Sony has showcased the new features of the upcoming PS4 DualShock 4 controller in an official YouTube video.
Three PlayStation 4 developers are gathered to talk about their favourite new features of the DualShock 4 controller and discuss how it will change a user’s gaming experience.
“So the new controller truly is an amazing piece of kit because it has a lot of simple inputs but when we combine them together it becomes really really rich,” said Nicholas Doucet, Producer at Sony Computer Entertainment.
The new DualShock 4 controller is the culmination of many discussions with developers and the numerous PlayStation communities.
“We talked with a lot of developers about what they really want and what they think is missing in the DualShock 3 that could be a great feature,” said Toshimasa Aoki , Product Planning at Sony Computer Entertainment.
“We could actually get their input in terms of what this controller should be and what we should add to make something that’s truly evolutionary,” said Scott Rohde, SVP of Product Development at Sony Worldwide Studios.
According to the Sony developer trio, the first thing gamers will notice that is different about the DualShock 4 is the dominant lightbar at the front of the controller, which they claim has “several functions.
“We can track the position of this controller with multiple folks in the room. It’s very easy for the PS4 to identify who’s who, who’s holding which controller,” said Rohde.
“If the system sees that for some reason we’ve swapped places or I’ve passed the controller to someone, it can automatically adjust the ordering of the split-screen so it makes sense to everyone,” explains Anton Mikhailov, Senior Software Engineer of the Research and Development group for Sony Computer Entertainment America.
Another welcome addition is the touchpad, akin to that on the rear of the PS Vita. Located in the centre of the controller, the touchpad is easy to use and supports multitouch gestures.
“Then you add the fact that there’s a speaker on the controller. It adds a lot of dynamic sound when you are in a shooter for example and you’ve got bullets whizzing by you,” said Rohde.
All three of the developers gushed about the usability of the new share button, detailing that it would make the social connectivity of gamers much stronger.
Check out the video below.
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
