Sony and Microsoft have already presented what the controllers will be like to accompany their respective new consoles. We delve into its characteristics.
PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X will arrive in stores, if the health situation allows, in late 2020. Both Sony and Microsoft have denied the most before any kind of speculation about possible delays and ratify, by official means, that Christmas is the date that we have to mark in the calendar to pick up the box of our new console. Inside that box will be a remote control, today we analyze everything we know about both.
- It may interest you: everything we know about PS5 and everything we know about Xbox Series X
DualSense and Xbox Wireless Controller, the power is in our hands
"Xbox Series X comes with the best control ever," said Will Tuttle, editor-in-chief at Xbox Wire, this past March. Sony was not short on raising expectations with the successor to DualShock, now dubbed DualSense: "It will transform the world of video games," said Jim Ryan, president and CEO of Sony Interactive Entertainment.
There is something that players of both brands can agree on: both Sony and Microsoft are putting a lot of attention into making the controls of their new consoles objectively better than those of the present generation. More technology; more ergonomics; a smarter design and, above all, a better experience in our gaming sessions.
Evolution and continuity on the part of the Redmond to maintain something that already works; and an attempt to revolutionize what the PlayStation player was used to having in his hands. It is the players who give their verdict in just a few months; we, meanwhile, turn to information.
DualSense, more than just a name change
We start with the most recent. Sony, as it has been getting used to since I started this new communication methodology with hardly any means, more distant. In the middle of April, we still do not have a photograph of what will be PS5. For its part, Microsoft is adopting a more direct language, supported by a lot of graphic and explicit material on how what they are preparing will work.
This time there was luck and we have been able to see in a total of three images what the new PlayStation 5 controller, DualSense will be like.
The first question Sony has raised in the statement signed by Hideaki Nishino, senior vice president of product planning and management is: how do we go further? Although they recognize that the DualShock 4 is a controller with a great acceptance among the PlayStation community "we have decided to keep intact everything that gamers loved about DUALSHOCK 4 and add new features and an updated design". They also acknowledge that they have had “hundreds” of drafts before deciding on the current design that is now being made public. The touch screen remains, as does the small microphone built into the chassis and the internal rechargeable battery; this time powered through the new standard, USB-C.
But here is one of the novelties, the haptic technology. They already told us about it as a way to offer tension and resistance in the fingers, a way to make it different to hold a pistol or a bow; or driving on the asphalt or other surface. "We've also incorporated adaptive triggers for the L2 and R2 buttons on the DualSense controller so you can feel the real tension from actions like loading and firing an arrow."
The challenge of the design team, they comment, has come when it comes to integrating all these innovations without sacrificing design, ergonomics and weight. "Our hardware engineering and design teams worked closely to decide the location of the triggers and actuators within the controller," they say. For this reason the angle of the triggers has been changed and the grip has been improved. All in all, they assure that the DualSense of Ps5 will be able to guarantee "a good duration of the rechargeable battery" and "reduce to a minimum the weight of the controller", although no details or capacity of that battery, grams or dimensions of height, width have transpired or background.
The Share button disappears, but it does so to make way for the Create button, which will essentially be an evolution of it by placing itself in the same place (top left) and assuming that role: “With it, we offer players again Never before seen ways to create epic game content to share with the world or personally enjoy. ”
And yes, it is obvious that the controller is not primarily black, but white. The light bar has been relocated to give it another touch; Now it will come out of the sides of the touchpad, not in the rear area so visible. A two-tone color and transparent action buttons with a white base.
PS5 DualSense Features
- Rechargeable battery; USB-C power
- Replacing the Share button with Create
- Touch panel and lighting on its sides
- L2 and R2 triggers with new angle, resistance and haptic tension
- Built-in microphone and speaker
- Headphone port 3.5
Xbox Wirelles Controller, or how to refine a control with few edges
Microsoft has introduced small changes in the design lines of the Xbox Wireless Controller chassis that we will find in Xbox Series X. Deliberate continuity to maintain the confidence placed in the control that we already saw in Xbox One; which was, in turn, a clear evolution of the Xbox 360. The team of Microsoft architects has opted for two fronts in recent years, from the Apdaptive Controller to the Elite Series 2, the latter of a premium range, high price and extraordinary experience.
Finding the balance between the standard model and the Elite Series is challenging, but Xbox members are working to make that controller the most definitive version possible we've seen to date on a console. Thus, this command aims to improve speed, comfort and connectivity: "An improved ergonomic design for a wider range of people, better connectivity between devices, easier exchange and reduced latency," said Microsoft during the presentation.
Ryan Whitaker, Senior Designer at Xbox, explained details that may not be as noticeable to the eye, such as the slightly rounded top buttons and reduced trigger edges. “A key area that we are improving is having the ability to have a wider range of hand sizes, especially for people with smaller hands. We did this by rounding the top buttons, slightly reducing the edges of the triggers and carefully sculpting the grips, "he said.
The D-pad is another of the most visible and sensitive changes. Performance and accessibility were the words used by Whitaker to comment on the change, which he recognizes to be based on what they learned with the control of the Elite and on the majority use that is given to the D-pad in the community of video game players in general. Therefore, “we created a hybrid design to bring out the best in both. It feels amazing. The slightly deeper cymbal gives your thumb a nice "place" to rest. "
And yes, this controller will be compatible with both Xbox One; or vice versa, that of Xbox One on Xbox Series X, because the idea of the ecosystem wants to rise to almost all levels. The technology used by this remote to connect to the console will be Bluetooth, a standard that makes it easy for us to connect the remote to Windows 10 devices, for example. The power will be through a USB-C port, but initially it will come equipped with two AA batteries. Microsoft will give the option of using the classic "Charge and Play", which are still removable rechargeable batteries. There is a reason why this decision has been chosen.
Jason Ronald, associate director of the Xbox management program, said, “Giving flexibility is the way to satisfy both types of people. You can use a rechargeable battery and it will work like an Elite controller does, but that goes separately. ” Microsoft's premium premium range controller, the Xbox Elite Series 2, does adopt this rechargeable internal power feature via USB-C. Normally, in addition, the supply by AA batteries gives a duration in hours longer than that of the integrated batteries, in the absence of knowing how it will materialize in this case.
Finally, the Share button, the other major change to the Xbox Series X controller's chassis, a feature that wasn't natively integrated into the Xbox One controller, but required multiple steps through the center button. “Adding a Share button is the best way to instantly capture and share moments. It's easy to just take a screenshot or record a video without resorting to on-screen menus. ” And so it will be.
Features Xbox Wireless Controller for Xbox Series X
- Battery powered by AA batteries; USB-C power. Replaceable
- Share button integration
- Light rounding at top buttons
- LT and RT trigger edge reduction
- Built-in microphone and speaker
- Headphone port 3.5
