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Rumor: Sony May Be Abandoning The Dual Shock Controller For Its Next Console

rumor
by Kyle Hilliard on January 18, 2013 at 09:29 AM
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Little is known about Sony's next console, but rumors are swirling that its controller will not be the familiar Dual Shock design we've all become familiar with.

CVG is reporting that two different game-development studios that are involved with Sony's next console are saying that that the controller is going through many iterations and nothing has looked like the Dual Shock. Apparently, Sony is experimenting with interface options that incorporate things like biometric scanning and touch screens, and the Vita's interface is influencing many of Sony's experiments.

When the PlayStation 3 was originally announced, the controller seen above is what Sony showed with the system. I never held one in my hands, but in photographs of Sony's "boomerang" controller looked uncomfortable to use. Many were turned off by the design, and it may have been one of the influencing factors as to why the PlayStation 3's controller was ultimately the same shape as the PlayStation 2 controller. We'll have to wait and see what Sony has planned for its next console.

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Comments
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  • by Friday, January 18, 2013 at 09:39 AM
    Didn't they say this was gonna be the controller for the ps3?

    Edit: guess I should have read the article before posting :p
  •
    by Friday, January 18, 2013 at 09:41 AM
    This controller looks as bad as the wiiu prototype. I hope they change it.
  •
    by Friday, January 18, 2013 at 09:43 AM
    That is so ugly. I think they should just make a slightly larger dual shock controller.
  • by Friday, January 18, 2013 at 09:44 AM
    I vote neural implants. Seriously though, Sony's employing Vita, MS will probably employ a Kinect-like interface, and the Wii-U is...well, the Wii-U. Makes me wonder if any of the big three are keeping anything of their next gen consoles familiar or traditional
  •
    by Friday, January 18, 2013 at 09:44 AM
    I hope they stay with the Dualshock. We don't need biometric scanning and touchscreens on a Playstation controller.
  • by Friday, January 18, 2013 at 09:46 AM
    About time the ps controler has needed a update for a long long time. Here's to hopeing they don't screw it up like the boomerang prototype.
  •
    by Friday, January 18, 2013 at 09:51 AM
    These rumors came around last time, but I think they'll be squashed. I expect both Sony and Microsoft to make only minor adjustments to the controller. Remember when Sony wasn't even going to include rumble in the PS3 controller? The fan base quickly changed that.
  •
    by Friday, January 18, 2013 at 09:54 AM
    But I like the Dual Shock controller...
  •
    by Friday, January 18, 2013 at 09:55 AM
    This turned out to be such a disaster for them the first time. They had the boomerang, then they launched with the controller that responded to motion and had no rumble, then lastly when everyone hated that we got the dualshock back with rumble. Doing things different is fine, but let's hope this time they learned that the most important thing to us as consumers is rumble and being able to hold something comfortably in our hands without having to worry about what angle we hold it at.
  •
    by Friday, January 18, 2013 at 10:00 AM
    If the N64 controller was a Pokemon, the boomerang controller would be its evolution.
  •
    by Friday, January 18, 2013 at 10:02 AM
    Who cares, it's probably going to be inaccurate like the controllers of today, therefore terrible for shooters and strategy games.
  •
    by Friday, January 18, 2013 at 10:03 AM
    If it ain't broke, why fix it?
  •
    by Friday, January 18, 2013 at 10:09 AM
    Of course they would do this. Even though every Dualshock controller looks basically identical, you could never use the previous version on the next console (by default) and they made you buy all new controllers for each console, and PS3 controllers cost a ridiculous $60 each. Now that the have what they think is the best dualshock they can make, with all the bells and whistles, they realize they can't just make a dualshock 4 for PS4 because it would be too similar to the previous one and people would just want to use there old controllers on the new console. Most likely the only reason they're doing this is to get tons more money out of their customers for even more expensive controllers, and that gets me pretty mad.
  •
    by Friday, January 18, 2013 at 10:11 AM

    Scared is one way of putting it.

  •
    by Friday, January 18, 2013 at 10:16 AM

    While I'm all for innovation/change, I'm hoping that Sony and MS take the same route that Nintendo took with the Wii U and allow gamers to use this gen's controller with next gen's consoles.  At $60 a pop, these controllers are too expensive to just be tossed to the wayside.

  •
    by Friday, January 18, 2013 at 10:17 AM
    They're probably going to try and implement some sort of touch-screen into the next gen controller. Like Sixaxis, it would have potential for new game-play opportunities but inevitably fail due to lack of support for consumers and developers. They'll probably just go back to dual-shock eventually so I wouldn't get too worked up at this point.
  •
    by Friday, January 18, 2013 at 10:18 AM

    i dont know if it is a good thing..i just want something i can use and not to expensive.

  •
    by Friday, January 18, 2013 at 10:18 AM
    All they have to do is shamelessly rip off the 360 controller but give it a f'reals D-pad and everyone will dance with joy. Jumping back and forth between the Dualshock 3 and Xbox whatever-their-controller's-name-is, the Dualshock feels too flimsy.
    I hold my breath hoping that it doesn't break every time I knock it off the coffee table. 360 controller, on the other hand, comes in handy when I can't find my framing hammer.
  •
    by Friday, January 18, 2013 at 10:19 AM
    Thank god
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