controller. A lot of people said the same about the xbox controller S though, but the 360 blew that out of the water.

Sony need to be bold. In many ways they’re good at that, but in this case they continue to drop the ball.

Maybe they should just offer the choice of symmetrical and asymmetrical layouts. This would keep everyone happy by the looks of things.

Concept: http://www2.bazinama.com/images/imgbase/20-Tue-Feb-12-13/a7720eeca0/new-ps4-controller.jpg

@44

+1+1+1+1

@44, You’d be right if everybody used their middle fingers for triggers but I personally don’t, the 360 controller is too small for me to do this comfortably. If it’s just your index fingers than the symmetrical layout where your thumb is at a right angle is more natural.

Also, rounded thumbsticks don’t make any sense. Why on earth they don’t make them dip in the centre like the 360 pad so your thumb actually sits IN the stick I don’t know.

@49, Unless you have slippery thumbs doesn’t make a huge difference. I find I normally have to grind the directional indicators out in the concave 360 sticks as they dog in.