It’s a busy start to the year for the PlayStation hardware team, starting off with the launch of the DualSense Edge PS5 pro controller next week on 26th January. Outside of gaming headsets, it’s the first really high-end gaming accessory that Sony has made for its consoles.
Sony has provided a DualSense Edge controller ahead of release for a review that you can look out for on Monday – will it justify that £210 price point? – but for today, we’re allowed to share an unboxing and general hardware impressions.
As it pretty typical for PlayStation devices, the DualSense Edge comes in a plain white box inside the outer box, but then within that box? Well, there’s a rounded white carrying case with the controller and all of its accessories are already safely contained inside it – this is pretty standard for controllers or headphones shipped with a carry case, to be fair.
It’s a nicely designed carry case too, with spaces for all of the alternate stick tops – you can have PS3-style domes, taller domes, or the standard PS5 indented sticks which are pre-attached – two types of back button, and the USB-C locking mechanism. The cable is in a little net pouch in the lid, kept gently secure by a lip that matches a lip at the bottom.
One nice touch is that there’s a velcro flap at the back of the case that you can pull down giving access to the controller’s USB-C port for charging.
Further Reading: DualSense Edge – Price, release date & key features
As for the DualSense Edge? It looks and feels a lot like a regular DualSense controller. The touchpad is now black, a mite more angular, and covered in the PlayStation logos, where the regular controller’s is plain, while the black shroud around the analogue sticks is now a shiny black and stylistically wraps around to the back of the controller. Except it’s now a panel that can be popped off to give access to the replaceable analogue stick modules – we’ll be able to dive into how this works next week. There’s also new function buttons just below the analogue sticks to get to quick function.
Around the back there’s analogue trigger short stops to modify the trigger travel, and holes for the back buttons to go in – either half circles or paddles – and then a “release” slider.
It’s a good solid controller in hand, and you can immediately feel a few extra subtle points of refinement. The triggers now have added texture on them for better grip, while there’s a softer, more rubberised plastic on the underside of the handgrips, where your fingers rest. The DualSense Edge feels a smidgeon heavier in hand than the DualSense, but not in a way that will really affect its use.
First impressions then? Well, it’s a DualSense with a bunch of pro controller features, and that’s going to appeal to a lot of people looking for a pro controller that don’t want to mess with their muscle memory in the process.
Keep an eye out on Monday for our full review of the DualSense Edge PS5 pro controller. We’ll dive into more depth on the unique hardware design, how it ties into the PlayStation 5 system with software features, and answer some of the burning questions that will have come up about the controller.
