Disclaimer:
At the time of my writing this review, January 27th, 2020, the DualShock 4 Back Button Attachment was officially released to the market. I was able to acquire one on release due to pre-ordering, and I will share my initial impressions after playing with it a few hours today, and will update the review as I've garnered more experience with the product.
Un-boxing and installation:
I was very pleased with the slender box used to carry the unit itself. Upon opening the box, they craftily placed text, reading "Important - Read First", and attached were the directions on how to install and program the unit (for a total of 2 easy steps). The instructions were very straightforward, although it took me around 5 minutes to install the unit to the controller personally, as there is a little bit of finesse involved and I was afraid of breaking something. Just trust the directions, and you will be fine. It doesn't feel like it's going in the right way, but just push in when everything is lined up and it will pop into place.
Initial Impressions:
The attachment on the controller felt great in the hands when first holding it, and the buttons provide a more crisp, mouse-like click, as opposed to the more silent and less tactile DualShock buttons. However, after using the product for just about 30 minutes, my hands had already begun to cramp up due to the extra material that I had to grip. I'll have to update this review after further experience with the product to see if this problem persists, but these buttons are very thick as compared to other slimmer options currently in the market, such as paddles. I have normal sized hands, but regardless, it will fundamentally change the way you hold your controller and at least from my first experience, it seemed to give me more inputs (obviously) for the trade-off of less control due to the increased surface area of the controller which causes the hand cramping.. I noticed that I could no longer apply pressure to where I used to hold the controller, otherwise I would be pressing these new back buttons. And if I still want to hold the controller, the pressure has to be applied somewhere else so that it doesn't fall out of my hands. This is where most of the pressure started building in the sides of my hands, and on my fingers trying to awkwardly hold it but not accidentally pushing the back buttons. If you have larger hands, it may be a better option for you, but it will still change how you hold your controller, and probably still cause cramping as most of the applied pressure must be at the sides of the controller, rather than around it.
Extra information:
1. Media coverage of this product advertises the screen as a touchscreen - this is not the case. By media coverage, I mean from mostly third party news sources and outlets. At least on this Amazon page, it is correctly addressed as a digital screen. But do not be mistaken by the media claiming it to be a touch screen, it is simply a digital screen that you operate with the two back buttons themselves, and then the screen itself is a third button in which you can press, but it is not touch-operated.
2. The industry standard for backside buttons, or backside paddles for competitive play is 4, and this product only contains 2. This should not be a problem for most people, but I point it out because if you're purchasing this product then you're probably looking for a competitive advantage, and in that case two less inputs may not be what you're looking for.
3. Sony is VERY new to developing any kind of first-party upgrades for their competitive or professional players. Microsoft has had their own first party elite controller for XBox with backside paddles and numerous other additions for years. As have countless third party companies and fans created their own renditions of what they think would be helpful to players in the competitive scene.. But this is the first time Sony has created anything like this, and part of the reason they've released this product is because there have been leaks of the DualShock 5 (next gen controller) that show it having paddles, and with this back button attachment, you will most likely be able to use your DualShock 4 on a PS5 and utilize all of its capabilities. Basically what I'm saying is, this is a test run for Sony. They're using this product to garner feedback so that they can improve the DualShock 5 when that releases, and it's also their first crack at it, so it may disappoint you until they release something better.
4. This product was mainly created for FPS/BR/shooting games for competitive play, although you can certainly use it for any game or genre.
5. The attachment does NOT need to be charged. It works off of your DualShock battery when installed, and the screen is only illuminated when programming it or changing presets. Otherwise, the screen is off while you are using the controller and it will use next to no charge.
6. You can only bind pre-existing DualShock 4 buttons to each of the two back buttons. Meaning that you're not truly gaining MORE inputs, but you're gaining a more convenient place to press an already existing input.. You're essentially cloning an existing input from anywhere on the controller, and putting it on one of the two back buttons. And if you've bound one of the back buttons to a specific input, like triangle, for example, you can still use the triangle button. It will just mean that you can now use the triangle button in two different places, you will NOT lose the ability to use the original input.
7. It doesn't seem like it will scratch your controller, as the inside of the attachment is lined with a very soft silicone-type rubber. The only thing to be cautious of is the application process, as it can be a little tricky to plugin.
8. You can press anywhere on the buttons to actuate and trigger them, not just the part that folds out. This is nice for people of different hand sizes.
In closing:
It was a very comfortable product when I first put it on the controller and in my hands like I said, but after about 30 minutes my hands had begun to cramp as I had to fundamentally change the way I held my controller. This is the main reason I gave the product 3/5 stars, as I had to take it off to play more comfortably. However, the un-boxing experience and directions were very clear. The installation process itself was a little dicey, again another reason for the rating. But the quality seems nice, and I think it will last a long time. I will be installing it again and updating this review once I've had more experience with the product.
| 商品尺寸 | 13.18 x 4.62 x 9.53 cm; 1.81 公斤 |
|---|---|
| 操作系统 | PlayStation 4 |
| 屏幕尺寸 | 5 厘米 |
| 型号 / 款式 | 3004784 |
| 包装清单 | 产品说明 |
