Sony reveals new PS4 controller add-on ‘designed for competitive players’

PlayStation has announced a new DualShock 4 peripheral, the Back Button Attachment.

The new attachment adds two programmable back buttons, which Sony Interactive Entertainment says will give competitive players more flexibility and higher response times.

The peripheral includes an OLED screen which players can use to map up to 16 different button actions.

UPDATE 07/04: Sony has officially unveiled PS5‘s DualSense controller, which it calls “a radical departure” from its previous DualShock pads.

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Furthermore, players can save and choose up to three different profiles for use in various games and there is also a headset pass-through for connecting any 3.5mm wired headset to the controller.

The Back Button Attachment launches in US and Canada on January 23, 2020, for $29.99 USD / $39.99 CAD. In Europe, it will launch on February 14 for €29.99.

A recent Sony Interactive Entertainment patent revealed images of what could be the PlayStation 5’s controller.

The patent specifically highlights a microphone, but comparison images posted online show that there are many subtle design changes between the pictured controller and the DualShock 4.

The controller pictured in the patent features larger triggers, slightly smaller sticks, a USB port and no light bar.

One major improvement added to PS5’s controller is “adaptive triggers,” which SIE says can offer varying levels of resistance to make game mechanics such as shooting a bow and arrow—the tension increasing as you pull the arrow back—feel more realistic.

The PS5 controller, which will switch to USBC for charging, also includes haptic feedback, with highly programmable voice-coil actuators located in the left and right grips of the pad.

Combined with an improved speaker on the controller, the haptics can enable “astonishing effects,” it’s claimed.