That’s it: Sony is launching into official “professional” controllers with the DualSense Edge. A PS5 controller which aims to facilitate the competitive practice of video games.
The event is not trivial. The release of the DualSense Edge marks the first time that Sony and its PlayStation division have developed an “accessory” controller themselves. Until now, the Japanese manufacturer had been content to create an official validation label , but left the field to its partners like Nacon, Razer and Thrustmaster. Faced with the popularity of the Xbox Elite and the entire range of personalized accessories offered by its direct competitor Microsoft, it seems that PlayStation had no choice but to respond with the release of the DualSense Edge for PlayStation 5 .
Controller itself
It is not shocking to see a nickname as mild as DualSense Edge being used for this controller, far from the “Elite” which almost suggests bellicose instincts. The Edge is very clearly a DualSense , in its shape and in its handling. We will still note a weight far from the slimming treatment, since we arrive at 330 grams compared to 282 grams for the classic model. A difference not so noticeable on paper, but which is really felt when you are sitting on your sofa.
Beyond that ? You will obviously have to look at the buttons added here and there to the grip. We start with the two function buttons , located below the two joysticks, always placed parallel to the bottom of the controller. These each perform the same function: allowing the user to change profile on the fly , by combining them with one of the four front keys of the controller (square, king, circle, triangle), after configuration, although on. It is also possible to adjust the volume using the directional cross.
From there already arises a first question: why have this button both on the left and on the right? In use, by their placement, it is obvious that only the left hand will mainly press the function button when the right hand will look for the profile. Since selecting a profile on the directional cross is not possible, the button placed on the right seems very futile for the little function it occupies. Especially since this key is not reprogrammable.
It is on the back that we will find the most significant changes to the DualSense Edge. First of all, the activation distance of the two sticks can be changed using a switch placed on the sides of them. Three distances are possible: the traditional course, the mid-course, and instant activation. This feature is almost mandatory on a controller claiming to be “professional”, since it allows players of nervous titles to reduce their reaction time and fatigue by eliminating unnecessary effort. These settings work superbly.
And then we have two small magnetic areas , in which you can insert two types of accessories: long pallets, which can be oriented lengthwise or widthwise, or half domes, which will put these keys at articulation distance. These two new keys – whose behavior is programmable – are well positioned, and the paddles in particular offer excellent comfort. We are, however, less convinced by the half domes, which we tended to make jump more than once when taking the controller back in hand, and whose magnet is not powerful enough to prevent them from moving from their location .
Finally, you will notice a small slide called “release” on the back , which will allow you to remove the cover surrounding the joysticks at the front. This cover marks a big difference with the original DualSense, since its glossy coating rather than matte is a trap for fingerprints.. It’s difficult to explain why Sony chose to do this step back on the DualSense Edge, which we don’t like in the least. Fortunately, it hides a feature that we really like: the possibility of disconnecting, using two small levers, the two joysticks from their bases. A maintenance operation, above all, since Sony plans to market these two joysticks separately, so as to repair the controller at home if the need arises. The system is elegant , and prevents this professional controller from being abandoned too early by stick grinders.
These same sticks can change cap to take, as desired: the usual convex domes of the DualSense or high or low concave domes . It is more than a shame here not to find higher convex domes, which are often popular among FPS players, when the concave domes of the original DualShock are only appreciated by an increasingly thin slice of players. The rest of the buttons do not change from the classic DualSense, except that the membranes of the cross/square/triangle/round buttons seem a bit softer than usual. However, it is difficult to determine whether this is not simply due to use.
One last element slips into the already well-stocked package of this controller: a long braided USB cable coupled with a plug blocking system on the controller. You can in fact slide this cable into a small, inexpensive plastic box, which will then slide two hooks onto the back of the controller so that your connection can never be interrupted by uncontrolled footsteps in front of you. Why not, but the fact that this little box is itself very fragile and that it is only designed for this official cable does not work in favor of the system, which we would have liked to have been better designed and open to other manufacturers.
You understand from this description: we cannot blame the DualSense Edge for poor handling, since it is quite simply identical to that of the DualSense. A controller whose ergonomics have already proven itself , and which continues to be ultra-comfortable. The DualSense Edge is a very good PS5 controller, as many already do, and offers the “professional” options that we expect from it, with the exception of the possibility of arranging the sticks asymmetrically . But on this point, we will forgive Sony which cannot separate itself from a feature that has today become a marker of its difference.
What about the configuration?
In terms of possibilities, the DualSense Edge is there again… a DualSense. In the best sense of the word this time, since it is the only pro controller on the market that allows you to take advantage of the vibration improvements offered by the brand and the variable tension of the triggers . But it is also somewhat ironic, because support for this function could allow it to offer the short activation of these famous triggers in software, if the developers of the Japanese conglomerate wanted to look into it.
Its autonomy, however, takes a small hit, with 7 hours and 10 minutes of intensive use (brightness at maximum, on a game using vibrations regularly) observed compared to an average of around ten hours with the DualSense. The difference is not that marked despite everything, and it will hold up well for an intensive gaming session over a whole day… including a few breaks for your stomach and your eyes, or by reducing the brightness and power of the vibrations.
