When I agreed to review the DualSense Edge for this here Kotaku period com, I didn’t know I was getting ready to break my brain from decades of video game muscle memory habits. I hadn’t used a modular controller before, and I wanted to approach the PS5 premium controller from the perspective of someone who maybe didn’t see what all the fuss was about. Every video game I play already has button assignments for any action I could do. What was the point of putting two extras on the back? But once I saw the light, it became nearly impossible for me to go back to a standard DualSense, and when I do hold one of the default controllers, I feel my fingers scratching at the back for back paddles that are no longer there.
This came up today because Sony is selling a God of War 20th anniversary DualSense controller stylized to look like the titular god Kratos’ ash-white skin and blood-red tattoos. I like the design of the controller a lot, and even if I didn’t love Ragnarök (the excellent Valhalla DLC really brought me around on it, though), Kratos still occupies a cozy little place in my heart. In another life, I would have scooped it up, even at the whopping $85 price point. But that hefty chunk of change gave me pause. That’s grocery money for a controller that, in all likelihood, I wasn’t going to use. I’ve become so accustomed to having back paddles after two years of playing games with my DualSense Edge that the standard PS5 controller feels almost like a toy in my hands. So if I did buy this Kratos-themed controller, it would probably just be a display item. And that’s a pretty expensive thing to stick on shelf space I don’t have here in the Big Apple.
I’ve bought controllers I don’t use before. I own an Xbox Pride controller that sits on my shelf next to all my Mass Effect stuff because Kaidan Alenko made me gay as a teenager. But that was a special case where I saw something covered in rainbows and reacted accordingly. Nowadays, I default to my DualSense Edge whenever I can, so I’m not just picky with my money, I’m picky with my controllers. The Edge isn’t even the best version of a modular controller, as it’s pretty limited compared to its contemporaries like the Xbox Elite, but it has rewired my brain to reach for back paddles in shooters and action games.
The moment it all changed for me was when I was testing the Edge for our review while playing Overwatch 2. As I described in my review, a Pharah was flying behind my team’s backline and shooting rockets down upon my helpless supports. As Soldier: 76, I reloaded while turning around to shoot down my airborne foe. I had mapped the square button to the right paddle and could turn the right analog stick with my thumb to change where I was facing, rather than having to pick between the two actions. That split-second difference saved me from getting blown up, and it was all thanks to this bougie-ass controller. It’s such a small change, but I’ve gotten so used to having the option that my brain defaults to it now. I usually have jump mapped to the left paddle and either reload or dodge on the right. For the longest time, I would have to remap buttons in action games to the default Devil May Cry control scheme because I spent so much time playing the old PS2 games that the layout had hardwired itself into my brain. The circle button is the dodge button, right? It’s supposed to be! Now, my hands naturally search for a back paddle to move out of the way. Even when I’m playing games on my Switch 2 like Pokémon Legends: Z-A, I’m wishing I had an easy dodge button on the back of my Joy-Cons.
I know it’s an unreasonable ask, but I would be so much more inclined to buy these special controllers if Sony made Edge variants, so I didn’t feel like I was sacrificing function for the sake of the aesthetic. And now it’s hard for me to justify buying collector’s items when my tiny apartment only has so much room. You think I didn’t want that kinda dumb-looking Last of Us controller? Although now that I’m looking at it, I probably could have fit it on my TLOU shelf next to the Joel statue. Actually, never mind, I looked at the price again. Maybe I should look into modding these controllers myself. There’s gotta be some sicko out there who’s willing to mess with all the circuitry and put these back paddles on the Kratos controller.