As great as the PlayStation 5’s DualSense controller is — the adaptive triggers are really a you-need-to-try-it-for-yourself-to-understand feature — it’s no “pro” controller like Microsoft’s Xbox Elite Wireless Controller, which has features like removable joysticks and backside paddles.
Not to be left out of the “pro” controller market, Sony is rumored to be working on a “genuine professional controller” or “PS5 Pro Controller” for the PS5 that could be announced in “the coming weeks” according to TryHardGuides.
The website claims sources shared images of the “PS5 Pro Controller” (codenamed “Hunt”), but it’s unable to publish them. The PS5 Pro Controller will reportedly sport features similar to the Xbox Elite Wireless Controller, including several removal components and rear buttons/triggers.
Rumors
Features the PS5 Pro Controller might have
While TryHardGuides wasn’t able to share any images of the alleged prototype it saw, it’s more than likely any PS5 Pro Controller would resemble the current DualSense controller shape.
Per the report, the PS5 Pro Controller could have the following features:
- Removable analog sticks
- Trigger stops
- Rear paddles
- Removable grips
The removable analog sticks are perhaps the biggest alleged improvement. While not as widespread as Joy-Con drift on the Nintendo Switch (an issue that still persists today even on the OLED Switch), there are reports of stick drift with DualSense controllers. YouTubers have shared fixes for DualSense stick drift by opening up their controllers and replacing the analog sticks, but what if you could do that without needing to grab any tools? That would be pretty neat. If a PS5 Pro Controller does come with removable analog sticks, though, it’d more likely be for adjusting its height like on the Xbox Elite Wireless Controller.
The other features like trigger stops, rear paddles, and removable grips are already found on Scuf’s Reflex controller which currently fills the role for a better-designed PS5 controller so it makes sense that Sony is thinking of including these features.
Will the PS5 Pro controller have remappable buttons?
The Xbox Elite Wireless Controller Series 2 lets you configure all of the buttons to your liking so you can play a game exactly the way you want to. TryHardGames doesn’t come out and say the PS5 Pro Controller would be customizable, only that it’d “have significant software upgrades.” It’d be disappointing if that’s not a reference to remappable buttons on the PS5 Pro Controller.
It makes sense that Sony would allow for more customization given that the PS5 DualSense can be used with other devices like PCs, smartphones, tablets, and Apple TV.
What colors will the PS5 Pro Controller come in?
When the PS5 launched in 2020, it came in one color: white. Since then, Sony’s released the DualSense controller in five additional colors: Midnight Black, Cosmic Red, Starlight Blue, Nova Pink, and Galactic Purple. Sony also released the official PS5 Console Covers AKA “plates” in the same matching colors.
It’s possible Sony could release a PS5 Pro Controller in the same five colors or stick to white and black. The Xbox Elite Wireless Controller Series 2 only comes in black because black is apparently a “pro” color. Hey Sony, do colors!
How much will the PS5 Pro Controller cost?
There’s already a market for “pro” console controllers. Looking at Xbox, Microsoft has a second-generation Elite Wireless Controller that has customizable thumbsticks, trigger locks, and a wrap-around rubber grip. There’s even some competition for pro Xbox controllers with Razer’s Wolverine Ultimate which offers many of the same features. With all these options, it’s obvious that there’s a demand for pro console controllers.
If the rumors turn out to be true and Sony does release the PS5 Pro Controller, it’d likely carry a premium price over the standard DualSense ($70 for white and black and $75 for the other colors). For reference, the Scuf Reflex controller retails for $200 and Microsoft’s Xbox Elite Wireless Controller 2 sells for $180.
This should give you a ballpark of what to expect if Sony sells a PS5 Pro Controller. There are clearly enough people who aren’t balking at paying $180-200 for a controller; Sony could take advantage of this.
When is the PS5 Pro Controller release date?
Other than the rumored “it should be soon” that TryHardGuides’ source claims, there’s no release date for the PS5 Pro Controller. The Cosmic Red and Midnight Black DualSense controllers came out on June 11, 2021; the Starlight Blue and Nova Pink DualSense were released in January 2022, and the Galactic Purple in February 2022.
Are we due for a PS5 Pro Controller so soon? Or will Sony wait until the fall to drum up holiday sales?
