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Your DualShock 4 might be getting a makeover next year, as Sony has debuted a new first-party accessory for their controller. Introduced as the Back Button Attachment, it snaps onto the back of any regular DualShock 4, and adds two buttons to the back panel of the gamepad. You can map these two keys to perform up to 16 different functions, such as the shoulder or face buttons of your choosing. There are three different profiles that can be set, as denoted by an OLED screen on the device. The Back Button Attachment will hit retail shelves late next month in the United States, for a price of $29.99, while the UK will get it slightly later, on February 14th.

 

[Nisem0n0]

so like the steam controller?

 

[yuyuyup]

Do we REALLY need an OLED screen for a GAME CONTROLLER?! (ノಠ益ಠ)ノ

They probably had/bought a surplus of oleds, you see similar b&w oleds in cheap "fitness trackers" maybe they have superb power consumption

 

[Kioku]

Announcing another peripheral to drain the already awful battery life of the DS4!

 

[YukidaruPunch]

So, that pretty much confirms Dualshock 5 will have extra paddles and they're just doing this for compatibility reasons, right?

 

[DinohScene]

Hey Sony, adjustable triggers when?

 

[Runehasa]

If you are going to be spending 30 anyhow might as well make it a permanent mod and also not add extra weight.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07VS6H2D3/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

[The Real Jdbye]

Might be useful to some, but why only 2 buttons? They could easily have added 4, and that would be far more useful in my opinion.

1. Call me childish, but they just added a wee wee to the dualshock.

2. If this is any good and comfortable remains to be seen when trying it out and holding it in my hands.

3. The Dualshock 4 has really terrible battery life (I've had to swap several batteries too), and the usb connection is really badly made, imo, especially that tiny circuit board with the connector and led. The impact on battery life needs to be clarified and tested by whomever tests it. It would be nice if it worked as a sort of power bank however increased weight is very important to consider in this case. And yes the ds4 can technically be charged from the same connector as well. Some stands use this.

4. Still, though, innovation is always nice and I've always been curious about back buttons. Maybe it's a test for the future dualshock 5.

Innovation? Steam Controller already has 4 extra buttons on the back.

 

[ut2k4master]

Might be useful to some, but why only 2 buttons? They could easily have added 4, and that would be far more useful in my opinion.

Innovation? Steam Controller already has 4 extra buttons on the back.

steam controller only has 2 as well

 

[The Real Jdbye]

steam controller only has 2 as well

I thought the rear buttons had upper + lower press? I don't have one myself.

 

[ut2k4master]

I thought the rear buttons had upper + lower press? I don't have one myself.

no, they just count as 1 each

 

[Lodad]

DONGle. The only way they could really get one-up on the steam controller.

I'm hopeful that there could be cheaper third-party options, at least with PC compatibility. (I know that both of those ideas are extremely unlikely)

Editing to add: Yes it looks terrible and an OLED screen that always faces away from you that you have to turn your controller around or upside down to see is absolutely stupid. They could make this for wayyyyyyy less in materials while charging less and still make more money. Implementing pop-ups on the TV screen for when you press the button that changes the bindings would be doable and probably less expensive than having an OLED screen you can't even see draining your controller's battery

 

[MikaDubbz]

It's cool that the Dualshock 4 controller can be modular to this extent, almost reminds me of all the different things that could be connected to a Wiimote. All the same, I've never really understood the appeal of remapping already available buttons to a different placement on the back of the controller (as we've already seen different third party controllers do before). Like it would be one thing if these were additional buttons that serve their own purpose (like an L4 and R4 or something), but on their own I see little appeal. I suppose if L3 and R3 can be remapped, that might be a little more convenient, as they are the slightest inconvenience to push your thumbsticks in, especially if you're using one to move or move the camera at the same time. Still for the price, I don't think its really worth it.

 

[The Real Jdbye]

It's cool that the Dualshock 4 controller can be modular to this extent, almost reminds me of all the different things that could be connected to a Wiimote. All the same, I've never really understood the appeal of remapping already available buttons to a different placement on the back of the controller (as we've already seen different third party controllers do before). Like it would be one thing if these were additional buttons that serve their own purpose (like an L4 and R4 or something), but on their own I see little appeal. I suppose if L3 and R3 can be remapped, that might be a little more convenient, as they are the slightest inconvenience to push your thumbsticks in, especially if you're using one to move or move the camera at the same time. Still for the price, I don't think its really worth it.

I think it's intended for dual stick games where you want to take your thumbs off the sticks as little as possible, and probably works well for those, but not so useful for other games. But I agree it would be nice if they could be used as extra buttons at least in games that are designed to support them.

DONGle. The only way they could really get one-up on the steam controller.

I'm hopeful that there could be cheaper third-party options, at least with PC compatibility. (I know that both of those ideas are extremely unlikely)

Editing to add: Yes it looks terrible and an OLED screen that always faces away from you that you have to turn your controller around or upside down to see is absolutely stupid. They could make this for wayyyyyyy less in materials while charging less and still make more money. Implementing pop-ups on the TV screen for when you press the button that changes the bindings would be doable and probably less expensive than having an OLED screen you can't even see draining your controller's battery

I figure the screen turns off when not actively in use and only wakes back up when you press a button on the device or something.

 

[Veho]

We need moar buttons.

 

[linuxares]

All you guys saying it's useless

You control current gamepads with 2 fingers - thumb and index finger

We are really underutilizing our hands - this can allow you to hit O X Δ etc without taking your hand off of the right control stick. And you know, use at least one more of the neglected 3 fingers.

Really, in a perfect controller, the face buttons should all be on the back. The current layout is a holdover from old times and definitely not the best layout possible

ppft pleb... I play with my... you know

 

[Veho]

ppft pleb... I play with my... you know

Feet?

(It's a thing: https://www.3drudder.com/ )

 

[Deleted User]

We need moar buttons.

This would be perfect for Phantasy Star Online.

 

[grey72]

I'm honestly disappointed that this few people over here know what scuff controllers are/why they're good. The screen is stupid but this seems like a great add-on otherwise

 

[Lodad]

I'm honestly disappointed that this few people over here know what scuff controllers are/why they're good. The screen is stupid but this seems like a great add-on otherwise

Could be good but no way it's $30 good. I'd go for a $10 third-party clone, though.

 

[Veho]

The screen is stupid but this seems like a great add-on otherwise

The screen looks a bit silly, but they show in the demo how it's used to customize the profiles on the fly so it's pretty handy.
I'm pretty sure some future version or ripoff of the device will move the customization menu to an app on the console or a phone app and remove the screen to shave off some of the manufacturing costs.