Great news for PS5 gamers who have recently bought, or intend to buy, one of the new Nova Pink, Galactic Purple and Starlight Blue controllers. These joypads have been secretly changed and sport a couple of different parts – and it looks like these changes have made for a better controller.
The PS5 DualSense controller changes were revealed by YouTube channel TronicsFix, which did a teardown and discovered that the new controllers features upgraded back L and R button springs. The original white PlayStation 5 controller, as well as the Cosmic Red controller, sport a spring with a 0.25mm thickness, while the new Nova Pink, Galactic Purple and Starlight Blue controllers sport 0.3mm thick springs instead.
Whether or not each gamer will be able to notice the spring thickness change is unknown, but theoretically the thicker springs should help with trigger durability and consistency.
In addition to the spring thickness change, the teardown also revealed that the new controllers had a slightly different analog stick module construction, with a black piece of plastic swapped for a near-identical green one. Again, what this change does is not yet known, but it has been speculated that it could be to help mitigate stick drift. If this is true then it makes these new generation DualSense controllers a smart choice for playing PS5 games.
Finally, it is also revealed that these new controllers have slightly different internal layouts in terms of its main board and chips.
Here at T3 we think these changes, while small, are welcome evolutionary improvements to the DualSense controller, which is - by far - the best next-gen controller on the market today. The idea that Sony is beavering away subtly improving the PS5's controllers is really welcome, which is something that we can't say has been true of every video game console maker as of late. Stick drift is the number one issue that plagues controllers, so the idea that Sony could be helping to address issues already is really welcome.
Indeed, Sony has done such a good job designing the DualSense that, really, apart from a few top-tier aftermarket brands such as Nacon and Scuf, it's hard recommending third-party controllers for the PS5, as they don't offer the same sort of performance. Only top-tier controllers like the Scuf Reflex Pro arguably offer a better package, but those controllers retail for two or even three times the price.
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Are you a PS5 gamer that enjoyed playing The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt and watching the recent Netflix TV show adaptation? Well, this popular show that schools The Witcher has just had its new season start streaming and I think it is well worth a watch. Check it out.
Rob has been writing about computing, gaming, mobile, home entertainment technology, toys (specifically Lego and board games), smart home and more for over 15 years. As the editor of PC Gamer, and former Deputy Editor for T3.com, you can find Rob's work in magazines, bookazines and online, as well as on podcasts and videos, too. Outside of his work Rob is passionate about motorbikes, skiing/snowboarding and team sports, with football and cricket his two favourites.
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