Review: Sony PlayStation DualSense Edge Controller

You don't need Sony's DualSense Edge controller for your PlayStation 5 or PS5 Pro. At $199, it's a luxury purchase by any measure. But there's a good chance you might want one all the same—two years from release, and months after Sony's flagship PS5 Pro debut, this pro-tier controller is still a strong contender for the best way to play on the all-conquering console.

Sony knows it's an expensive peripheral and, accordingly, makes everything about the Edge stand out. It's a showcase from the first time you open the packaging, a sturdy lid opening like a music box, revealing a striking pearlescent carrying case (it also comes in black). This houses the controller itself and a host of components with which to customize it—four alternate thumbstick heads with rounded caps, two with longer sticks; two pairs of optional rear buttons, one lever-type paddles, the other half-dome switches; a 3-meter-long braided USB-A to USB-C cable, and a special locking attachment to stop said cable getting yanked out of the controller during play.

The case also has a few clever features, like an elevated rest that supports the controller with those rear buttons attached, saving you the hassle of detaching them each time. A Velcro porthole allows you to charge the pad in situ. Everything about the design feels premium, so is it worth the splurge?

Photograph: Matt Kamen

Fine Details

The DualSense Edge's bevy of components is similar to the modular add-ons that accompany a lot of other pro-level controllers, but this eases you into using all the extra bits and pieces. Pick it up for the first time, and it's not distinct from the standard DualSense that comes with the PS5, the only overt difference being the new function (“Fn”) buttons that sit under the familiar thumbstick.

Rotate the pad in your hands and you'll notice the slots to insert those optional rear buttons, and small sliders to manually adjust how deep a squeeze you get on the L2/R2 triggers, locking them into mid or short pulls. Otherwise, it wouldn't be unreasonable for a casual gamer to think it's just another PS5 controller, especially when the controller's haptic feedback, adaptive triggers, and built-in audio features are more or less unchanged.

Photograph: Matt Kamen

Look a little closer and it reveals finer details though, from a greater use of black in its monochromatic color scheme—the D-pad and iconic circle, cross, triangle, and square face buttons are now set in a contrasting black, as is the central touchpad—further accented by hundreds of those signature icons with a glossy highlight that beautifully catches the light against the matte surface. The underside continues to have a slightly roughened microtexture (tens of thousands of the PlayStation icons etched in at a microscopic scale) to provide a firmer grip.

The Edge has a little more heft than its standard sibling, weighing around 325 grams, a touch heavier than the original's 280 grams, but it's not unwieldy. The Fn buttons don't get in the way, but the rear buttons might when attached. The longer paddle-type ones felt more natural, while the half-dome switches—imagine a single thumbstick, sliced in half, then stuck on the back with the rim sticking out—were a bit too uncomfortable, though they did offer an oddly satisfying click. Whichever type of rear button you connect doesn't affect function, only form, so it comes down to what you like.

Taking Control

It's when you first connect it to your PS5 to sync with the console that you start to see just how different the DualSense Edge can be. Sony's software integration is fantastic—the console automatically detects the controller and launches a guided tour of how to set it up and create your first custom profile. For anyone dipping their toes into the waters of pro controllers, this is a great touch—remapping an entire controller can be daunting, but this makes it seem slick and intuitive.

Almost everything can be tweaked, and mirrored functions can be assigned to those rear button slots—as in, a rear paddle can be set to do the same thing as pressing square, but the square and triangle inputs can't be combined into one. It's worth noting that any new layouts you create won't affect in-game prompts, so if you're being told to press circle, it's on you to remember which button you may have reassigned to be the circle button.

Photograph: Matt Kamen

Going deeper, you can also tailor the dead zones of the thumbsticks and sensitivity of the triggers, adjusting resting positions, and with a range of presets, determining how rapidly onscreen movements occur with how much pressure you apply. You can save up to four schemes to a quick menu accessed by holding down those new Fn buttons, and the same menu also allows you to quickly adjust audio, either raising or lowering volume, or adjusting the balance between game and chat audio. If you find that a layout you've created isn't working right in-game, you can customize it directly from the Fn menu. Pro-level features for a pro-level pad.

I've mainly been using the customized layouts for Capcom's Monster Hunter Wilds, and it's made a real difference, particularly for combat. Something in my brain cannot latch onto the game's default attacks being mapped to the circle and triangle buttons. Too many other action games have left me with muscle memory that the square button should be attack, but on Wilds, that instead sheathes your currently equipped weapon, far from ideal when a giant dragon is bearing down on you. While some elements of the control scheme can be modified in-game, custom remapping isn't possible. Instead, I created a quick profile for the Edge, swapping the circle, triangle, and square inputs around, and I've been happily hammering away at the square button to gut any pesky monsters crossing my path ever since.

Photograph: Matt Kamen

Annoyingly, another part of my brain prefers Wilds' default controls when out of battle (I contain multitudes). There, the circle button does helpful things like canceling menu selections, but that feels wrong if I keep it mapped to the square button. Helpfully, the Edge lets you switch control profiles immediately by holding down one of the Fn buttons below the thumbstick and selecting another layout, with the system default mapped to triangle. Perfect. When I set out on one of Monster Hunter's lengthy, combat-heavy quests, I can swap to a control system I click with. During quieter sections in villages or base camps—or even whenever I need to do a lot of menu diving—I can swap back to default layouts without ever having to close the game. The Fn+[face button] combo has earned its spot in my muscle memory, making the game feel even more accessible.

Those customizable rear buttons, whichever form you opt for, can feel like a great alternative to using face buttons or shoulder triggers for things like manual gear shifts in racing games. I also created one layout that mirrored the L2 and R2 triggers to the back paddles, and although that meant forsaking the DualSense's adaptive trigger functions (when they resist your input, often used for haptic tricks like pulling a bow string) and rendering the physically adjustable trigger distance of the Edge almost pointless, it allowed me to more comfortably have fingers at the ready for all four shoulder button inputs, which I found useful on a variety of games, from action games such as Stellar Blade to shooters like Helldivers 2. We're talking fractions of a difference, but if you're a competitive gamer, that can mean a lot.

A Replacement Part of the Problem

Arguably, the killer feature is modular thumbsticks. An almost vanishingly small release tab on the base pops off a faceplate, allowing either left or right thumbstick to be removed and replaced (available separately for about $20). The Edge's case has an empty slot ready and waiting for you to pop a spare in. On the surface, this is great—sure, the Edge is $199, but a $20 replacement part if it develops stick drift is cheaper than buying an entire regular DualSense at $70 a pop, right?

However, given that premium pricing, it's disappointing that Sony didn't go for Hall effect thumbsticks on the Edge in the first place. These are frequently found in higher-end third-party pro controllers and use magnetic sensors to track a thumbstick's position. Not only is it a far more accurate technology, but Hall effect sticks don't degrade, as there's no friction or erosion of sensor surfaces internally, which causes drift in most regular joypads. If Sony used the modular nature to sell higher-grade Hall effect sticks separately, it would be somewhat understandable—under the cold light of capitalism, it'd be another thing to sell—but there's no sign of that happening. While third-party Hall effect mods can be found, it feels like an oversight, if not a deliberate omission, on Sony's part.

Photograph: Matt Kamen

The same modularity also means less space for the controller's battery. The Edge has a 1,050-mAh battery cell, compared to the 1,560-mAh one in the conventional DualSense. This unavoidably means shorter play cycles between charges, although exactly how long will depend on the game. For many, this is where that extraordinarily long braided cable will come in handy, allowing you to keep playing longer.

There are a few other, smaller gripes with the Edge. It feels odd that the taller pair of swappable thumbstick caps are only available in the older, rounded form, while the modern, slightly recessed style used since PS4 only gets a default shorter pair. Similarly, the fact that there's only capacity for two rear buttons, when many pro pads accommodate four, may feel a bit lackluster.

The overall quality of the Edge is undeniable, though, and its balance of gentle onboarding for pro controller newcomers with advanced features for more demanding players is exceptional. It makes for a much better way to play, but the daunting price means you'll pay for the privilege.