Hardware Review: DualSense Edge – A great upgrade for enthusiasts

It’s been years in the making, and obviously long overdue, but Sony finally launched it. DualSense Edge, a value-for-money pro-controller designed for those competitive PS5 players. There was already a lot to like about the Edge from the gate, with a bunch of features added on top of them from the DualSense controller. But with its wallet-tightening £210/$200 price tag, are all those extra bells and whistles really worth the trouble?

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Sony was kind enough to send us a unit, and we’ve spent the last week bringing that Pro experience to titles like Fortnite, Apex Legends, and Gran Turismo 7. So with all this experience, would we recommend this expensive pro controller? ? Let’s find out.

What is DualSense Edge?

DualSense Edge is Sony’s answer to the Xbox Elite controller, bringing a more competitively nuanced gaming experience to the PS5. The Edge features trigger depth settings, replaceable stick modules, adjustable back pedals, and replaceable thumbstick caps, all features you can find on other third party pro controllers.

However, the selling point of the DualSense Edge is that it also comes with DualSense features such as haptic feedback and adaptive triggers. In theory putting those two immersive and customizable qualities together is a winning combination.

What’s in the box?

With its pricey entry point you’ll be happy to know that the DualSense Edge experience starts with a sleek black and white carry case. We’re really impressed with the quality of the display, along with the hard shell exterior of the case fitted with PlayStation shapes, symbols, and even branded zip pads. It also has a small opening flap which means you can charge the controller inside without removing it.

Inside the case is really what you’re after, though, and here Edge likes to keep things simple. Taking up most of the space by the controller, you’ll find four metal back pedal buttons, four convex-style thumbstick caps, a charger wire lock bracket, and a long-braided USB-A to C charging cable stored in a netted compartment. It all held together well, however, we found that the longer pedals were a bit difficult to keep in place after first being taken out. You can see our first impressions of the case and its contents at Push scare youtube channel With our DualSense Edge unboxing video.

What does dualsense look like?

At first glance, Dullescence Edge looks like a new color option for the original Dullescence. However, get up close and personal with this thing and you’ll realize it has some nice design tweaks that set it apart from its PS5 brethren.

For one, the matte finish on the front panel has been replaced with a glossy black, to complement the black and white contrasting design of the D-pad and face buttons. Personally, we preferred the original matte finish, but of course, to each his own. The touchpad is the most noticeable change, however, as it now hosts a more angular design and has smaller PlayStation shapes on its face. Once you turn on the controller, you’ll also notice that the light bar has been removed from the bottom of the panel, and replaced with three smaller lights fitted into the touchpad. However, you still have your boot-up lights covering both the left and right side of the touchpad which accentuates this new design.

Put it all together and you have a much slimmer and more aggressive looking DualSense, which we enjoyed overall. It may not stand out the way the Elite Controller does on Xbox, but those familiar with the DualSense will notice design changes on show with the Edge.

How does DualSense feel during gameplay?

You’ll feel right at home when you first pick up the DualSense Edge, because despite the controller feeling thinner in the grip, it’s essentially the same experience as the DualSense. However, with both physical and in-console customization options, you’ll quickly fine-tune your Edge in a way that changes the way you play.

Physical options such as adjusting the trigger depth and changing the stick module are also happily accessible. And the latter means you’ll never have to worry about flushing your money down the toilet when the stick drift knocks. The rear pedals feel natural under your hands, complemented only by the satisfying magnetic click that moves them into position with ease. They might look a little flimsy to start with and they’re definitely not the sturdiest, but once you get used to changing them, it’ll become second nature.

Once the physical customizations are out of the way, the in-menu options on the PS5 are relatively simple, allowing you to mess around with the stick and trigger dead zones and button remapping. Of course the rear pedals are your MVP here and they can make a significant difference in any game you’re playing.

Flicking our inventory on Fortnite has made our gaming experiences easier by remapping the L1 and R1 buttons or mapping slide/crouch to the right paddle on Apex Legends, and we’d rather have a controller without these options. Can’t imagine going back. To make things better you can save up to three unique gaming profiles, which you can toggle between by holding down one of the Fn buttons and tapping a designated face button. It’s all really well thought out, and allows you to spend less time messing with the controller and more time playing games.

Speaking of timing with the controller, there’s been a lot of discussion surrounding the Edge’s shorter battery life compared to the original Dulceense. During the review period, we managed to play for about six hours from a full charge before the battery died completely. Those six hours were made up of a variety of games with very intense haptic feedback, and both haptics and adaptive triggers were left at full strength. It’s not miles away from what you’ll get on your standard DualSense, but with the original charger lock bracket, many enthusiasts looking to get the most out of this controller will run it wired, any potential Will combat battery problems.

Should you buy DualSense Edge?

As much as we love this new controller, it’s undoubtedly a tough sell for some. Coming in at three and a half times the price of the default DualSense, are those extra customization options really worth the money? Really, for most gamers out there, no.

However, it is not marketed to casual gamers. It’s for those of you who like to optimize and streamline your gaming experiences, to ensure you’re gaining a competitive edge. On that basis, the DullSense Edge might be one of the best pro controllers out there, as it not only comes with customizable features, but those impressive next-gen haptics as well. Combine these, and you have a controller that enhances the competitive and immersive capabilities of the PS5, something that is often missing from controllers of this ilk. Sure, we’d love to see the price drop a bit, but when you combine these features with the ways in which it’s actually better than the original DualSense, you have a controller that’s premium in every sense of the word. happens

Will you be upgrading to the DualSense Edge when it launches on January 26? Tell us below in the comments.