In a post on the PlayStation Blog, Isabelle Tomatis, head of VR and peripherals at PlayStation, revealed that the PS4’s DualShock controller will not be fully compatible with the upcoming PlayStation 5.
Instead, “DualShock 4 wireless controller and PlayStation officially licensed third-party gamepad controllers” will only work with PS4 titles that are support by the next-gen system. However, speciality peripherals like official arcade sticks and racing wheels, Platinum and Gold Wireless Headsets, USB/Audio-In headsets, PS Move Motion Controllers and PlayStation VR Aim Controller will be compatible with the PS5.
Related: The best PS4 games
While this seems simple enough, the post goes onto state that “not all PlayStation officially licensed or third-party peripherals/accessories may work on PS5.” This muddies the water a little, and Tomatis seems to pass the finer details over to manufacturers to deal with, stating: “We recommend checking with the manufacturer to confirm whether a product will work on PS5 and specific titles.” For many PlayStation gamers, this will likely mean that they will just have to wait and see when the new console is launched.
Tomatis offered some explanation for the PS4’s controller not working with the PS5, stating that next-gen games should “take advantage of the new capabilities and features we’re bringing to the platform, including the features of DualSense wireless controller.” This new capabilities include haptic feedback and adaptive triggers.
In response to this announcement, Xbox reconfirmed the compatibility of Xbox One controllers with the upcoming Xbox Series X. It also used the opportunity to note the Xbox controller’s compatibility with Windows PCs, Android and Apple smartphones, and the Project xCloud game streaming service. In a funny twist of fate, the PS4 DualShock 4 will also be compatible with xCloud, but not Sony’s own newest console.