Sony is stepping into the high-end controller market with the DualSense Edge PS5 pro controller. Taking the standard PlayStation 5 DualSense controller and fitting it with a bunch of enhanced features to help gamers in the most competitive gaming situations, the DualSense Edge will be going up against controllers from Razer, Scuf, Thrustmaster and more.
DualSense Edge price – How much does it cost?
The DualSense Edge is an expensive bit of kit, this PS5 pro controller coming with an MSRP of £209.99 / $199.99 USD / ¥29,980 / €239.99.
That’s a huge step up in price compared to the regular DualSense controller, which has an MSRP of £59.99 / $69.99. Will it really be worth more than three regular controllers?
DualSense Edge features – What makes it pro?
On the surface level, the DualSense Edge looks a lot like the regular DualSense, and it incorporates all of the great features of the standard PS5 controller, such as haptic feedback, adaptive triggers, motion controls and a built-in microphone and speaker. However, there’s a lot of further features that make this a pro controller. These include:
- Changeable Analogue Stick Caps – Swap the caps on the analogue sticks between standard, high dome and low dome.
- Adjustable Trigger stops – Toggle between three trigger travel distances, set per trigger.
- Mappable Back Buttons – Map two back buttons on the grips to duplicate face button presses.
- Swappable Back Button Designs – Switch between the half dome and paddles for the back buttons.
- Controller Function Buttons – Two ‘Fn’ buttons placed below the analogue sticks allow you to adjust game volume and chat balance, as well as swap between pre-set controller profiles.
- Removable Stick Modules – Replace the entire analogue stick module without having to disassemble the entire controller.
- USB Cable Lock – Lock the included 2.8m USB-C cable to the controller so it will not disconnect during wired usage.
How much for the swappable stick modules?
With gamers now hyper-sensitive to stick drift in console controllers, the DualSense Edge replaceable stick modules will be great for the longevity of the controller. These will be sold separately for $19.99 USD / ¥2,680 / €24.99 / £19.99.
The battery life could be a weakness
If there’s one area that could be a real downside to the DualSense Edge versus the regular controller, it’s that it will have “moderately shorter” battery life, per Sony’s statements to The Verge. We clocked around 9 hours of DualSense gaming back when reviewing the PS5 at launch, so expect 7 or 8 hours from the DualSense Edge. You might get a fair bit of use out of the included USB cable…
PS5 software features
To use the new controller with the PS5, you will need to have updated the console firmware to version 6.50.
Baked into the PS5 system software is an on-console tutorial that introduces the various features, as well as tools to tweak the following features:
- Custom button mapping
- Stick sensitivity and deadzone tuning – five presets and custom tuning
- Trigger deadzone tuning
- Vibration intensity
- Trigger effect intensity
You can tweak these settings from a quick access profile settings menu, accessible by Fn button and Options when in-game. Additionally you can store up to three profiles on the controller itself, so you can take a configuration and instantly use it on different consoles.
Bundled DualSense Edge extras
As well as the controller itself, the package will also contain some extras for the general use of the controller and customisation. There’s bonus buttons, stick caps, and a carry case. Here’s everything that’s included in the box:
- DualSense Edge wireless controller
- USB braided cable
- 2 Standard caps
- 2 High dome caps
- 2 Low dome caps
- 2 Half dome back buttons
- 2 Lever back buttons
- Connector housing
- Carrying case
DualSense Edge release date & availability
Sony has set the DualSense Edge release date for 26th January 2023, and the controller will be available globally from that date.
Keep an eye on TheSixthAxis if you want to know more about the DualSense Edge and if it’s worth the cost, as and when we get to go hands on with the controller for review.
