Sony’s Touch-Sensitive PS4 Controller Shot Down by Killzone Devs

There were plenty of ideas thrown around for the DualShock 4 before the final version was ready for the spotlight. This is a piece of hardware that PlayStation 4 owners will have to hold and experience for years and year to come, so architect Mark Cerny wanted to be sure that both consumers and developers were more than happy with the design. This required plenty of game makers to get their hands on early prototypes, and according to Killzone developer Guerilla Games, some of the early ideas were less than stellar.

Speaking with VG247, Killzone: Shadow Fall lead designer, Eric Boltjes, explained how his team helped to make a better DualShock 4.

“We really pushed them to make better triggers that go up. Also, stuff like the touch-pad. When I first saw it on the prototype controller, I was like, ‘What the hell am I supposed to do with that? It’s not an iPhone game.’ But I’m really surprised as to how well that little thing works,” Boltjes said. “I’m not promoting it. I don’t have to sell that controller, but I’m really happy with how it works in our game. Everything else works now, from response time, the dead-zones, everything is better. The lag is gone, and that makes Killzone a better game.”

A touch-sensitive prototype was also brought to the studio, but that particular model didn’t exactly impress Guerilla.

“When developing PS4 and our game as well, we held a lot of prototypes, and we played around with them as well,” he continued. “In one, they had replaced all of the buttons with touch-sensitive ones. We just said, ‘No.’”

Killzone: Shadow Fall will release either separately or with a PS4 bundle Nov. 15.