We tested the new accessory for the DualShock 4 that implements two new buttons on the back of the controller. An alternative to traditional control or a breakthrough that we will see more and more often in the future?
Among friends we call it “the claw.” It is an unnatural posture for a controller, but the only one possible if you want to run and move the camera in a Souls-like game, in which the sprinting action is performed with the circle or B button. The technique consists of firmly holding the controller with your left hand, while with your right you place your index finger on the button and your thumb on the analog stick. Thus, it is possible to run without having to stop to look around you.
It is true. Sometimes games require from us actions that are not the most comfortable to perform with a controller. It gives food for thought, whether a revision of traditional control schemes is necessary or whether the pads demand an ever-increasing range of movements. While the industry decides to add these changes as standard, we are living in a transition period, with versions of controls that include rear buttons, such as the famous Xbox Elite Controller 2 or third parties such as the Razer Wolverine Ultimate. On the part of Sony, the company has opted – curiously late – for an accessory that includes two configurable rear buttons that adapt to the lower input of the device.
It not only solves the problem of “the claw” in games like Souls. It is also useful for healing with the digital crosshead without lifting your finger from the left analog stick. They do not seem to me to be truly significant changes in my style of play, but rather they achieve greater comfort in very specific actions. In my case, I have not finished getting used to them. It is something very personal, since in certain games I have so internalized the control scheme that my mind simply refuses to learn a different one. Also, the more challenging the game, the greater my tendency to squeeze the controller hard, accidentally pressing these rear buttons.
Back Button Attachmen, trailer of the new accessory for the PS4 DualShock
In the case of these buttons for the Dualshock 4, it is more logical that it happens. Unlike what other devices offer, here the accessory is a real bulge at the back of the pad, where the index fingers were previously held firmly. However, I fully understand that more and more players are demanding extra buttons. The trend of video games to make experiences more and more focused not only on the analog sticks, but on the response time with them, makes it increasingly necessary that we not lift our finger from the lever. For this reason, it is not that games demand more buttons, it is that both the digital crosshead and the front buttons of the traditional pad are no longer the best option for certain genres. We see it easily in the latest God of War, which places its attacks on the top buttons, so you can perform the attacks and blocks, but you still have to rely on the front ones to call Atreus or dodge, for example.
Looking at the command of the future
This accessory allows you to easily configure any two buttons in its two slots. By pressing the touch screen, we can decide which button will correspond to the right rear and which to the left in a matter of seconds. There is no more mystery or complexity, which also means that you cannot create special combinations of two or more buttons or macros. Just create an alternative to that awkward button to press at the most dramatic moment.
I cannot see this accessory, at the moment, as a must-haveI think the word that best defines this rear button extension is that: comfort. Shooters are usually a genre that benefits a lot from the alternative. Actions such as reloading involve leaving the camera unattended for a moment, while the action of jumping with X or A and aiming at the same time are very complicated to execute. It will also be more convenient for some players to replace the L3 and R3 buttons for running and melee attacks. And what about those Skyrim-type RPGs where you have to point the right stick at each little object on the stage to pick it up, while pressing X? These repetitive actions are easier to do without lifting your thumb.
However, I cannot see this accessory, at the moment, as a must-have.After all, the designers are aware of the limitations of the knobs and their control schemes, and they create the experience to be perfectly affordable with the buttons at our disposal. That means yes, of course it is more comfortable to heal without neglecting the movement stick, but with all the difficulty of a Souls-like game, it is possible to reach the end in the traditional way, because we have always done it that way. In competitive shooter you can find this setting useful, of course, but almost everyone has a common pad, so the conditions are even. And since you can’t map actions that weren’t assigned to a button, it’s not possible to translate the experience of a keyboard here. In an RPG you have potions and abilities set on keys 1 to 9,
I see these Dualshock rear buttons as an extra for those players who really need them, depending on the games they spend the most hours on, especially considering their price of € 29.95. I keep wondering why Sony has taken so long to decide to release such an accessory. It would not be difficult to suspect that a future DualShock 5 would come with these integrated buttons as standard – and that they were more comfortable by not sticking out.
With this accessory, the control of the present generation could be compatible with the next and vice versa. This is obviously pure speculation. What we have today is a small satisfaction for the most dedicated player. A useful option that you have to get used to, yes, and that reflects a cruel reality. In some genres, the most representative buttons on the remote are the least accessible, according to modern control schemes. The big question is whether in the future they will remain only a good alternative for the most demanding video games or will they become a mandatory element of our command.
