Living on the Edge
I bought a DualSense Edge on January 26th 2023, the day it came out. Two years later, I think I have enough personal experience to dig into the device and determine whether or not it’s worthwhile for anyone reading this. Firstly, a bit of background – just what is the DualSense Edge? Basically, it’s a “Pro Controller” of sorts for the PS5, an alternative to the standard DualSense that brings a great deal of control customisation and part replacement options to the user experience, along with a pair of customisable rear inputs (with two different types of buttons you can choose to install. The controller, its cable and various extra parts also come in a very nice case – all for a mere AU$ 329! That’s… slightly over triple the price of a standard DualSense. Tough ask, especially when the battery is actually worse than the regular controller (but at least this keeps the Edge compatible with accessories like the charging station).
The Point Of The Edge
So, at such a brutal asking price, why would you buy this? Why did I buy this? Why did I buy it when it was slightly more expensive? Well, that’s the thing. I do a lot of gaming, on my PS5 especially, and if you can’t say the same, then you may as well dip out now. The Edge is for people who love games, who consider gaming at least one of their main hobbies, and can justify that money as being “spread out” over countless hours actually using its features, primarily those back buttons, which are frankly the main benefit for me. Do you want to be able to replace your analog sticks in the case of damage or drift? Do you want to manipulate the controls of various games in various ways? Are you a fan of something like Xbox’s Elite line of controllers, or the many third-party options by companies like SCUF? Then keep reading.
Part Replacements
Let’s get this one out of the way first – I haven’t done any part replacements on my DualSense Edge in the two years I’ve owned it, so I can’t speak to the experience of swapping them out. However, the fact that I’ve not had to replace anything after a great deal of time playing a wide variety of games is itself worthy of mention, I think – I haven’t suffered from stuck buttons, analog stick drift or any similar problems, so you can at least take that reassurance. But should you be unlucky, you’ll be able to replace your Edge stick modules with new ones, at a far lower price than buying a new controller.
Back Buttons
Back Buttons have become more and more popular with gamers over the years, mainstay features in various first-party and third-party accessories and controllers, and they really are literal gamechangers. Put simply, you use them with your ring fingers and/or pinkies, and have them copy other inputs on the controller. I first got into them with the DualShock 4’s Back Button Attachment, and they sold me on the DualSense Edge on their own (grumbling all the way about its cost, of course). They are tremendously useful for all kinds of different games, whether it’s for letting you dodge or switch items in Elden Ring without taking your fingers off the sticks, making for easier Raging Demons in Street Fighter, or – in one of my most-used strategies – remapping the “run” button to the left button in every game I can, both for consistency across games and to avoid the constant discomfort of having to hold down the left stick to do so – I honestly wonder how much of stick drift is the result of so many games requiring the L3 input for running.
Controller Profiles
Back Button remapping is handled through the Edge’s Profile system, where you create specific profiles – usually for individual games, though I also have a “Sticks” profile where the buttons mimic the stick-clicking inputs. However, Profiles aren’t just for the back buttons – they allow you to remap, disable and re-enable any inputs across the entire controller. As someone who keeps accidentally going into stealth in Elden Ring, this has been a rarely-used yet lifesaving feature. Unfortunately, this software-based Profile system is exclusive to PlayStation’s Edge and accessibility-focused Access controllers, an annoying restriction that feels unfair, though these are also the only controllers that would allow you to swap Profiles on the fly with specific buttons. Sadly, the number of Profiles that can be saved on the console is limited, and they cannot be tied to specific games. Overall, very useful features that could be improved, and brought to normal controllers in ma ore limited form.
Physical Input Options
The Edge’s focus on letting you customise controls doesn’t stop on the software level, though – you also get options with the stick caps and back buttons. The stick caps come in vanilla DualSense flavour, as well as high and low versions of the dome-like caps I associate with the PS3 – personally, I’ve stuck with the standard caps, but writing this article has inspired me to play around with what I’ve been given, and I’m going to go PS3-style for a while. The back buttons, meanwhile, come in a basic “lever” paddle form that I’ve seen on many high-end controllers before, and a unique “half-dome” version that is by far my preferred option. They feel so nice and “clicky”, and I honestly appreciate their inclusion compared to the lever buttons, which I found… usable, but uncomfortable. I suspect your preference will be down to the length of your fingers and how you hold the controller, but I would strongly recommend testing out both.
Conclusions
So, should you buy the DualSense Edge? Look, as I said earlier, it’s going to come down to how much you use your PS5, but it also comes down to how often you find yourself really feeling the lack of options. Are you constantly frustrated by the control schemes of games? Do you really wish you could move that run button there, or this targeting stick input there, or that your controller simply doesn’t have enough buttons and you want to use more of your fingers? Are you fine with constantly popping the controller into your charging station? If all of this applies to you, then yes, I do think the Edge will basically be worth it for you, even if your response to the price is an “ugh, I guess so” over actual positivity. It will make so many of the games you play just a bit better, for all the time you’re enjoying what they have to offer. The minute-to-minute gameplay is consistently enhanced, and I think that counts for something, especially over the course of years.
