DualShock 4 mappable Back Button Attachment announced, adds a hint of pro controller in February

The DualShock 4 is getting a little bit pro with new Back Button Attachment from Sony themselves. It will be out on 14th February in Europe for €29.99 and 23rd January in the US for $29.99.

Moulded to the shape of the DualShock 4 and attaching to the EXT port that’s next to the headphone jack, It adds two rear buttons to the controller that can be configured however you please, letting you keep your fingers on the sticks as they replace any of the 16 other actions on the controller. While it adds a bit of chonk to the controller, it features a 3.5mm jack so you can plug any headphones you want into it.

The styling will come into question though. Alongside the buttons, it adds a “high-fidelity OLED screen” on the back of the controller that shows what the triggers are mapped to and lets you switch between three different profiles. The rest of the time, it presumably lets anyone lying on the floor by your feet know what the buttons do. Developed by PlayStation, you’d have though that they could maybe integrate that into the PlayStation 4 software itself?

There’s still a chasm between something like this and the move into the pro controller market that Microsoft have made with their original Xbox Elite controller and the revised Elite Series 2 controller that came out in November, but there’s tons of third party options out there for PlayStation 4.

Between the Nacon Revolution Pro Controller 3, the modular Thrustmaster eSwap Pro Controller, Astro C40, Scuf’s Infinity and Impact controllers, and more besides, there’s so many options. The problem with them is that they are all vastly more expensive than the DualShock 4. If you’re thinking of getting a pro controller with rear buttons, this might be a cheaper option to see whether you like having them there and can relearn the actions of playing games.

Source: EU PS Blog