Microsoft and Sony have both unveiled the first information and images of the controller that will equip their respective console. The opportunity for us to compare visible or known developments, and to take stock of the differences in philosophy between the two manufacturers.
It was yesterday, in the middle of the afternoon for the United States, at the end of the evening for us Europeans, that Sony has chosen to reveal the first information on its new controller : DualSense. This presentation is accompanied by a fairly long text, which details certain aspects of the controller, leaving others in the dark. An unexpected announcement that echoes Microsoft’s, on March 16, which presented for the first time ” ‘the Xbox Series X controller’ ” again with some details and visuals diluted in a long interview, instead of a real technical sheet. The information in our possession is therefore incomplete, despite trends that are evident.
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A more visual evolution at Sony than at Microsoft
It’s a white and black dress that will dress the first version of DualSense. An aesthetic that especially marks the arrival of two-tone hulls that we already imagine colorful over the generation. This first visual is not unlike that ofthe Xbox One S controller, and accessories released by Microsoft on the second part of generation One. With the arrival of white lacquered on the Sony controller, we obviously imagine a console that will also play this aesthetic card.
Microsoft side, the presentation was made with a classic matte black model, a color corresponding to that of the just announced console, the Xbox Series X. At first glance, you almost think you see the Xbox Elite 2, model released late last year, except that the triggers and slice buttons here are as dark as the rest of the controller.
Like the DualShock 4 did it with his predecessor, the DualSense visibly evolves the grip towards something larger, with less vacuum between the handles. The handle gains in depth, while the handles keep the same length and even seem to lose slightly in thickness. There is also a more marked roundness and what looks like a double edge inside the handles. But it’s mainly the control area on the front, with the action buttons, the directional cross and what appears to be a touchpad, which benefits most from the general enlargement of the hull.
Microsoft, which is taking the opposite path by announcing a reduction in the size of the handles to improve the handling of its gamepad for young audiences, without it being known exactly in what proportions exactly. The controller, which is clearly school in terms of ergonomics, nevertheless keeps curves very close to the Xbox One model and should still convince console and PC players. In this perspective, Microsoft has also focused on the evolution of grips that texturize different parts of the controller: on the handles, of course, but also on the edge buttons and triggers. Triggers which will benefit from a facilitated approach thanks to a reduction in the rounding of the hull which surrounds them. We also keep the shape and width of the slice buttons, which should make them still as accessible, probably more than on the DualSense.
For its part, Sony confirmed to have worked on the shape of the triggers. We mainly notice an evolution of the slice buttons, higher, but which seem to keep their small width compared to what Microsoft offers. Note thata light grip has also appeared on the two buttons, replacing the completely smooth surface that equips the DualShock 4.
They will remain symmetrical
It was a most awaited detail, the answer comes with the first photos of the controller: Sony keeps a symmetrical design for its analog sticks, in opposition to what Nintendo and Microsoft offer. A divisive choice which will make some teeth cringe while also reassuring a good part of the players. No evolution either on the side of the action buttons, which seem to keep a size and spacing quite similar to what was previously proposed. Even the directional cross keeps its design with a pivot hidden under the hull. In appearance, only the Create and Option buttons see their location largely modified, while the central button takes the PlayStation logo down to its shape. Little progress therefore on the main controls for the Japanese manufacturer, and no information on any pallets under the hull.
At Microsoft, if the analog sticks obviously keep their asymmetrical placement and a very marked grip hat, like on Xbox One, the cross on its side undergoes a radical change of shape with a concave format, almost in a bowl. It looks like a compromise between the two removable models offered by the Elite 2. This kind of element is quite new, we can’t wait to put it to the test of rapid changes of direction or quarter turns.
The War of Functions
The vibrations seem to be at the heart of the battle waged by Sony who talks about haptic sensations as opposed to simple vibrations by motor, with the advantage for the former of offering more complex mechanical waves. The manufacturer has therefore confirmed that it is this kind of vibration that we will feel under the fingers with the DualSense, at least during trigger actions. However, we have no additional information about the presence of conventional or haptic vibrations on the rest of the surface of the controller. What about the front buttons or the handles? We will find out later.
Ditto with Microsoft which did not give details on this part of the functions. Yes the Xbox One model had had its effect thanks to four vibration motors, including one in each trigger, it seems clear to us that the Xbox Series X model should offer at least the same level of service. However, we are still wondering about the type of vibration that this controller will offer, namely haptic or not. Besides, the manufacturer was rather stingy on all of the functions of its controller, perhaps because it does not offer anything really new except the Share function now equipped with its own button. We’re probably not going to take advantage of a gyroscope or an accelerometer, technologies that offer possible motion detection that has so far been lacking in the Xbox world.
On the contrary, Sony has rather focused its presentation on the possibilities of its controller, certainly without giving precise details, but sometimes with big clues. We therefore know that the DualSense will be compatible with virtual reality thanks to its light emission necessary for capturing movements by a camera. Therefore, we can deduce that it will logically have its own motion sensors, like the DualShock 4. The Japanese manufacturer also confirmed the addition of a microphone for chatting while listening to TV sound on the controller. We also imagine, in accordance with recent patents filed by the manufacturer, that voice assistance will be part of it, and may even be in play, with the support of an AI able to give us a hand in galley case. However, it should be noted that we currently have no visuals of the headphone jack, or of the data port that accompanies it, only the USB-C port being visible. Its absence from the final version could be a real annoyance for all those who use a classic wired headset (Editor’s note: Sony apparently confirmed the presence of the classic headset port). Microsoft has confirmed the presence of an analog headset port on the front, as well as the compatibility of the controller with accessories using its data port.
Battery or not battery, PC or not PC
Autonomy, a notorious weak point of the DualShock 4. If the release of the DualSense ensures that efforts have been made to ensure that the battery provides sufficient charge while retaining a reasonable weight, nothing says that this new controller will largely exceed the eight hours of play that the current model offers . Microsoft, for its part, has (and argued) the choice of the battery compartment to ensure the autonomy of its wireless controller. You will therefore have to go through the purchase of rechargeable batteries or an optional battery so as not to have to buy alkaline batteries en masse (and therefore pass for a big local polluter). In both cases, it is still the USB-C which should ensure the charge (and maybe the wired connection) of the controllers.
Rest of the compatibility information, on which Microsoft has been much more generous in information, ensuring that the new controller will be compatible Xbox Series, but also Xbox One, PC, iOS and Android thanks to a dual proprietary connection and Bluetooth. Enough to establish the hegemony of the range outside the world of consoles. For its part, Sony has remained discreet about this information, and we do not know if the pad can be used on PlayStation 4. It should nevertheless retain the triple wired / Bluetooth / wireless connectivity proprietary of its predecessor.
Who will win?
We will not reconcile them, that is certain. Microsoft and Sony both maintain a certain logic in the evolution of their controller, without the ideas of one appearing in the other. Thus, no asymmetric sticks at Sony which prefers to evolve its controller to a larger model, even more packed with functions. For its part, Microsoft is trying to reduce the airfoil for a younger audience, without taking great risks by adding functions that could be useless. If it is impossible to predict the future of these two controllers, as it is linked to the success of the console that hosts them, we can’t wait to add these two models to our comparison, to see how they behave compared to their elders and to now many models offered by third-party manufacturers.
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