As we close in on the highly anticipated PS4 release date, some interesting details are starting to emerge that the average consumer probably had no idea about. This week, we have learned that the upcoming console would have originally shipped with a touchscreen on the DualShock 4, only for Sony to have a change of heart later on in the development lifecycle.
Just imagine that for a second as it could have obviously made a massive difference to the way you enjoyed your PS4 gaming experience. Developers would have built their games with specific emphasis on touchscreen functionality akin to that of the Wii U GamePad, but now we find out that Sony eventually scrapped the idea.
A revealing interview by Sony’s product planning manager Toshimasa Aoki has suggested that the PS4 DualShock 4 with a touchscreen was even as far as being in testing stages, but it appears that developer input may have ultimately been the deciding factor as to why it never came to light.
Developers were apparently not keen on gamers having to keep looking at the second screen, with most preferring to keep the main focus point on the big screen television experience. While it may work for the Wii U at the moment, it looks like Sony agreed with the developers and decided not to include it on the PS4.
On top of that, Mr Aoki also revealed that they had taken inspiration from the Xbox 360 controller to potentially alter the position of the DualShock 4 analogue sticks. We now see them situated at the bottom of the pad, but we hear that in planning stages, we could have had analogue sticks which were situated at the top or even two sticks offset just like the Xbox 360.
Very interesting comments for sure. Read the whole interview above and let us know your thoughts on this. It’s a reality check to see that Sony still sees their competitor’s products as a positive and are willing to take inspiration if needed.
Are you happy with the final design of the DualShock 4 or would you have preferred to see a touchscreen version?
*Identifying Monetised Links - outgoing links that we monetise are marked with an '*' symbol.
