i always wanted to love double senseSony’s rather groundbreaking controller overhaul game console 5I admit, however, that I was skeptical as early as when I played the PS5 pre-release. Those feelings persist to this day—but now, Sony has introduced a new version of DualSense, an expensive premium version of the pad that’s unquestionably the best version of this controller. It might even be the best “elite” controller offering on the market—careful, Xbox.
Let’s deal with the elephant in the room first though, shall we? My main issue with the original DualSense was battery life, and I’m sorry to inform you that the DualSense Edge isn’t much better — in fact, it’s worse. Early on on the PS5, I thought about all the extra bells and whistles on the PS5 controller—lights, haptics, resistance triggers, motion sensing—and it was all good, but I usually use most of it for Get a controller with better battery life. I’m generally supportive of this, especially the way I’ve seen these features used, the truly groundbreaking use of them is rare and far between – Astrobot, still a gold standard year!
However, I digress. If you’re like me and have issues with DualSense’s battery life, the bad news is that the Edge doesn’t make a difference to that complaint. However, the DualSense Edge packs other neat features and a very strong build quality — making it more likely that I’ll forgive the battery life and keep using it. It’s definitely my go-to PS5 controller right now; I’ll ignore my original.
So, what about those extra features? First off, this controller has a lot of bits, most of which are swappable. So, for example, if you want to replace the analog stick heads, you can – there are two styles and more heights included in the box. You can even remove the entire rocker module itself – while a replacement isn’t included in the base kit, the tone is spot on: if the rocker breaks, starts drifting irreparably, or if you want a different design, you’ll get it later Will be able to buy replacement stick modules for £20 and swap them out while keeping the same controller. This goes a step further than most other premium controllers on the market, though we’ve looked at similar offerings from Turtle Beach.
Sadly, the factory-shipped controller doesn’t allow you to use it with just one stick installed, so unless Sony comes out with some kind of “blank board” to replace the stick, that may never be possible. I can see arguments for removing and blanking out both joysticks for fighting games or retro 2D games, for example, removing confusion that won’t work on the directional pad. Due to the design of the controller, the D-pad is static — it cannot be moved. So it’s impossible to switch to an Xbox or Nintendo style joystick layout. It’s a shame, but the functionality here is fine.
There are two wobbly paddle trigger points on the back of the controller, though they’re not permanent fixtures. Instead, you can choose triggers, one on each side.Like the stick heads, the box includes two different variants, a more subtle variant similar to the Xbox’s Elite controller, and a version with higher specs
Many controllers come standard with a trigger depth adjustment system, with three levels of depth per trigger. In the shallower settings, you of course lose the adaptive triggers and their haptic feedback, but in the default setting, these features are still available, which is impressive in itself.
Replacing parts is a chore, as every part of a device like this is a potential weak point if it’s not permanently soldered in place in some way. Controllers drop, sit on, and get thrown sometimes, especially when there’s a new Street Fighter around the corner – but the DualSense Edge has a great, strong feel to it – even in pieces.
Let me use the example of replaceable analog sticks. These things won’t come loose accidentally. Accessing them involves flicking a tiny switch on the rear that you might flip open with a pen or needle, which releases the front guard that holds the stick in place. Modular controllers are considered adequate for many, but look closely and you’ll notice that the DualSense Edge has some metal flick switches that lock the joysticks into place. These need to be lifted and the sticks slide out.
Even swapping heads feels…different. On the Xbox Elite controller, the clubheads are held in place magnetically, and I’ve lost them for weeks after the controller hit the deck and the clubheads slipped off the floor. Magnetic things are cool, and easier to swap out — but the Edge keeps them snapping securely into place. It’s intimidating at first, as it takes a fair amount of force to remove and replace the clubhead – but once you get used to it, you realize how nice and solid it feels.
It feels like an acknowledgment that battery life sucks, and the cable that plugs into the controller is “lockable,” meaning you can’t accidentally unplug it if you get too active in a FIFA match or something. I’d rather just have a controller with longer battery life, but I appreciate the feature, which again has a powerful and gorgeous feel to it.
When you plug the DualSense Edge into the PS5 for the first time, the console pops up a menu with customization options and a neat tutorial to walk you through the controller’s capabilities. Function keys located below the analog sticks allow you to switch between custom control schemes without stopping the game. The PS5 UI is good and bad for me, but the features and settings of the software associated with the DualSense Edge are smart, easy to use, and match up nicely with the no-nonsense premium energy of the controller itself.
What a lot of people are inevitably wondering is how this stacks up compared to the Xbox Elite Series 2, the opposite number for this tablet from Microsoft. And… complicated? In many things, it’s neck and neck, and the controllers are relatively equivalent. You can tell Sony took a close look at the Xbox version when making this product.
There’s one major difference between the two, and that’s how the analog sticks are handled. For Edge, they could be removed, but their full potential remains unclear until we see if Sony sells a wider variety of options to replace it. I also think the DualSense Edge feels sexier and premium in terms of the controller itself and the accompanying accessories and carrying case. But on Xbox, the Elite Series 2 has adjustable tension analog sticks, swappable D-pad setups, and its battery life isn’t bad. Additionally, you can now use Xbox Design Lab to create custom designs. As they say, one is six and the other is six.
It’s all very interesting, because in general I think the Xbox has done a bit better with hardware. For example, I really like the official Xbox Wireless Headset. I think this makes Sony’s Pulse 3D headset feel like a piece of cheap crap. But the DualSense Edge is actually on par with the Xbox Elite controller — if the build quality stays the same and some of its early promise pays off, it could actually be the best “premium” controller on the market. This is a huge win. Sorry about the battery life, though.
