NEXT-GEN GAMING
Your Xbox One Controller Will Work With Xbox Series X Games
A new statement from Sony restricts the same possibility on PlayStation 5
Video game controllers that follow you from one console generation to the next; it’s a vision that both Microsoft and Sony doubled down on. It turns out that only one of them will truly let you experience the next generation of gaming with a relic of the past in your hands.
While Sony promised that the PS4’s DualShock 4 controller would be compatible with the PS5, the devil is in the details. In a new blog post by a member of Sony’s peripherals marketing team on the official PlayStation blog, Isabelle Tomatis, details precisely how you’ll be able to use the DualShock 4.
Sony seemingly changes direction
When Sony’s brand-new console hits shelves later this year, you won’t be able to travel between dimensions in Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart or take control of Miles Morales with your trusty PS4 controller. You’ll only be able to use your PS4 controller if you want to play legacy PS4 titles with the help of the PS5’s backward compatibility feature. In games created for the PS5, you won’t be able to bring your old controllers along for the ride.
Start saving up for those DualSense controllers.
“We believe that PS5 games should take advantage of the new capabilities and features we’re bringing to the platform, including the features of DualSense wireless controller,” Isabelle writes.
What this means for Xbox
While critics and fans alike were stunned by the striking color scheme of the DualSense controller that adds a host of new features like haptic feedback and a new microphone, the Xbox Series X controller took an “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” approach. Besides a redesigned d-pad, an extra share button, and some minor cosmetic modifications, it stuck to the winning formula that made its predecessor a hit with gamers. This didn’t sit too well with fans who had waited for seven years only to get hardware that was an iteration of what had come before it, rather than an evolution.
But this approach might very well be why Xbox One controllers will serve you well into the next generation. Were a game to implement rumble mechanics, the Xbox One controller can already take advantage of this thanks to its rumble triggers. Feature parity with Microsoft’s new controllers means that both controllers share the same capabilities. And console controllers, be it Sony’s or Microsoft’s, have always been built with durability and cranky gamers in mind. It makes perfect sense for Microsoft to let players bring their Xbox peripherals along for the next-gen experience. Sony seems to have dropped the ball on this feature, having promised what Microsoft did, only to dial it back. Sony states that other PS4 peripherals like licensed racing wheels and arcade sticks will be compatible with the PS5, but this change is now a feather in Microsoft’s cap.
It’s clear why Sony is doing this: they don’t want players to miss out on the capabilities that the DualSense controller brings to the table. This also serves as an incentive for developers to work on these unique features, knowing with certainty that every PS5 owner will be able to take advantage of them.
While you can play some of the PS4’s greatest hits on the PS5 with your DualShock 4, it’ll remain a remnant of a bygone era. All while the seven-year-old Xbox One controller is ready for Halo Infinite and beyond.
