PS4 Controllers Will Work on the PS5, but Only With PS4 Games

The official PS4 controller — the DualShock 4 — won't work with PS5 games, Sony announced with a blog post. The Japanese company however clarified that there are some scenarios in which you can use a DualShock 4 along with a PlayStation 5. The PS5 is backwards compatible with PS4 games, and if you're playing one of those, you'll be able to use a DualShock 4 with it.

In a post on the PlayStation Blog, it said: “We believe that PS5 games should take advantage of the new capabilities and features we're bringing to the platform, including the features of DualSense wireless controller.” Therefore, the DualShock 4 — and other officially licensed third-party PS4 controllers — will work on the PS5 with “supported PS4 games” only, Sony said. No supported games have been listed as yet by Sony.

That's a starkly different approach from Sony to its next generation video game console, what with Microsoft promising that all official Xbox One controllers — including the Xbox Elite range and third-party licensed ones — would work on the Xbox Series X. (Neither company supported the transition last time around, be it PS3 controllers on the PS4 or Xbox 360 controllers on the Xbox One.) That means unlike those in the Xbox family, PS5 owners will be forced to buy additional DualSense controllers for couch co-op and multiplayer with their friends and family.

While Microsoft's new Xbox Series X controller doesn't vary too far from its Xbox One counterpart, with a slightly smaller size, a dedicated share button and a D-pad that borrows from the Xbox Elite range, Sony has made much bigger changes with the DualSense controller. It's got a built-in microphone, adaptive triggers with L2 and R2 buttons, and haptic feedback — which wasn't available on the DualShock 4, but was present on the Xbox One controller.

For what it's worth, Sony isn't dropping support for all PS4 accessories. Officially licensed racing wheels, arcade sticks, and flight sticks will work with PS5 games. The PS Move Motion Controllers, the PlayStation VR Aim Controller, and the PlayStation Camera will also work with supported PS VR games on the PS5. For the last of them — the PlayStation Camera — you'll need a PlayStation Camera adapter on the PS5, which Sony will provide for free to PS VR users. Sony also noted that not all licensed / third-party accessories may work on the PS5, and that players should check with manufacturers.

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