DualSense Edge Review – The best controller gets even better

PlayStation released the DualSense Edge last month. Perhaps it passed you by and that’s not surprising, finally, the controller is for now only been on sale through PlayStation’s own store. Still, it’s not such a crazy idea to shop around there, as the DualSense Edge is an upgrade over the regular DualSense. By the way, starting Feb. 22, the controller should also be available at other retails, but much more information is not yet known.

Premium quality

In the old days when friends came to play Pro Evolution Soccer, the multitap would be plugged in and they would get the “fake” controller pressed into their hands by default. You yourself, of course, went away with the official DualShock controller. Sometimes those obscure controllers from third-party manufacturers even came with features that the official controllers didn’t have. Not much later, manufacturers like SCUF came along and professionalized this further. The main features that emerged from that can also be found on PlayStation’s latest controller: the DualSense Edge. It’s been possible on Xbox for a while, but finally avid gamers can opt for the official option on PlayStation. Is it mustard after the meal or has this been worth the wait all this time?

When we open the box we find a nice hard plastic case where the DualSense Edge controller, including all accessories, is hidden inside. That case itself has already been well thought out, we notice in no time. Whereas the case of Xbox’s Elite Controller is completely closed, this one contains a small resealable opening on the back of the case. This allows the Edge to just charge, even when it’s stowed away. Not a feature you would immediately purchase the controller for, but a neat detail that the manufacturer has paid attention to. The contents of the case are further as follows:

• DualSense Edge wireless controller
• USB braided cable
• 2 Standard caps
• 2 High dome caps
• 2 Low dome caps
• 2 Half dome back buttons
• 2 Lever back buttons
• Connector housing
• Carrying case

As the contents of the case somewhat suggest, the DualSense Edge has plenty to customize to your liking. The nicest reference to the past is that we can go back to the era of the PlayStation 3 with the round caps, which feels instantly familiar. As for the shape of the controller, hardly anything has changed, and we have to give PlayStation great credit for that. Ergonomically, the DualSense was already comfortable in the hand and, of course, you don’t need to fix it if it’s not broken.

There are also several buttons included for the back of the controller. Personally, we prefer the paddles, which can be a great advantage mainly in First Person Shooters. The casual gamer may not immediately think about this, but this makes it much easier, for example, to slither or jump and simultaneously move the right stick to shoot someone. Therefore, a controller like the Edge does give the player a virtual advantage. By the way, the paddles are attached magnetically. There is no need to fiddle with screws or anything like that, and should they get in the way in the middle of a game the player can quickly get rid of them if necessary.

Another huge advantage of the DualSense Edge is the adjustable triggers, something that is also useful for competitive shooters but also in other games where responsiveness is an issue. For example, the player can choose to press the trigger only very briefly before it registers. As a result, the player with the Edge in their hands, à la Han Solo, always fires first.

Teething problems of the DualSense fixed

Where the normal DualSense did a lot of things right, there were also minor missteps. For example, many controllers that initially came with the PlayStation 5 suffered from stick drift. This is not a new phenomenon as it is also a problem that often comes up with other manufacturers, such as Nintendo.

For the DualSense Edge, PlayStation has come up with a solution to this. The sticks are modular and can therefore be replaced once they have seen the light of day. With that, PlayStation seems to acknowledge their own problem, but it’s nice that at least we don’t have to buy a whole new controller when a small part is broken. This just doesn’t come for free. Of course not, there has to be a revenue model behind it. That’s not the end of the world, just a new module to replace a stick is quite pricey in our eyes. For one module you pay €24.99. If both are broken then you can pay another five tens, almost as much as a regular DualSense controller should cost.

The DualSense Edge is an advanced controller, for which we expected an advanced battery as well. Unfortunately, it doesn’t last very long. The DualSense Edge contains a 1050 mAh battery, which compared to the original DualSense with 1560 is really a lot less. This is a bit disappointing to us anyway, especially since the original controller drained quite quickly. The DualSense can be used between 4 and 10 hours and the Edge even less. A small disadvantage against quite a lot of advantages and excellent build quality.

A lot of money for a controller

Then we have to talk about the price. It’s not a big deal to put down a little extra for a controller, but if we compare it to the Xbox Elite Series 2 controller, apparently it can be a lot more affordable. That controller is at least as good as the Edge. The DualSense Edge costs $239.99 and its Xbox counterpart is at bol.com available for €112. Therefore, gamers should ask themselves whether they really feel it is necessary to spend so much money on a controller. For casual gamers, this may not be true. After all, Sony has already designed an almost perfect controller with the original DualSense. The Edge is an improvement on that regardless, but not an improvement that should be worth nearly four times as much.