Sony is stepping its game up with the newly-unveiled DualSense Edge wireless controller which is coming for the PlayStation 5. Sony revealed it in the early minutes of the Gamescom 2022 Opening Night presentation.
Much like the Xbox Elite Controller, the DualSense Edge features a variety of “pro” features that are aimed at amplifying the gameplay experience beyond the confines of a standard controller.
It sports neat extras such as back buttons, interchangeable stick caps, button mapping, different controller profiles, and a special USB Type-C braided cable. What makes this cable special is that it’s aimed at benefitting players who choose to play wired. Thus, this cable “uses a connector housing to lock into the controller so it’s much less likely to slip out at a crucial moment.”
In addition to some sleek still shots of the new controller, Sony has also produced an atmospheric trailer to show off the inner-workings of the DualSense Edge.
According to Daisuke Kurihara, Art Director at Sony Interactive Entertainment, describes the DualSense Edge as a “dream come true” for the team to have created. The objective of creating the DualSense Edge was to further the legacy of the PlayStation controller lineup by having one “that empowers players to experiment and personalize elements based on their own unique playstyle,” says Kurihara.
Much like other “pro” controllers, the DualSense Edge is meant to adapt to different scenarios, hence its extreme level of customizability. Thus, players can use it as they see fit, even switching up its mechanical behavior depending on the game that they’re playing; hence the interchanging sticks, button mapping and custom profiles.
The DualSense Edge retains all of the core features of the standard DualSense controller, including the haptic feedback, adaptive triggers, mic, and motion controls, just to name a few. So, this truly is an advanced version of the standard DualSense.
Two key elements that Sony has purposefully decided to neglect for the time being is that of the DualSense Edge’s launch price and release date. The company does say that these details will be released “in the months ahead.” With this wording in mind, it does seem like we have the potential of finding out more about these details sometime in 2023.
For the sake of speculation, we can look at the aforementioned Xbox Elite Controller as a potential mile marker for how much the DualSense Edge should theoretically cost. The Xbox Series Elite Wireless Controller Series 2 currently retails for $179.99 (USD), so it wouldn’t be surprising if the DualSense Edge comes in at around $199, at the very least. That is, assuming Sony doesn’t try to low-ball the price to make it more affordable; but these premium controllers truly are often targeted at less budget-conscious consumers, so a lower price isn’t likely.
[Sources: Sony]
