Sony PlayStation DualSense Edge

The PlayStation 5 introduced one of the most advanced gamepads ever created with the DualSense. The DualSense has features from previous controller generations, such as motion controls, a touchpad, and a built-in speaker, and adds incredibly accurate haptic feedback and adaptive triggers that drastically change their resistance based on your in-game actions. Now you can go a step further with the A$339.95 DualSense Edge, Sony’s answer to Microsoft’s Xbox Elite Wireless Controller. It contains the expected DualSense features, plus programmable inputs and analog sensitivity options, rear buttons, numerous accessories, and a modular design that lets you completely replace an analog stick module if it fails. Its battery life isn’t the best and you’ll need to do some work to make it compatible with a PC, but it's a worthwhile splurge for PS 5 fanatics.

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A DualSense With Extras

At a glance, the DualSense Edge looks and feels like a standard white DualSense controller, but with a black touchpad, direction pad, and face buttons. The two-tone color scheme gives the controller a much more balanced look. Just below the analog sticks are the first big indications that this is a different gamepad: two tab-like buttons. These are the Fn buttons, and holding them lets you switch between four different controller profiles on the fly.

Flip the controller over, and you’ll find other indicators that this isn’t an ordinary DualSense. Small holes between the grips let you insert one of two types of paddles that act as programmable buttons, much like the Xbox Elite Wireless Controller and other high-end gamepads. Between those holes is a recessed release switch for the controller's front panel, along with a pinhole reset button. Above that section, just below the triggers, are three-way trigger lock switches.

Like any good premium controller, the DualSense Edge has many accessories and swappable parts. It comes with two pairs of concave-topped analog sticks (two long, two short) that can be swapped with the gamepad's standard, lipped-concave sticks. There are also two pairs of levers (one flat and paddle-like and one shorter and half-circle-shaped) that let you add rear buttons. Included in the package is a long, fabric-wrapped USB-C-to-USB-A cable for charging and using the controller in wired fashion, plus a clip-on lock that attaches to the gamepad's top for keeping the USB-C end in place. All of these parts fit in a white, hard-shell case.

One of the most interesting DualSense Edge aspects is the analog stick modules. You can switch the stick caps by pulling them off and replacing them with others, but that’s not where the modularity stops. The tiny release switch on the controller's back lets you remove the center panel around the analog sticks; that reveals the stick modules and two metal release levers. If an analog stick drifts or otherwise starts working poorly, you can replace it with a new one that you can order from Sony for $34.95. It’s a useful way to fight stick drift without purchasing a new controller.

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Best With PlayStation 5

The DualSense Edge has all of the unique capabilities of the DualSense, which I tested using Astro’s Playroom on the PlayStation 5. The controller delivers precise haptic feedback, variable trigger resistance depending on the situation, and motion sensors, a speaker, and a microphone that work as intended.

Because the Edge acts just like a DualSense, you’ll get the most out of it when using the gamepad with a PlayStation 5. It works with a PC over Bluetooth or a wired connection, but you must configure the software using Steam’s PlayStation Configuration Support menu or DS4Windows. Even then, you won’t have any of the audio connectivity, haptic feedback (beyond basic vibration), and adaptive triggers, since they need to be implemented in each game.

Unlike the Xbox Elite controller, the DualSense Edge doesn’t make you download and use a separate app to set it up. Plugging the DualSense Edge into your PlayStation 5 pairs the controller and launches the system-level controller options. It also loads a tutorial on how to use those options to create controller profiles, adjust button mapping and analog stick and trigger sensitivity, and how to use the Fn buttons to switch between profiles.

The PlayStation 5’s options for the DualSense Edge are as extensive as the Xbox Accessories app’s options for the Xbox Elite controller. You can remap every digital input and assign inputs to the two rear buttons (the Xbox Elite has four). You can also adjust the analog sticks and triggers' sensitivity curves and dead zones, with several different premade curves designed for specific game types.

You can’t reprogram the Fn buttons below the analog sticks, but this makes sense considering how they’re used. Holding one and pressing the face buttons changes the active profile, while pressing the direction pad adjusts headset volume and chat/game balance. Both Fn buttons do the same thing, because it would otherwise be awkward to hold the right button and switch profiles (or hold the left button and control audio). Still, the option to map the buttons to other functions would have been welcome (perhaps with a separate profile button), especially since it would have bumped the custom input number to match the Xbox Elite’s.

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Good Game Feel

After testing the controller functions with Astro’s Playroom, I played a few games on the PlayStation 5 with it. Genshin Impact played well with the controller, and Axiom Verge 2 felt great due to its responsive analog stick and direction pad.

I also played Elden Ring. I set the rear buttons to trigger L3 and R3 so I could crouch and target enemies without my right thumb leaving the right analog stick. It worked perfectly, although it didn’t make Crumbling Farrum Azula any less difficult. I also missed having an additional two rear buttons like on the Xbox Elite controller, which would have let me switch spells and items without removing my left thumb from the left analog stick.

I then played a round of Gundam Evolution, setting the analog stick sensitivity to Dynamic. The Dynamic preset is designed for shooters, with low sensitivity as you start to move the stick for more accuracy while aiming, then jumping to high sensitivity quickly to be able to turn fast. The curve was slightly odd at first, but I found myself easily lining up head shots with the GM Sniper. It didn’t make me any better at the game, but aiming and shooting felt good with some adjustments.

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Short Battery Life

The DualSense Edge's biggest weakness is its battery life. The gamepad apparently has a 1,050mAh battery, two-thirds the size of the DualSense’s 1,560mAh cell. It delivered five or six hours of wireless playtime before the low battery icon appeared and I had to plug it into the PS5.

The long, sturdy cable let me play while the controller charged, but the controller's battery doesn’t last as long as the base DualSense, which is already modest at around eight hours. It also can’t hold a candle to the Xbox Elite’s rechargeable battery, or even the standard Xbox Wireless Controller with two AA batteries. Both Microsoft options last at least twice as long and get you through a good week or so of regular playing.

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The PS5 Controller With the Most Tricks

The DualSense Edge takes the already cutting-edge DualSense controller and makes it better with swappable parts, programmable inputs and sensitivity, and rear buttons. However, its battery life is disappointing, and its additional control options are more limited than the Xbox Elite due to having just two rear buttons. That said, as Sony’s long-awaited “pro” PlayStation 5 controller, the Edge performs as well as the regular DualSense and we like all of the extra features it brings. Sure, the controller is expensive, but it’s currently the best premium gamepad for the PS5. It isn’t the best choice for PC, though; for that, you should consider the Xbox Elite Wireless Controller.