The Dualshock 4 Needs to Die
Recently Sony celebrated the fifth anniversary of the Playstation 4. You could easily make the argument that the company’s fourth iteration of the console is its best, and possibly the best console of all time. We’ve been treated to an amazing assortment of exclusive software that has created epic gaming memories and will last for ages. Just this year alone, Sony has gifted us God of War, Spider-Man, and Detroit: Become Human. Go back to the previous four years and that list gets substantially more impressive. It’s a great piece of hardware too and even offers options based on added performance with the PS4 Pro, better form factor with the PS4 Slim, or even virtual reality experience with the PSVR.
Sony also made news when it announced that it would not be attending the annual E3 festivities in 2019. While this isn’t that much of a surprise to most – we all know Sony is hard at work on the next installment in its console lineup, set to release sometime in what will likely be 2020 or after – it has left us wondering what a Sony-less E3 will look like. In any case, I’m glad to hear this. Despite the amazing software we’ve been treated to, and the versatile hardware offerings that Sony has given us, there is one aspect of the Playstation 4 that I can’t wait to see gone. And that is the DualShock 4.
It’s not for the typical reasons that I dislike the DualShock 4. From a simple design, comfort and button layout perspective, it could easily be the best of all time. Longevity would certainly say so – this is a controller design that has remain largely unchanged since the original DualShock which came out three years into the life cycle of the original PlayStation. And by adding only two analog sticks it didn’t even make that much of a dent on its predecessors design (though we are all aware how these two sticks changed the way we play three dimensional games forever). Hold a DualShock 4 beside an original PlayStation controller and it’s astounding that something can change so little in almost 20 years, especially given how much the games we play have changed.
Getting back to the point, my major gripe with the DualShock 4 is its inability to function for an extended period of time. And I know I’m not alone on this one as issues with battery life that plague this controller are well documented. A quick search of Reddit will return an irritated mob of players confused by such a brief battery life paired with an otherwise flawless piece of hardware. Many users report times of under 6 hours, and a worrying amount say they only get in and around 4 hours (maybe that’s why it’s called the DualShock “4”). Looking at the competitors, I’ve easily been able to get in excess of 10 hours with my Xbox One controller with the rechargeable battery or two AA’s in place. You’ll recall the DualShock 3 also running on easily over 10 hours. There’s really no excuse.
And before you ask, YES I am using the original controller that came with my launch Playstation 4 (with the original cable that is woefully short making problems worse). But the purchase of a brand new second controller yielded only slightly better results – barely noticeable.
We’ve established that despite a long lived and reliable design, if the input device cannot hold a charge and stay functioning for an acceptable amount of time, it’s basically a useless device. What frustrates me the most about the DualShock 4 is what is actually draining all that power. Do we all remember the Playstation 4 launch event back in the winter of 2013? I do. It featured a video of a young man sitting on his couch doing many social gamer things, with is headset plugged into his DualShock 4 and a massive vibrant light bar on the front of the controller that would change color based on what was happening on screen. It was as if the original Move wand and the DualShock had a baby. I didn’t know what the light bar did but it sure looked cool (from our angle anyways). Well it turns out that light bar is not only absolutely useless, but it’s seemingly never functionally used in game. Or maybe it is, I really don’t know because the light bar is something I can’t even see without cranking my neck forward and tilting the controller. It’s just sort of there for everyone to see except the person actually using the controller.
The other big difference that would be noticed from that same event unveiling the controller was the touch pad now firmly placed in the middle of the D-Pad and the face buttons. This was a bit more of a mystery and unclear how it could be used in our favorite upcoming titles. It looked like a bad hairline but I was willing to overlook the awkward appearance if it was functional. Fast forward five years later and it’s just a laughably over-sized Start button. I can’t recall the last time I played a game that wasn’t developed by Quantic Dream where the “touch pad” was used for something other than taking me to an in game menu. I don’t even know if this is draining extra life. I can only assume it is since it functions as both an actual button and touch pad. In any case it just goes to show that this controller was designed with very little or no strategic outlook on how it will function. As a result of these oversight, gamers suffer with awful battery life. Oh and just a friendly reminder that each DualShock 4 still has Sixaxis built in. Remember that?
I’d almost be ok with the DualShock 4’s short and sweet battery life if the light bar and touch pad made more sense. If those were used in meaningful ways on a regular basis, it would set it apart from competitors. It wouldn’t have to be the one tarnish on this amazing console that is the PlayStation 4. We as owners of the PlayStation 4 have been able to gush over how spoiled Sony has made us over the past five years – but as we enter 2019 that will be crucial in determining the future of how we play – I just hope Sony understands that it wasn’t all perfect this generation.
Editor’s Note: Yes, we know some PSVR games need the light bar and touch pad on the DS4, but for the vast majority of PS4 owners, it arguably does go wholly unused.
