Seemingly out of nowhere, Sony has announced an official attachment for their proprietary PlayStation 4 controller, the DualShock 4. Dubbed the DualShock 4 Back Button, the accessory adds two back paddles to the controller that are customizable for specific inputs. In addition, it also features an OLED display in between the paddles as well as a dedicated button that can remap the controls very quickly.
According to the post made by Sony, the Back Button will be able to save up to three control profiles that you can set up ahead of time and use on any title, including VR titles. It will also come with a headset pass-through for any wired headphones that use a 3.5mm audio jack. The icing on the cake however is the actual price point, $29.99. On top of all that, the Back Button also comes out fairly soon, January 23, 2020, just a little over a month away!
“The DualShock 4 Back Button will come with the above back paddles and the OLED screen that displays the selected button inputs. As we can see from the images above, the attachment-detachment aspect looks to be easily accessible and made with “ease of use” in mind.” (Credit: Sony).
You can check out the announcement trailer here:
While it isn’t stated directly, this is more than likely Sony’s answer to Microsoft’s Xbox Elite Controller Series which was apparently successful enough for the company to develop the recently released Elite Controller Series 2. The big difference between the two is that the Xbox controller has a lot of extra buttons and configurations to work with, albeit at a much higher price as the newer Series 2 costs $179.99. That price tag might scare away some players, but the much more affordable DualShock 4 Back Button for PS4 owners seems like a no-brainer.
A cost-effective accessory that seemingly improves the playability of almost every game on the PlayStation 4 library has the potential to become a best seller for Sony. On the flip side, it’s rather interesting for the company to introduce a brand new item for the PS4 when the PlayStation 5 is looming with just under a year for it’s 2020 holiday launch. It’s possible that they’ll announce similar device for the PS5 controller sometime next year, while also trying to extend the lifetime of the PS4 long after the PS5 releases. Either way, this has the industry buzzing, and we can’t wait to get our hands on this new attachment.
The DualShock 4 Back Button will launch on January 23, 2020 for the DualShock 4 controller.