The PlayStation 4’s DualShock 4 controller will be compatible with PCs for “basic functions” without a driver, PlayStation’s president of worldwide studios said over Twitter. While “basic functions” weren’t further defined, that’s still better than the DualShock 3, which needs a whole lot of work to perform any functions.
Shuhei Yoshida tweeted the news yesterday in reply to someone asking if the company would release a driver making the controller Windows PC-compatible. Here’s the reply.
@Napo2k the analogue sticks and buttons will work just fine
— Shuhei Yoshida (@yosp) October 4, 2013
Asked to clarify if that really meant out-of-the-box compatibility, Yoshida said:
@Napo2k for basic functions, yes
— Shuhei Yoshida (@yosp) October 4, 2013
Joystiq, which noticed the Tweet yesterday afternoon, points out that many non-Microsoft controllers show up as Xbox controllers on a Windows PC because they have the Xinput API, which the DualShock 3 lacks. Yoshida didn’t go into more detail on how the DualShock 4 registers to a PC, or what functions it will have out of the box, saying instead:
@Gamingaddict88 @Napo2k wait for field report after the launch
— Shuhei Yoshida (@yosp) October 4, 2013
DualShock 4 will work with Windows for ‘basic functions’ [Joystiq]
Comments
12 responses to “PlayStation 4 Controller Is PC-Compatible ‘For Basic Functions’”
I think most people will wait for that Xbox one controller, it will be officially supported by most PC games soon enough and MS have a longstanding tradition of making great controllers unlike Sony who seem to be getting worse? Can’t top the Ds2
“Getting Worse?”
All accounts praise the DS4. Many actually place it ahead of the XboxOne controller.
Reports from tradeshows suggest certain changes are a step backward from the 360 controller.
What non-basic functions does the XboxOne controller even have? I can only think of rumbling triggers…
Based on my 10 minutes or so with both controllers, I preferred the PS4 controller. Not so much because it’s better (though it is a big improvement on the IMO not great PS3 controller), but because the xbone controller has basically taken my beloved 360 controller and… tinkered with it. Like when you get in your car after someone else has driven it and the seat adjustment is the wrong distance and inclination and the steering wheel is set wrong and the radio has been played with and AAAARGGGHHH HULK SMASH HATE WORLD BURN THIS CAR NEED A NEW ONE NOW. That sort of feeling.
I’ll add that I played the Forza 5 demo driving around Laguna Seca, which I’ve done a million billion times in previous Forza games. I couldn’t really tell the deal with the trigger rumble (because the whole controller rumbled too since I was hitting the rumble strips cutting corners etc) so I’ll reserve my opinion on that until trying out an FPS etc.
Wow, let me have a turn.
The sky is purple and it rains golden turtles and chocolate frogs every 53 hours a day. I am the queen of france and my subjects are all cabbages.
Heh, making up nonsense is fun
I hope they get the touchpad working as a mouse. I’d buy one in an instant if they did.
Still not entirely sold on the controller itself, but that feature would make it the obvious choice for PC use.
That would immediately make me dump my 360 controller as my pc controller of choice…
Same here, my next gaming PC is going to be hooked up to the TV at all times with a controller connected. The only problem with that is that I have nothing to control the mouse with. If the DS4 could resolve that then I’ll be using that as my controller of choice.
I had not even thought of that, but that would be brilliant. Depending on how sensitive it is, it could definitely do this with a driver to handle it.
Even if I don’t get a PS4, I’ll probably buy one of these eventually. I really like the look of it.
Cool. I prefer the stick layout on Sony’s controllers. Lets the dpad work really well for sidescrollers while keeping the left stick symmetrical with the right.
I do like the 360 pad too but the dpad is in a spot that makes it useless on top of the crappy feel the dpad has.
The DS controllers style and shape have been out for more than 15 years or 3 PS generations with just small changes from each gen and now I’m seeing people today are complaining about the DSC thumbsticks. I didn’t had any problems with them when I 1st tried them back in 1998.