Unlike Xbox, PS4 Controllers Won't Work With PS5 Games

It wasn’t convoluted in the slightest tbh. This all seems expected and reasonable to me and the fact the PS4 camera can be used with PS5 is great.

Funny how an article like this has appeared quite unnecessarily when many comment sections on the site seem to reference “PushSquare fanboys” frequently, for igniting console wars further and trying to throw shade at Xbox 🤔

Well this obviously won't change anyone's decisions on choosing a console.

It will, however, make current xbox owners happy, as they can use old controllers for split screen play, or bring along their favourite controller with them. Or even buy a new XBSX controller for their Xbone.

The only people this will negatively affect aren't exactly going to start complaining.

Next gen console, next gen hardware. The end?

I think both approaches make sense to be honest.

Sony are right to do that with the controllers, they have added a lot of new functions to the DualSense and will be wanting their first party titles to utilise those.

Xbox doesn't need to do that as a lot of the functions MS wants are already present in the existing controller beyond the Share button. They will just be changing some durability and battery life aspects I would imagine.

To pit the two approaches off against each other would be an unfair comparison.

@Jacko11 If we see commentors on here trashing Sony and PS, and calling Sony executives names, then we'll have reached the same low.

I am not bothered either way, but since I will be getting the Xbox Series X, I will be more than happy to use my current Xbox One controller as a secondary controller for the next system. I bet being able to use Xbox One controllers is especially nice for the people that own the Elite Series, as well as custom designed controllers. It just makes sense to me.

Honestly makes sense Sony wouldn’t do that, and MS would. MS makes a lot of money on their elite/custom controllers. Sony is adding a bunch of new things.

I mean, this is really nothing new, most consoles have required new controllers for each iteration. There are some exceptions on Nintendo's side of things.

Don't get me wrong, it's nice that Microsoft finally said "enough" with requiring new controller hardware for a new system - taking more of a PC-centric approach.

Nothing with Sony's controller, for me, warrants requiring a new controller (I personally don't care about all the features included in the DualSense - neat for 5 minutes, yes, but will go completely ignored after the initial reaction). But, again, new console, new controller - nothing new.

I do have 2 Xbox One controllers - one for my Surface Book 2 (Cyberpunk 2077 Edition controller) and the one that was included with my Xbox One X.

It will be nice to know what I can connect my PC controller up to the Series X should the need arise (rare as that may be).

I do like what MS is giving to customers with controller options. When I buy a Series X, I'll have 2 controllers for the console without having to buy a new one. That's very cool, even if it's not massive savings. Anything that makes my life a little easier is always welcome.

Oh, and we get one article pointing out differences and Sony fanboys are up in arms. It's not that serious, people.

Playstation...for the players...

@FraserG
I mean, sure, but wouldn't a headline like "Xbox One controllers will work with Series X" come across as less partisan? The current headline does kind of come across as a little bit of a dig at Sony.
It's nowhere near as bad as some of the passive aggressive stuff over on Push Square so it's not that big of a deal, but it's a slippery slope.

Well if I'm playing next gen games why wouldn't I want to play with a next gen controller? Especially since dualsence is a step up in terms of features over dualshock 4. Does this mean you can play PS4 games on PS5 using a dualshock 4? If so that's cool.

Super dumb. I understand if they say “this game requires microphone so you need a Dual Sense” but a flat out “only dual sense for all PS5 games” is just absurd.

I foresee Sony forcing all devs to support stupid gimmicks, and already having awkward flashbacks of disarming bombs with terrible motion controls on Call OF Duty 3 for the PS3....

@Richnj I can tell you I’m not the only one that was looking forward to use a Dual Shock 4 on the PS5 to avoid all the creepy heart rate sensors and always listening microphones. This might make a difference for some users.

Also, a budget conscious buyer might had been planning on just migrating all their Dual Shock 4 controllers over the day they announced that they would be usable on the PS4. Heck, what’s the point? Just force Dual Sense controllers on every game... I hope they don’t come around saying you will require Dual Shock 4 to play PS4 games too...

On that note: I love the fact that the new Xbox controller will actually work on the Xbox one.

@Jacko11 It's an innocent article compared to PushSquare's daily bs and misinformation. It makes sense to compare compatibility because both are new consoles and making clear the differences is fine. Some people will choose one of them for several reasons and compatibility may be one of them. Most console buyers are brand-agnostic and unaware of the features. Obviously, Microsoft and Xbox websites want to make clear that Series X is 100% compatible if PS5 isn't and if PS5 was 100% compatible, the article would say "like" and not "unlike".

@Jacko11

I didn’t think the article was trying to start some fanboy war on here or anything. It’s just noting the philosophy differences between the two companies.

But back on topic..... I like that I can use my Xbox One controller on my Series X. It could be handy in a pinch.

@FraserG

Don’t listen to the overly sensitive ones. The article is fine. 👍🏻

@Tharsman

I agree about the microphone & Sony’s penchant for gimmicks with their controllers. The PS3 Siaxis was annoying as hell. I don’t have a PS4, but that light bar sensor thing would annoy me.

And a microphone on a controller? Um.....no thx!!! 😂

@FraserG You are doing the right thing, comparing both consoles' features. You are not insulting anybody and lying like... others.

Sony should allow PS4 controllers for multiplayer at the very least like Nintendo on Wii U. I love that about Wii U and one thing I dislike about Switch (that I also have) is that you need new controllers for no reason. I'm very happy that I can use my Elite controller on Series X.

@Tharsman Yeah I think being able to buy any xbox pad, and play it on any xbox platform is just godly. Especially when compared to how MS were during the 360 days.

I also don't buy the line that the DS5 has features that will require PS5 games to use the DS5. Firstly, consider that most games will be playable on other platforms. First on the PS4, but also on Xbox One and Series X. So any cross gen, or multiplatform game will have a version of that game that is playable without DS5 features. Secondly, haptic feedback and adaptive triggers etc all seem like experience enhancing features, rather than experience creating features.

Sony could have offered devs the option on which controllers their games supported, and provided that info on the box. Like the Wii did. It seems the easiest, most customer friendly method. It also allows more choice for devs too. So if a dev did feel that they needed a DS5 for their (presumably, PS5 exclusive) game, they could have that.

I'm so happy I'm going with the XBOX next gen. I used to buy each console. Nintendo day one, Sony early on and XBOX mid-gen. Next I will buy the XBOX Series X day one, Nintendo whenever they release it. And well... those Sony games.. I'll play Horizon 2 on PC.

Did older PlayStation consoles allow previous gen controllers to work? I don’t know Microsoft seems pretty consumer focussed, Sony seems to be the opposite.
I think the rumour of this AI assistant is stupid too, just more gimmicks by Sony, not needed. I have a PS4 Pro and have always found the trackpad utterly pointless.

@S1ayeR74 The PS4 controller trackpad is basically a big select/map button. It's also used for typing but it's not accurate. The light bar is reflected on the TV screen. Both are useless gimmicks.

@S1ayeR74 The only game I often use the trackpad is FF14. Other than that it is mostly Sony First Party Studios who actually make use of the trackpad. For the rest its just an additional button.

@ the topic, Its sometimes not that simple. But I wish they would have done some kind of support like Nintendo Switch. Where some games require the joy cons but others don't.

I can still understand why PS4 controllers won't work with PS5 games. See Ratchet and Clank:

"“It also lets you know how the weapon is behaving,” Smith said. “One of the examples is the Enforcer, it’s a double-barrelled shotgun. It uses the adaptive triggers to give you tension as you’re moving your finger down halfway, you can fire one barrel.

“You pull it all the way down, you can fire both barrels. But all along the way, you can feel the difference between the tension tightening up.”"
https://www.kotaku.com.au/2020/06/ratchet-clank-rift-apart-ps5-dualsense-features/

This would simply not work on a PS4 controller. You basically can't play Ratchet and Clank on a PS4 controller. So Sony could have gone down the road saying "as a dev you can support PS4 controllers if you want", but then some games having support and others not will lead to customer confusion and probably to a lot of unnecessary complains. So maybe Sony just thought F it and took the easy road.

Take it how you will. But Sony is trying to innovate and sometimes it simply means leaving things behind. Just like Nintendo does. Sony is not consumer-friendly, they are dev-friendly. They listen to what devs want to be able to realize their visions and they build it. Most of their events are around developers being able to build their visions on PS.
Xbox is consumer-first. Most of their events are around value for the consumer.
That's the difference between the two.

I'm just happy I can still use my elite controller. Other than that I don't care what happens

I wasn't exactly thrilled my Wii u pro controllers wouldn't work with my switch. Could Nintendo not give a bone to the lowest selling Nintendo console owners. I like Microsofts approach but I do admit it's probably the thing to do, like free online, when youre in third position.

I have a friend with disabilities who is very unhappy at the moment because he spent hundreds of dollars having his PS4 controller modified so he was able to play. I had to tell him the bad news today.

@sixrings I got to say the Wii U spoiled me. It supported so many different controller setups, even GameCube controllers. That was awesome. I still feel sad they didn’t just let devs decide if they wanted to support the classic Wii Mote when making games for the Switch.

@tatsumi

Not accurate. Microsoft is also developer friendly. Just bc they are also consumer friendly, doesn’t make them non-developer friendly.

@Tharsman Wii let me use GameCube controllers. Wii u let me use Wii motes. Switch made me use joy cons which drift. Epic but maybe I too was just spoiled.

@sixrings You can use GameCube Controllers with the Switch, you just need the adapter. Grid had built in GameCube Controller support. It's just most developers don't bother adding in the support, but it's there.

Hopefully this encourages developers to really take advantage of the new features of the controllers. I'm excited for the new controller so wouldn't use the old one anyway and rarely get the opportunity anymore for local multiplayer sadly. Though they probably should look into it for local multiplayer support where games are unlikely to be using the extra features

@mousieone not exactly the same thing as the GameCube adapter and controllers were even more scarce than pro controllers. I do have a few but I don't think it's comparable to what Nintendo did in the past and what xbox is doing now.

@sixrings scare? I dunno about that. They issued a new a new GameCube controller when Smash came out; the black one. I usually run across it at GameStop and Target often. There are several third party adapters. I suppose you could say Nintendo’s more “gimmicky”.