Sony's Dualshock 4 restriction for the PS5 raises concerns of accessibility

[Dancrane212]

There has been a lot of discussion about how Sony will not allow the DualShock 4 to be used on the PS5, but I wanted to link some comments that show things from another perspective.

PS5 Games Are Not Compatible with DualShock 4 Controller

Sony today revealed what periphals would be compatible with the upcoming PS5. It turns out that PS5 games will not be compatible with the DualShock 4.

caniplaythat.com

The DualSense will also boast improved haptic feedback and will be heavier than the DualShock 4. So already, there's a lot of changes that may not be suited to how some players have grown accustomed to the DualShock 4 that launched in 2013.

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The folk who have spent this console generation adapting their setup or investing in custom hardware (such as modding controllers to make them one-handed, add extra buttons, decrease tension on buttons/triggers, etc.) are now unsure what they're going to have to do to continuing playing PlayStation titles. Shell out for new, expensive, custom controllers again? Hope on a new wave of firmware for existing adapters? How many of those options will even be there at launch?

With Sony's studios making an acclaimed effort to open their games up via accessibility options, it's extremely disappointing to see the folk at the top of the ladder show an, apparent, disinterest in this space.

Hopefully something changes prior to launch and more options are made available to start the next generation in the right direction.

*Update for context, an example of a controller modified to be used with just one hand:

https://www.benheck.com/single-handed-playstation-4-controllers/

 

[Toli08]

How can you complain about a controller when you haven't used it or seen it? What if the DualSense is even better for accessibility? I feel like these complaints are just silly before you even get to try it.

 

[Vinc]

It's a stupid move and an unforced error. Yet another thing that makes me hesitant about continued long term investment in PS hardware, personally.

 

[SixelAlexiS]

Third party PS5 controller with DS4 shape, problem solved.

 

[gundamkyoukai]

There has been a lot of discussion about how Sony will not allow the DualShock 4 to be used on the PS5, but I wanted to link some comments that show things from another perspective.

PS5 Games Are Not Compatible with DualShock 4 Controller

Sony today revealed what periphals would be compatible with the upcoming PS5. It turns out that PS5 games will not be compatible with the DualShock 4.

caniplaythat.com

The folk who have spent this console generation adapting their setup or investing in custom hardware (such as modding controllers to make them one-handed, add extra buttons, decrease tension on buttons/triggers, etc.) are now unsure what they're going to have to do to continuing playing PlayStation titles. Shell out for new, expensive, custom controllers again? Hope on a new wave of firmware for existing adapters? How many of those options will even be there at launch?

With Sony's studios making an acclaimed effort to open their games up via accessibility options, it's extremely disappointing to see the folk at the top of the ladder show an, apparent, disinterest in this space.

Hopefully something changes prior to launch and more options are made available to start the next generation in the right direction.

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All of that could have been said before DS4 came out.
They should at least try the controller for all they know it could be even better than the DS4 for them .
It sucks that they might have to invest again .

 

[DieH@rd]

It's a new gen that introduces new features in the gamepad. It's totally normal new games will require it.

edit- ah, accessibility issues. That's true, we'll see how it will play out.

 

[UnluckyKate]

its been like this for every playstation generation and its always been a forward driven upgrade of hardware

are we pretending to be surprised here ?

 

[McFly]

Third party PS5 controller with DS4 shape, problem solved.

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One and done?

 

[Ovvv]

Serious question because I wasn't really involved in gaming forums until late this gen:

Is this something that is brought up gen to gen? We get new controllers every time it seems like

 

[Rowsdower]

Yea, it sucks for those with accessibility issues.



Mark Friend is PlayStation's Accessibility Specialist and is aware of it at least.

 

[SnakeXs]

Did you buy a DS4 with the expectation that it would work forever? No. You bought it for a PS4.
If it bothers you that much, don't buy a PS5.

Gamers are the most obnoxious, entitled humans around.

 

[Deleted member 420]

Any reason why they don't support the Xbox accessibility controller on PS4?

 

[Tagg]

This makes no sense whatsoever. I don't understand how someone with accessibility issues can definitively say the new controller won't work for them when they've not yet had a chance to use it. The form looks extremely similar to me.

 

[ThisIsBlitz21]

It feels really backwards in 2020.

Maybe if there were new inputs like paddles or a fixed back-attachment, It would be fine because those same inputs wouldnt be on PS4 controller. But as it stands, all the buttons are the same. The only new things are haptic triggers and.....not much else.

Freaking X-cloud will support DS4, but PS5 wont. Let that sink in.

From a consumer standpoint, if PS4 controllers are compatible, you potentially save $60, or even $120 or $180 depending on how many of them you have. And if you dont like the PS4 controller for some reason, the DualSense is there for you. Options are great.

 

[Zhao_Yun]

I understand that some people might be negatively affected by this, but on the other hand it would be weird if controllers would not be able to evolve anymore just because Dualshock 4's have to be compatible for all upcoming Playstation generations. Imagine if the Dual Sense had backpaddles by default. How would the DS4 even work for some games without buying the backbutton attachment?

To be fair, we don't know yet how much of a deal the haptic triggers, etc. are so it needs to be seen whether most games would have worked with a Dualshock 4 without issues.

 

[EagleClaw]

Well, don't buy a PS5, they are anti-consumer.

 

[DieH@rd]

Any reason why they don't support the Xbox accessibility controller on PS4?

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It can be used on PS4 via adapter.

 

[Uzupedro]

Are y'all ignoring that this is about disabled people?????????????????
Even though I agree that perhaps the control is good in this sense, the complaints about the matter make sense in their context for now, I am not "against" Sony's decision(like the anti-consumer people), but it is at least fair to put yourself in their shoes.

 

[Lothars]

Any reason why they don't support the Xbox accessibility controller on PS4?

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I think it does, in that thread they were saying it worked with a ps4 so ideally it will still work for the PS5. The thing I don't understand is why they are automatically assuming the dual sense will not work with their needs. Now I understand they have the controller customized with what they need but I don't think it's fair to discount the controller before using it.

Are y'all ignoring that this is about disabled people?????????????????
Even though I agree that perhaps the control is good in this sense, the complaints about the matter make sense in their context for now, I am not "against" Sony's decision(like the anti-consumer people), but it is at least fair to put yourself in their shoes.

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I am but there's no reason to believe that the current way they use it won't work. From the threads they use it with the xbox adaptive controller.

 

[KORNdog]

They tried the DS4 and found it to be the best controller for their accessibility needs after I assume a terrible time with the DS3... so why are they assuming it's impossible for the dualsense to be better than the DS4?

at least hold the damn thing before you complain about it. Lol.

 

[JoJoBae]

This makes no sense whatsoever. I don't understand how someone with accessibility issues can definitively say the new controller won't work for them when they've not yet had a chance to use it. The form looks extremely similar to me.

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If they have a customized controller to adapt to their disability, they can't use it. Those aren't cheap. Also like... these people are going to know better than we are about if something will or won't work for them.

 

[Tora]

Let's just wait and see, too reactionary and emotional atm

 

[jwk94]

Serious question because I wasn't really involved in gaming forums until late this gen:

Is this something that is brought up gen to gen? We get new controllers every time it seems like

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I don't think it's been this loud. Microsoft's support for Xbox One controllers on Series X has definitely ramped it up though.

 

[gundamkyoukai]

Yea, it sucks for those with accessibility issues.



Mark Friend is PlayStation's Accessibly Specialist and is aware of it at least. Hopefully something changes soon.

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I doubt anything will change when people not even used the controller and you could have said the same things people saying now when they move to DS4.

 

[Deleted member 68874]

It's a shitty move by Sony and it's only driven by money, not this pushing tech forward narrative some people are parroting.

Those new features are going to be the exact same as the last two gens for Sony controllers. Sixaxis and the touchpad were real game changers.

 

[Fiddle]

At some point you gotta force people to move on. 7 years is more than enough time for a controller to exist.

 

[Rosebud]

My God, it worked like that in every Playstation gen until now.

Edit: about the accessibility, I never assumed DS5 would be less accessible? Good to know they are aware at least

Yea, it sucks for those with accessibility issues.



Mark Friend is PlayStation's Accessibility Specialist and is aware of it at least.

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[Dancrane212]

All of that could have been said before DS4 came out.

Click to shrink...

It was said then, and it also was a problem for folk. Something happening in the past doesn't mean it should be the rule forever.

They should at least try the controller for all they know it could be even better than the DS4 for them .

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It goes far beyond the shape of the controller for some folk. Like I mentioned in the OP people have built custom setups and modifications around the DS4 that you just can't port over to new hardware.

 

[Okabe]

*

 

[Poimandres]

It's a stupid move and an unforced error. Yet another thing that makes me hesitant about continued long term investment in PS hardware, personally.

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The new controller does new things, so it makes sense that not all PS5 games would be compatible. Devs should have the option to allow DS4 if they want though, but it's too much to expect that the DS4 will work with ALL PS5 games.

If the controller didn't have any new features then yes, there's no reason to cut off backwards compatibility. But it's really not that simple with the PS5 controller.

 

[gcwy]

Is someone actually, unironically, defending Sony's decision?

 

[Rogote]

Serious question because I wasn't really involved in gaming forums until late this gen:

Is this something that is brought up gen to gen? We get new controllers every time it seems like

Click to shrink...

No, it doesn't get brought up gen to gen. First time I've seen this happen ever in my life as we move to a new gen. New generation consoles will have new features with their new controllers that cannot be replicated on the old one. I feel for the people who encounter trouble with it, but I do think they (sony) should be allowed to innovate as we move forward.

 

[Rosebud]

Any reason why they don't support the Xbox accessibility controller on PS4?

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I think it's supported

 

[Vinc]

The new controller does new things, so it makes sense that not all PS5 games would be compatible. Devs should have the option to allow DS4 if they want though, but it's too much to expect that the DS4 will work with ALL PS5 games.

If the controller didn't have any new features then yes, there's no reason to cut off backwards compatibility. But it's really not that simple with the PS5 controller.

Click to shrink...

We're in agreement. It should be an option, not a hard cutoff of DualShock 4 not being compatible with any PS5 games.

 

[JoJoBae]

Is someone actually, unironically, defending Sony's decision?

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Are you surprised?

 

[shadowsdarknes]

For reference, the DS4 is considerably lighter than the Xbox One controller.
We know the DualSense will be heavier than what we have now for DS4.

But I imagine weight is one of the factors that is being considered here in terms of accessibility.

I'm certainly willing to listen to concerns for those who have accessibility issues with games. I hope they find this controller to be suitable. But I wouldn't expect forward compatibility forever with controllers.

 

[SolidSnakeUS]

It feels really backwards in 2020.

Maybe if there were new inputs like paddles or a fixed back-attachment, It would be fine because those same inputs wouldnt be on PS4 controller. But as it stands, all the buttons are the same. The only new things are haptic triggers and.....not much else.

Freaking X-cloud will support DS4, but PS5 wont. Let that sink in.

Click to shrink...

The triggers aren't haptic. They are triggers with actual gears in them to provide actual resistance at different points of the pull. So definitely a system that no other console controller has. The haptic feedback rumble is completely different in terms of function, feeling and programming than the old rumble motors. The mic system is probably going to be constantly used to help deliver a better sound experience than what the Dualshock 4 has. So yeah, not much else...

 

[antennastoheaven]

its been like this for every playstation generation and its always been a forward driven upgrade of hardware

are we pretending to be surprised here ?

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I've used my DualShock 1 on my PS2 and I've used both DS1 and DS2 on my PS3 through a USB adapter.

Granted this won't matter. Local mp is irrelevant and it comes with one DualSense in the box. Most people won't care.

 

[Bold One]

Can we wait to see how the new controller works first or nah?

 

[Bear Cub in Sky]

This seems like legitimate concerns from an accessibility standpoint. I'm curious how Sony plans to address it.

 

[Lemony1984]

It's a bit shit alright since we know all those third party games are gonna be playable on PC with a DS4 just fine.

 

[JaseC64]

I dont understand why this new generation is the one where introducing new peripherals to a new system is so controversial.

I feel bad for these people, sure, but let's tone down the sony kicked my dog now I'm boycotting drivel.

We don't know yet all the details. Sony could have something like what ND did built into the system, maybe a custom controller for disabled gamers i don't know but people sure love to read something before launch and make it seem they are insiders with the last word.

 

[Uzuzu]

My God, it worked like that in every Playstation gen until now. People really want a "gotcha" moment.

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Yes, the disabled people who spent lots of money on modifying their ds4 to suit their needs are looking for a "gotcha" moment

 

[Rowsdower]

I doubt anything will change when people not even used the controller and you could have said the same things people saying now when they move to DS4.

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True. I just hope there's a solution to those who won't be able to use the DualSense.

 

[gundamkyoukai]

It goes far beyond the shape of the controller for some folk. Like I mentioned in the OP people have built custom setups and modifications around the DS4 that you just can't port over to new hardware.

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So the problem is spending the extra cash to the modifications around the dual sense ?

 

[Mobius 1]

Why is this even a discussion? They're pushing new technology and the outgoing controllers won't support the new features. The console comes with a controller. There is no change from the status quo. Why is this controversial in any way?

 

[Dphex]

No, it doesn´t.

new console, new hardware. i bet when people get their hands on the DualSense they won´t go back to the Dualshock 4. the adaptive triggers will be one of the crucial changes in the feel of games going forward.

 

[s y]

hopefully the DS5 is as comfortable as the DS4 or there's an inexpensive alternative available for the disabled. Honestly hadn't even thought about it from that angle :( .

 

[Deleted member 420]

Can we wait to see how the new controller works first or nah?

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What, you don't want them to raise concerns at this announcement? Just tell them to drop $500+ on a console they don't even know if they can use in November?

 

[TCG276]

I get that it would be nice if PS4 controllers worked with PS5 games but, and someone correct me if I wrong, besides the Xbox One controller working with XSX, has there been any other controllers that have worked cross gen natively?