Does the DualSense wireless controller come in black?
That was the question many PlayStation fans (myself included) asked when the DualSense was officially unveiled back in April 2020.
It does now.
Whilst the PlayStation 5 (PS5) itself remains rarer than hen's teeth, Sony's announced new DualSense colourways. Cosmic Red (affiliate link) and Midnight Black (affiliate link).
Leo Cardoso from the PlayStation design team said: “Our goal is to always find designs that will surprise and entice our fans, and these new colours are the result of an extensive selection process. We wanted the new controller colours to complement each other, as well as the original DualSense wireless controller and PS5 console, so we designed the colours around the theme of ‘galaxy’ as it felt like a natural progression from the original PS5 and accessories designs.”
I'm currently playing Mass Effect: Legendary Edition, a bittersweet reminder of BioWare's brilliance, and am tempted to pick up a DualSense Cosmic Red wireless controller.
Which galaxy-themed colour is your favourite? Let me know in the comments below.
A new trailer for Kena: Bridge of Spirits was revealed during Sony's State of Play and my PS5's DualSense is ready.
The upcoming story-driven action-adventure video game is from third-party studio Ember Lab whose clients include Coca-Cola.
The game's release has been delayed due to developers working from home during the coronavirus pandemic. However, it now looks even more like an interactive Pixar movie and a stunning showcase for Epic Games' Unreal Engine 4.
Kena: Bridge of Spirits for PC, PlayStation 4 (PS4) and PlayStation 5 (PS5) is available for pre-order. I know what I'll be spending my PlayStation Store credit on (courtesy of a Cyberpunk 2077 refund).
Are you looking forward to Kena: Bridge of Spirits on 24th August? Let me know in the comments below.
So, last Thursday marked the launch of the PlayStation 5 (PS5) in the UK and Europe. Arguably, Sony’s next-gen console is the must-have of this holiday season. More so than Microsoft's Xbox Series X and S if mainstream media coverage is to be believed and, as the lucky owner of a PS5, I can see why first-hand.
You managed to obtain a rarer than hen’s teeth PS5 whilst others couldn’t or had them cancelled (looking at you Currys PC World), I hear you cry? Well, having foregone both next-gen console pre-orders, to bump the spec of an imperative iMac upgrade, and the looming prospect of a COVID Christmas, I took a chance on launch day and ordered from John Lewis via the retailer’s iPad app as the site invariably crashed due to tens of thousands of eager fellow PlayStation enthusiasts.
To my genuine surprise and delight, the gamble paid off and a shiny Sony next-gen console was safely delivered very early the following day. John Lewis’ customer service is among the best and that free 2-year guarantee isn’t too shabby. Other retailers are available and your mileage may vary but praise where it’s due - especially during a pandemic.
Initial thoughts on the disc-based PS5 after a couple of days use. The console is by turns gigantic and Cupertino-designed spaceship sleek compared to previous generations. A far cry from the Atari VCS where my video game odyssey began with a cousin’s unwanted Christmas gift in 1980. My eight-year-old self would have jumped at the chance of owning a console and accessories in Imperial Stormtrooper livery. Rebels! Schmebels!
Initial setup was buggy and a few apps crashed but that comes with day-one territory. Following a quick restart and system software update, the PS5 (mounted horizontally as if levitating a la Dua Lipa) runs whisper quiet and lightning-fast compared to its PlayStation 3 (PS3) and PlayStation 4 (PS4) predecessors. The solid-state drive (SSD) impresses. The Blu-ray disc drive supports 4K UHD, unlike the PS4 Pro.
The look and feel is premium next-gen in spite of a lack of customisation options for the dashboard (post-launch updates will fix that) and the DualSense controller is a joyful revelation: an inspired fusion of PlayStation and Nintendo innovation distilled in Astro’s Playroom (pre-loaded on every PS5). This gaming gem is haptic feedback heaven and here's hoping third-party developers utilise it.
The DualSense is my new favourite controller of all time after years of advocating the excellent Xbox controller over PlayStation’s DualShock (DS), which I've never got on with since the launch of the original PlayStation 25 years ago.
The day-one launch titles are impressive, most impressive (more so in the midst of a lockdown). As a lifelong fan of Marvel’s web-slinger, I had to get Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales Ultimate Edition and will buy Demon's Souls and Sackboy: A Big Adventure on Black Friday.
The PlayStation Plus Collection for PS5 is the icing on the cake for launch week. Days Gone, a first-party action-adventure survival horror video game that launched to mixed reviews in 2019, is way more fun than expected, Detroit: Become Human is stylistically at home on the PS5 and I can’t wait to revisit Horizon Zero Dawn ahead of Horizon Forbidden West.
PS4 backwards compatibility is every bit as superlative as the fine folks at Digital Foundry (DF) enthusiastically suggest. Sony should be shouting from the rooftops for the first time since PS3.
Before I wrap up this PS5 launch review. Jim Ryan, Sony Interactive Entertainment’s CEO and president has warned the console has sold out everywhere before Christmas.
“Everything is sold. Absolutely everything is sold,” Mr Ryan told Russian news agency TASS.
"I’ve spent much of the last year trying to be sure that we can generate enough demand for the product. And now in terms of my executive bandwidth I’m spending a lot more time on trying to increase supply to meet that demand."
Mr Ryan said that the COVID-19 outbreak may have impacted the number of consoles available at launch. “We might have had a few more to sell, but not very many: the guys on the production/manufacturing side have worked miracles,” he said in the interview.
If you missed out on pre-ordering or limited launch day stock, there's some good news this Black Friday. Walmart, Best Buy and GameStop restock this week. So, it may be a happy Thanksgiving for US-based fans after all.
To paraphrase teenage pop music crush Kylie, do I believe in magic? Why yes, I do. And don't we all deserve a fun fillip in these troubling times? As a fan of PlayStation since it was originally announced as a CD-ROM add-on for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES), I can't wait to play without limits...
Did you manage to get a PS5 on launch day? Let me know in the comments below.
With the launch of next generation consoles PlayStation 5 (PS5) and Xbox Series X only months away, Sony has released the first PS5 commercial, featuring CGI and socially distanced live-action footage, during a global pandemic. All the feels.
Sony's marketing push for the PS5 has begun in earnest starting with the company's ongoing sponsorship of the UEFA Champions League. Last evening I noticed the PS4 logo had been replaced by PS5 during the semi-final clash between Lyon and Bayern Munich on BT Sport.
Much is being made of the DualSense controller's implementation of haptic feedback. As of now, the Xbox One controller remains my all-time favourite. Will that change this holiday season? Assuming I'm able to get hands-on, I'll let you know.
What are your thoughts? Are you planning on getting a PS5 at launch? Let me know in the comments below.
Despite the coronavirus pandemic, Sony is still on course to release the PlayStation 5 (PS5) this holiday season. Although expect it to be in very limited supply at launch.
Earlier this week, the Tokyo-based multimedia company revealed the DualSense wireless controller for the upcoming console and I was instantly reminded of Detroit: Become Human.
SIE President & CEO Jim Ryan says: “DualSense marks a radical departure from our previous controller offerings and captures just how strongly we feel about making a generational leap with PS5. The new controller, along with the many innovative features in PS5, will be transformative for games – continuing our mission at PlayStation to push the boundaries of play, now and in the future. To the PlayStation community, I truly want to thank you for sharing this exciting journey with us as we head toward PS5’s launch in Holiday 2020. We look forward to sharing more information about PS5, including the console design, in the coming months.”
DualSense has met with mixed reactions, but I really like its sleek anime design cues. Whilst gamers won't know how the premium-looking controller handles until in-hand, the latest evolution of DualShock looks larger and should appease fans (myself included) of the Xbox One controller. Subjectively, the DualShock 4 has never been comfortable for long gaming sessions and curtailed by poor battery life.
Sony has piqued my interest far more than Microsoft with its Xbox Series X. I've no need to replace my Xbox One X for the foreseeable future. A two-tone PS5 would be a welcome addition to my home gaming setup this Christmas. Let's hope it's whisper-quiet compared with its noisier predecessors.
What do you think of the DualSense wireless controller? Let me know in the comments below.
