Controllers have come in all sorts of shapes and sizes over the decades. They show how ergonomic design has evolved over the years. How they changed from hand-straining blocky joysticks to palm-testing rectangular joypads, then to the comfier ‘dog bone’ look with handles that nearly every pad today uses.
Related:How PlayStation Controllers Evolved from PS1 to PS5
By the time Sony’sPlayStationhit the market, this became the go-to design. So, on the surface, their pads haven’t changed as much asNintendo’s mix of Wiimotes, Gamepads, and Joycons. However, theirlaunch-day controllersstill show how they’ve changed things up over the years, with some turning out better than others.
5PlayStation Controller
3D graphics were the biggest revolution in the 1990s, and the original PlayStation was at its head. Still, their original controller shows some changes had yet to come. It was essentially a mild upgrade to theSNEScontroller, with handles for better grip and an extra button per shoulder. The color-coded symbols helped it stand out compared to Nintendo andSega’s letter-coded ones too.
While it was good enough for 1994-1996, the controller got left behind when theNintendo 64’s triple-pronged trident-looking pad introduced an analogue stick for smoother 3D movement, a movable camera via the C buttons, and a slot for thevibration-inducing Rumble Pak. They made the PS1 controller look positively ancient, so by 1997Sonyreplaced it with the Dual Analog and DualShock controllers.
4SixAxis
While Sony’s attempt to keep up with Nintendo worked with the DualShock, it failed for thePS3’s SixAxis. First, itsbanana-shaped prototype designwas as scorned as the console’s high price tag, leading to the final design resembling the original DualShock controller. Second, its Wii-like motion controls weren’t so good, being wonky even in games that used them mildly like the firstUnchartedgame. They all but disappeared from PS3 games by the time the 2010s began.
Most controversially, it got rid of the rumble function. The vibrations had become nearly as important as the analogue sticks. Yet Sony acted like it wasn’t important, giving the excuse that it interfered with the motion controls. In reality, Sony took it out because they were the subject of a patent dispute with the tech company Immersion Corporation. Once it was settled, Sony brought the rumble back with the DualShock 3, leaving the bog-standard SixAxis behind.
3DualShock 2
Sony never had such trouble with thePS2’s launch controller. If only because it was essentially the same as the first DualShock controller. In fact, the PS1 controllers were compatible with the PS2 as well. If push came to shove, players could’ve gotten the machine on its own, then use their old DualShocks on it. That is until they played a game that needed the DualShock 2’s pressure sensitive buttons.
Related:Things You Didn’t Know the PS2 Could Do
Players could perform different actions depending on how they pressed them. While it was innovative at the time, it could be fiddly in practice. For example, theoriginal CQC attacksinMetal Gear Solid 3were tricky to pull off because they all relied on how lightly or firmly players pressed the Circle button. But they did make racing games more satisfying to play by making acceleration more responsive.
2DualShock 4
ThePS4was a leap back into the limelight for Sony, if only becauseMicrosoftbotched theXbox One’s launch so badly. While they were trying to promote the Kinect and always-online DRM as key features, Sony was showing off their Dual Shock 4 controller. After nearly 20 years of largely identical-looking pads, the DualShock 4 stood out from the pack. It had new, fancy functions like a speaker (aping the Wiimote), and a light bar for added immersion or to show which player was controlling which character.
The device also had a headphone jack for online communication, and a new Share Button to capture fun moments in gameplay either as a screenshot or a video clip, and upload them straight to YouTube or social media. While it had motion controls, they were used more for novelty functions like mixing drinks inFist of the North Star: Lost Paradise. More impressively, it had a PS Vita-like touchpad that could register swipes or be pressed in like an extra button. While itwasn’t as durableas its later editions, the launch day PS4 controller is still a reliable pad for the machine.
1DualSense
ThePS5’s relatively new DualSense controller has all the same functions as the DualShock 4. Albeit with an improved battery life, a better speaker, built-in microphone for the new voice typing function, a USB-C port for charging, and a removable section for replacing the analogue sticks if they went funny. Which is nice enough, if no more exciting than its new color scheme and design.
That’s where the DualSense part of its name comes in. It expands upon the vibration function and the DualShock 4’s pressure-sensitive triggers by implementing force-feedback. Now players can feel how rough a sandstorm is, or how turbulent the rough seas can get through its handles. Then they can feel how tight a pulled bowstring can be when they press the triggers. These tactile functions make ita fun controller to hold, and the best of the PlayStation’s launch controllers.
