PS4 touch-sensitive DualShock 4 controller revealed (update: features, scale detailed)
Sony's next-generation PlayStation 4 will come with an all-new DualShock controller, the DualShock 4.
The controller will feature a touchpad, a Share button and a light bar, Sony announced at an event in New York City today.
Players can use the Share button to select a clip from the last few minutes of gameplay, tag it and return to playing the game while the clip uploads to the web in the background. This functionality will be integrated with Facebook. The Share button will also let players stream games in real time to services such as Ustream.
The PlayStation 4 has a stereoscopic camera peripheral, the new PlayStation Eye, that can sense the depth in front of it and sense the direction of the controller. The console's power button can be used to put the system in a sleep state, and with another press of the button, it will boot back up instantly and gameplay can be resumed from "the exact spot you left off," said Mark Cerny, lead hardware designer on PS4, during the press briefing.
Images of the new controller's prototype were leaked prior to the event, indicating a substantial redesign of the DualShock that has evolved over the previous three generations of PlayStation.
Update: Sony provided further details in a press release announcing the DualShock 4.
A speaker and stereo headphone jack are built into the controller. A mono headset will be bundled with the PS4; players can plug it into the controller for voice chat, and to hear sound effects being piped through the controller.
The DualShock 4 retains the Sixaxis sensor that was present in the PlayStation 3 controller, although Sony says it is a new, "highly sensitive" sensor. The light bar contains three LEDs that can light up in various colors to provide useful information to players. For example, the bar will be illuminated in the same color as a player's avatar to let them know which on-screen character they're controlling. It can also change colors to tell players that their health is low.
Sony has merged the traditional Start and Select buttons into a single "Options" button. The company also says it worked with developers to refine the analog sticks and triggers; the stick surface is concave, like on an Xbox 360 controller. The touchpad is a capacitive panel that supports two simultaneous input points, and the controller uses Bluetooth 2.1 for wireless communication.
Unlike the PS3's Sixaxis and DualShock 3 controllers, the DualShock 4 can be charged through the PS4 even when the console is on standby. Sony says micro-USB smartphone chargers can also be used to charge the PS4. The battery itself is a non-removable lithium-ion power source.
The current design, which Sony says is tentative, weighs in at 210 grams and measures 162mm x 52mm x 98mm.
In This Storystream:
PlayStation 4: All the news, collected
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Feb 22, 11:00a Sony opens PS4 websites
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Feb 22, 8:54a PS4 games priced between $0.99 and $60
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Feb 22, 6:13a Jimmy Fallon gets first PS4 hands-on with Killzone: Shadow Fall
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Feb 21, 3:15p PS4 'doesn't support' current-gen DualShock 3 controller, does support PS Move
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Feb 21, 2:55p Infamous: Second Son for PS4 gallery
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Feb 21, 12:27p PS4's AMD semi-custom processing unit detailed
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Feb 21, 12:18p PS4 may support existing digital purchases through cloud, 'We could do so if we choose to,' says Sony
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Feb 21, 11:40a PS4 will support 4K for 'personal contents' like photos, but not games
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Feb 21, 6:03a Sony teases massive PS4 game developer list
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Feb 21, 1:11a Quantic Dream demoes advanced emotional tech with PS4 and new engine
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Feb 21, 12:32a Sony explains why the PS4 was a no-show at its own debut
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Feb 20, 11:09p PlayStation 4 event in under two minutes
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Feb 20, 9:40p Developers talk about how the PS4 changes game development
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Feb 20, 9:40p PS4 touch-sensitive DualShock 4 controller revealed (update: features, scale detailed)
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Feb 20, 9:38p Sony's timing for PS4 was perfect, EEDAR says
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Feb 20, 8:59p PS4: What We Know
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Feb 20, 8:56p PS4 sizzle reel collects clips of games, tech demos
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Feb 20, 8:54p See the PS4's new DualShock 4 controller and PlayStation Eye camera
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Feb 20, 8:06p PS4 confirmed for holiday 2013 release
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Feb 20, 7:59p Destiny headed to PS4, will receive exclusive content
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Feb 20, 7:55p Diablo 3 coming to PS4 and PS3 from Blizzard Entertainment
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Feb 20, 7:47p Watch Dogs bound for PS4 at the console's launch
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Feb 20, 7:39p New Final Fantasy title in development for PS4, will debut at E3
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Feb 20, 7:37p Third parties making PS4 games include EA, Activision, Double Fine, Platinum Games
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Feb 20, 7:34p Capcom reveals Deep Down, built in engine designed for PS4
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Feb 20, 7:31p Media Molecule demoes digital sculpting, puppetry with PS4 and Move controller
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Feb 20, 7:10p The Witness from Jonathan Blow to debut on PS4 as timed console exclusive
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Feb 20, 7:08p Infamous: Second Son coming exclusively to PS4 from developer Sucker Punch
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Feb 20, 7:01p Evolution Studios developing Drive Club, a new racing game for PS4
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Feb 20, 6:49p Killzone: Shadow Fall revealed, coming to the PS4
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Feb 20, 6:47p PS4 entertainment services include Netflix, Amazon, Hulu Plus
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Feb 20, 6:44p PS4 not natively compatible with PS3 games
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Feb 20, 6:39p Sony aims to make every PS4 game available on PS Vita
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Feb 20, 6:36p PS4 to use Gaikai for instant demos, UStream multicasting, social gameplay
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Feb 20, 6:29p PS4 media sharing capabilities revealed
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Feb 20, 6:23p Knack announced as first PS4 game
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Feb 20, 6:22p PS4 tech specs: 'supercharged PC architecture,' x86 CPU, 8 GB memory (update)
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Feb 20, 6:09p PS4: Sony's next-generation PlayStation announced
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Feb 20, 5:19p Opinion: Broken PS3 promises may be reason for skepticism tonight
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Feb 20, 10:46a Where to watch tonight's PlayStation Meeting on Polygon and elsewhere
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Feb 20, 9:19a Watch Dogs, God of War, Destiny and Beyond developers amassing in NYC in time for PlayStation 2013 Meeting
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Feb 19, 4:33p PlayStation Evolution series highlights the changing definition of games
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Feb 18, 7:15p Sony's Evolution of PlayStation retrospective quickly looks back at PSP and PS Vita
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Feb 18, 12:21a Sony's third video in the Evolution of PlayStation centers on the PlayStation 3
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Feb 17, 9:30a PlayStation Evolution retrospective continues with PlayStation 2
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Feb 15, 7:51p Next-generation PlayStation to stream PS3 games, says WSJ report
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Feb 15, 7:05p Sony kicks off PlayStation Evolution retrospective series with a look at the original PlayStation
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Feb 14, 4:04p PlayStation 4 prototype controller reportedly leaked in dev kit photo
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Feb 1, 10:10a Sources: Next PlayStation unveiled this month, shipping this holiday alongside next Xbox
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Jan 31, 6:12p PlayStation video invites you to 'see the future,' possibly teasing next-gen reveal Feb. 20
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