The PS5 DualSense controller maintains PS4 DualShock's worst design decision

As this next console generation dawns, there’s a lot to look forward to. Between utilization of newly designed hardware and software, the Xbox Series X and PS5 are looking like strong steps forward in the home console space at the end of this year. I currently lean towards PlayStation 5. As a fighting game fan, I’ve always favored the PS4 controller, and the regular use of the platform at various events and competition made it the obvious choice for me. It’s looking like it will be the same for PS5, but I have to admit the new PS5 controller leaves me annoyed. It sounds fantastic, featuring haptic response and sensitivity features that promise to provide the most immersive interface possible, but it leaves one of the most unfortunate design choices of modern PlayStation controller design unfixed. I’m talking about the R2 and L2 shoulder buttons left completely uncovered on the PS4 DualShock, and now apparently on the PS5 DualSense controller.

Let me lay out the issue plainly, and any PlayStation 4 player may already know: The PS4 DualShock controller sits directly on the tips of the R2 and L2 as two points of contact when laid down normally. Why does this matter? Well, say you’re watching something on YouTube or Netflix or pause the game on a menu and you put the controller down on the couch to go get a drink, go to the restroom, or whatever. Chances are likely that if it’s the YouTube or Netflix scenario, you’ve come back to find your controller fast forward through an entire video by mistake. If it’s a pause menu, you’ve probably found it cycling rapid-fire through menu pages. The R2 and L2 buttons, besides being two points of contact when the controller is at rest, are also two of the most sensitive buttons on the whole device. And the PS5 DualSense controller seems like it only intends to build upon this.

And boy howdy, does the PlayStation 5 DuelSense controller look promising in how it intends to up the devices capabilities. As revealed in Sony’s first announcement of the DualSense, there were a number of priorities in the improvement of the PS5 controller that included a new built-in microphone array, a new lightweight, long-lasting battery, and technology that takes advantage of systems like the PS5’s new Tempest 3D AudioTech sound engine. However, one of the most important new improvements Sony has been toting is the improvement of haptic feedback on the PS5's adaptive R2 and L2 buttons… An altogether more sensitive system that will allow players to immerse themselves in the pull of a bowstring or the turn of a doorknob like never before.

Sounds neat right? I thought so. Until I got a look at how the PS5 DualSense controller looks in profile. A quick look at the controllers revealed final design shows that the new PS5 controller sits exactly as the PS4 controller did… with the two most sensitive buttons on the entire device acting as two of the four points of contact when you put the controller down. And if the improved sensitivity on the PS5 controller is any indication, you can probably expect it to cycle through your PS5 home menu, cycle through pause menus, and fast forward through the latest episode of whatever you’re watching if you rest it on a surface that nudges those buttons even a fraction of a millimeter, likely even moreso than the PS4 controller.

Why is this so bothersome? Because it seems so easily fixable. I don’t like the Xbox controllers that much, but look at the L and R triggers. Specifically, look at the way the controller casing is designed underneath them. There’s just a little bit of plastic shielding to ensure the controller doesn’t rest directly on its sensitive points of functionality. How hard would that be to do with the PS5 controller? Certainly the R2 and L2 shoulder buttons have evolved to feature a wider range of motion than we had on the PS2 and PS1 controllers, but why does Sony insist on leaving in a design flaw that could easily be fixed by just a touch of extended plastic molding underneath the trigger? Is it some kind of cost cutting measure? Even if so, it seems counterproductive to the overall health and functionality of the controller.

It doesn’t feel outlandish or whiny to ask that Sony create a solution for this issue. I am a PlayStation person for now (not rabid, but it’s my go-to system for sure). I want the PS5 to be the perfect step forward that it promises to be in every way. I want to enjoy advanced 3D sound, modular M.2 SSD upgrades, ray-tracing to produce cutting edge water and weather visual effects, revolutionary haptic feedback, and more. What I don’t want to worry about is so very carefully putting my controller down to do anything really quick for fear that the lack of protection on arguably the two most important buttons on the device will be triggered to obnoxious or outright inconvenient ends. And I don’t feel like I’m alone in this concern in the slightest. Sony. Step up your game. Protect your shoulder buttons. Don’t make PS5 players wait for third-party controller designers to figure it out for you.

TJ Denzer

Senior News Editor

TJ Denzer is a player and writer with a passion for games that has dominated a lifetime. He found his way to the Shacknews roster in late 2019 and has worked his way to Senior News Editor since. Between news coverage, he also aides notably in livestream projects like the indie game-focused Indie-licious, the Shacknews Stimulus Games, and the Shacknews Dump. You can reach him at tj.denzer@shacknews.com and also find him on Twitter @JohnnyChugs.