Sony has spent years improving the PlayStation controller.
From the very first controller in 1994 for the PlayStation one,
all the way to the newest DualSense controller for the PlayStation 5.
This is the Evolution of PlayStation Controllers!
The Nintendo PlayStation was supposed to be a Super NES console with CD-ROM capabilities.
The Controller for the console could have been PlayStation's first controller.
However, as some of you might remember from the Evolution of PlayStation, this partnership failed.
PlayStation started creating its own console and controller.
Designing a new controller wasn’t easy though.
PlayStation made all kinds of concepts,
which were largely based on the SNES controller design.
The first PlayStation was released in 1994
and with it came the first PlayStation controller.
The controller was clearly inspired by the SNES controller,
but it added two handles to make the controller more ergonomically comfortable and adding grip.
The buttons were largely the same,
except that two shoulder buttons were added to give players more options.
This was extremely important since PlayStation focused on 3D games.
These games required more buttons to navigate through the 3D environments
compared to the flat surface of the 2D games that Nintendo was focusing on.
Ken Kutaragi, former chairman and CEO of Sony Computer Entertainment,
said that designing the controller took just as long as creating the console.
They wanted to make sure that the controller was comfortable and not too heavy in any situation.
This included them lying on the floor while gaming.
PlayStation also introduced the iconic Square, Triangle, Circle and Cross symbols on the face buttons.
These symbols actually have a meaning.
The triangle refers to a viewpoint and the direction a player is headed.
The Square button indicates a piece of paper which references the game’s menu.
While the Circle and X buttons mean yes and no.
These symbols became a PlayStation trademark,
which became incorporated heavily into the PlayStation brand.
The increasing popularity of 3D games led to Sony exploring new ways to
give users more freedom over their movements in 3D environments.
That’s why Sony created the revolutionary Dual Analog Controller in 1996.
Like the name suggest it added two analogue sticks,
which has to be one of the best features ever added to a PlayStation controller.
With the release of the new controller came two analogue-capable titles.
These were
Tobal 2
and Bushido Blade.
At the time though, these analogue sticks were seen as “odd”
and Sony added a button that would allow the user to turn off the analogue functionality.
The dual analogue controller featured rumble support in Japan.
This feature was removed in all overseas iterations including the United States.
Rumors at the time said that Nintendo had attempted to legally block the controller
outside of Japan due to similarities with the Rumble Pak in the Nintendo 64’s controller.
However, a Nintendo spokesman denied it and stated that
Sony only wanted to keep the price of the controller down by removing the rumble support.
One year later Sony introduced the Dualshock controller, that featured the rumble support.
It was basically a Dual Analog controller that vibrated, which was a big deal at the time.
Unlike its predecessor, the analogue sticks features textured grips,
longer handles and slightly different shoulder buttons.
The analogue sticks also added two more buttons when being pressed.
These features were heavily emphasized with titles like
Spyro the Dragon
Final Fantasy VIII
and Crash Bandicoot 3
Due to the success of the Dualshock controller,
it became the default controller for the PlayStation.
Fun Fact
the Dual Shock controller received an Emmy award
for Peripheral development and technological impact of video game controllers.
In 2000 the PlayStation 2 was released with a new controller, the DualShock 2.
The design of the new controller looked very similar to its predecessor.
However, the controller was lighter,
analog sticks were stiffer and the original version came in black,
rather than grey as with the original DualShock.
That the controllers looked so similar was exceptional at the time.
New consoles were expected to launch with entirely re-imagined controllers.
If we look at Nintendo we can see that the SNES
had an entirely different controller compared to the Nintendo 64.
In 2001 the GameCube was also released,
yet again, with a redesigned controller.
But the most notable difference were the pressure sensitive buttons,
which gave players the ability to softly press the buttons.
This feature could be used in Racing games, like Gran Turismo.
If players press the buttons softly the car will go slow,
while if they press the button fully, the car will go full throttle.
This also applied to driving in the most-sold game for the PlayStation 2,
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas.
But the pressure sensitivity could also be used for
shooting and aiming mechanics in Metal Gear Solid 2.
For example, when players pressed the button lightly
they hold up the gun without shooting.
In 2005 the PlayStation 3 was unveiled at E3
and with it came a concept for a new controller.
The controller, nicknamed the ‘Boomerang’, wasn’t well received though.
The former CEO of Sony Computer Entertainment, Ken Kutaragi,
also known as “The Father of the PlayStation”
wanted a completely different controller for the PlayStation 3.
Teiyu Goto, the designer of the Boomerang design said
“Quite frankly, we had set aside the ergonomic aspect in favour of the image it conjured up.
We wanted to present an avant-garde model for the show, running a risk of being criticised."
Sony knew that the slightest change could annoy players
and decided the risk wasn’t worth taking.
So, they went back to the drawing board
and looked how they could improve the Dual Shock 2 controller,
while keeping the layout mostly similar.
Fun Fact
While the Boomerang never came to market it was quite revolutionary.
If players were angry and threw away the controller it would return flawlessly.
The PlayStation 3 was officially released in 2006
and with it came, of course, a new controller named the Sixaxis.
Its design is an evolution of the DualShock 2,
retaining pressure-sensitive buttons, layout and basic shape.
The most notable change was that it was the first wireless PlayStation controller.
It also had other improvements,
like the redesigned shoulder triggers
and the pressure sensitivity of the analog sticks was increased.
It also didn’t have the option to turn analog off
and instead had a button that allows access to the system menu.
The name ‘Six axis’ refers to the motion sensing technology
that was supposed to offer the controller six degrees of motion freedom.
However the motion feature was mostly a gimmick.
Only a few games used the feature,
including Ratchet and Clank
Grand Theft Auto V
and Journey.
Sony continually keeps improving their controllers,
similar to what I’m trying to do with these animations on this channel.
Please consider becoming a supporter on Patreon,
so we can make more quality educative animations!
The Dualshock 3 replaced the Sixaxis as the standard PS3 controller.
It features the same design and functions, but adds a vibration feedback capability.
The DualShock 3 was originally intended to be bundled with the PlayStation 3 at launch.
However, Sony was in the midst of a lawsuit involving patent infringement claimed by Immersion.
The legal battle led to a decision to remove the vibration capabilities of the controller
and instead of releasing the Dualshock 3,
Sony released the Sixaxis that didn’t have vibration instead.
At the time Nintendo achieved a massive success with the Wii.
In fact, the Wii sold way more units than the PlayStation 3 or the Xbox 360.
The PlayStation Move was Sony’s answer to the Wii.
It was a motion game controller released in 2010.
While the device was generally well received by critics,
there wasn’t an expansive library of motion games, like the Wii had.
In total 15 million units were sold, but the device did not live up to Sony’s expectations.
Sony used cutting-edge technology in the PlayStation 3,
but this led to a lot of problems for the company,
which we already discussed in the ‘Evolution of PlayStation’.
Thus Sony kept things simple with the PlayStation 4,
and emphasized what worked for the PlayStation in the past.
We can clearly see this with the new controller, the DualShock 4.
The design closely resembles its predecessor.
A new feature is the touch pad on the front of the controller.
The DualShock 4 also has mono speakers,
redesigned triggers and joysticks,
supports motion detection
and has a dedicated share button that allows players to
upload screenshots and videos from their gameplay experiences.
The top of the controller features a light bar,
which can show light in different colors.
This feature is used for instance in Grand Theft Auto V
where the light bar flashes red and blue when a player is wanted by the police.
It was more comfortable than any of its predecessors and it added a variety of useful features.
But most of all it stayed true to the core concepts of the PlayStation controller,
which players came to love.
Some players experienced wear issues with the rubber surface on both analog sticks.
In 2016 came an upgraded version known as the DualShock Version 2,
which had more durable rubber on the analog sticks,
a light bar on the face of the touchpad and an improved battery life.
There were also special PlayStation 4 controllers
that allowed for more customization and added features,
like the Thrustmaster eSwap Pro Controller
Nacon Revolution
Astro C40 TR
and the SCUF Vantage Controller
These weren’t cheap though,
for example the SCUF vantage Controller was sold for a whopping $199 dollars!
And finally at the end of 2020 the PlayStation 5 was released.
With the PlayStation 5 came an entirely new controller.
Sony moved beyond the Dualshock line and made the DualSense controller.
It features a new design with a two-tone coloring scene of black and white,
rather than just 1 single color.
It also has adaptive triggers,
haptic feedback
and a USB-C port for faster charging.
Oh and it has a built-in-mic,
which is an evolution from people asking,
“anyone have a mic?” to, “I KNOW YOU HAVE A MIC!”.
The new features make a notable difference to its predecessors
and continue to provide a great gaming experience.
Over the last 27 years Sony has continually kept innovating their PlayStation controllers,
while still keeping core elements that gamers all around the world love.
And I’m sure we can expect many more improved PlayStation controllers in the future!
I’d love to hear how you think the PlayStation controllers can be improved further,
let us know in the comments!