So, the Dual Sense Edge has been out for a year now. I have one, but I want to be honest. I have one because PlayStation Canada sent me one shortly after the launch. I have had it for almost a whole year now. My initial review of it wasn't bad; I focused on what it could do and how I used it during the review. I used it then for the review but not for everyday use at the time. I tested all the features, put the controller through the ringer, and saw what made it tick.
Well, news flash here! That isn't how we use controllers. We play games with them and use them every time we play in different ways playing different types of games. Not every game will need all the bells and whistles the Dual Sense Edge offers. So, I will reflect on the year with the Dual Sense Edge and let you know if it is worth it. Do all the bells and whistles truly matter? Do I use the back paddles? Have I replaced the thumbsticks? Do I use wired or wireless? Do I remap buttons? And finally, has it become my everyday controller?
Coming in at $269.99, I think all of these questions are fair to ask, and I will answer them all for you, but money doesn't grow on trees. Since the Dual Sense Edge launch, PlayStation has launched a lot more hardware and has asked you, the consumer, for more money than any year I can remember.
I will be doing a lot more of these as the year comes around on all this hardware that came out last year. I'm looking at you very expensive PSVR 2. I have a bone to pick with you.
What did they promise us when it launched? What was the marketing behind it to make us want it? I think a lot had to do with The Elite series controllers from Xbox to make Sony finally give us a premium controller. I purchased an Elite Series 2 controller and often used it when it was released. Remapping any button and even functions to the back paddles is a game changer. The long battery life and ability to swap the stick and recharge the controller are great. These are the functions I use the most, but I did return it three separate times due to stick drift. I guess it's a third times a charm because I have had zero issues with it since.
The Xbox controller needed a rechargeable battery as I'm not a fan of changing the batteries. So Xbox improved on their controller, but did Sony improve on theirs?
The Dual Sense controller is one of the best gaming controllers; recently, they have released a newer version with a longer battery life. I have never noticed an issue with my Dual Sense battery life, but I use a changing station and, as a gaming dad, don't have much time for extended play sessions. I do, however, notice the battery life of my Dual Sense Edge. I find it drains rather quickly and have had to switch to my regular Dual Sense occasionally or turn the haptics off to prolong the use. I only turn it off playing games that I feel the haptics don't add to the experience, like my sports games.
Haptic feedback in the Dual Sense and the Dual Sense Edge is one of my favourite controller features and truly makes the PS5 stand out when choosing where to play my third-party games. I keep the haptics on when playing Call of Duty and feel it adds much more to my enjoyment of playing the game. The skilled players say turn it off because it distracts you and slows down your reaction time, but I have some news for them. I don't care because it makes it more enjoyable, and I know I'm not the best at the game.
You can have the Dual Sense Edge plugged in while using it, and it does come with a cable lock so that it wouldn't come unplugged during use, but I have never used it. If anyone can tell me they have used it that has this controller, please give me a reason to do so. If you're into tournament gaming, I could see a use for it, but not for everyday use. Having my controller wired for more extended playtime is an option but not one for me. Having the access latch in the protective case is a nice touch so that you can recharge the controller while it's in the case.
The adjustable trigger lengths, I have to say, are one of the most used features I used on the Dual Sense Edge. If I'm playing any first-person shooter or even racing sim, I change the lengths on the triggers, so I barely have to touch them to pull the trigger. My reflexes aren't what they used to be, but this gives me a slight advantage regarding my reaction time when playing any multiplayer shooter. I feel it's singlehandedly why I like playing any shooter or live service game that revolves around your reaction time with triggers. I haven't played this much Call of Duty in years, and I don't feel I'm getting destroyed when playing against other people online. I had a hard time playing any shooter as I have gotten older, so hats off to the Dual Sense Edge for making it fun again.
The mappable back buttons are a feature I do like, but I wish it could be better. I prefer to use the smaller paddles it comes with as they feel more comfortable and I feel quicker to use. When I'm playing a game, I don't want to take my thumbs off the sticks, and I can map the buttons to the back paddles and make gaming easier. On the Elite Series 2, you can map any function to the back buttons, including the share buttons and capture buttons. You can still move the share button to the back paddles on the Dual Sense Edge but can't change the function, so one paddle is video capture, and one is to take a photo. I wish they allowed me to reprogram those buttons as you can on the Elite Series 2. I regularly look to remap buttons for any game I put some time into to make it a more enjoyable playing experience. You can use the two function buttons under the sticks to save button mapping setups that you use regularly.
Replacing the sticks is a breeze, and the replacement sticks aren't too expensive. You can pick them up for around $25 CDN. If you have stick drift on a regular Dual Sense, you're buying a new controller to fix it. I have had it twice, and it has become costly. I have had my PS5 since launch and have had stick drift on two Dual Sense controllers already. Let's do some math here. I have had to replace two Dual Sense controllers due to stick drift at a replacement cost of $89 CDN a piece since the launch of the PS5. The PS5 comes with one controller, so I also purchased one of those controllers, which was $89 CDN. That puts my costs at $267 CDN, roughly the same as the Dual Sense Edge. This is why I have been solely using my Dual Sense Edge for gaming, as I know if I encounter stick drift, I can replace the stick and not interrupt my gaming session. Regarding changing the stick caps, I haven't used this function often. I tried it out but went back to my original thumb sticks. I understand this is something many gamers want, but it hasn't mattered too much to me. It is nice to have.
The case it comes with is exceptionally sturdy, and I have travelled with it a couple of times and have been surprised how many times I have used it. I have put it in my luggage and found no damage to the case or the controller. I want to mention that the smaller paddles don't fit well back in case in case you switched to the longer ones. I tend to use the longer paddles when playing racing games, and when I switch them out, the smaller ones don't stay in their slot well in the case.
The weight of the Dual Sense Edge, when compared to a Dual Sense, is noticeable, but for me, it's to be expected as you have more parts inside of the controller. The weight isn't a big deal, but the texture grips on the handles are a welcome touch. For now, the Dual Sense Edge only comes in one colour profile, which is black and white, but my hope for the future is PlayStation releases other coloured Dual Sense Edges.
There is a very in-depth settings menu for the Dual Sense Edge in the PS5 that you can access under Accessories and select Controller Settings. There, you can create custom profiles and even adjust the input sensitivity of your stick movements. I have found many excellent YouTube videos detailing great settings for playing different games, like Call of Duty, that have helped a lot.
At the start of the review, I asked many questions I feel I have answered, but the big one is, "Has this become my everyday controller?" I have to say yes, it has, and I wouldn't consider myself a pro gamer or anything like that. I like to play video games, but the controller features help me in my day-to-day gaming. Knowing that I can easily replace the sticks if they break is also comforting.
I didn't think I would need these features when gaming as I mostly play story-driven games, but I have grown accustomed to changing my settings and, as I mentioned, gotten back into playing games like Call of Duty, which the Dual Sense Edge shines when playing. I have played a lot of NHL 24 as well and find the responsiveness of the sticks to be better, and my reaction time is better when using the Dual Sense Edge. If you use your PS5 daily to play games, this is a no-brainer of a purchase because, in the long run, you get a better gaming experience. You also won't have to fork over money on any other controller if you have stick drift. If you don't game regularly, you must ask yourself if this purchase is worth it. It is by far the best controller Sony makes for the PS5 and my go-to. Let me know if you have one what you think, and if I haven't answered all the questions you might need answering in this review, let me know in the comments.
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