ONE of the notable features of premium aftermarket controllers – be it the Xbox Elite 2 or the Astro C40 TR – is they typically have buttons or paddles mounted on the underside of the controller.
This has the effect of letting you use your middle or ring fingers to work the additional buttons, which can be easier than trying to have your thumb in two places at once.
It’s one of those things that can really make a difference to some games, especially if you’re trying to pull off a combo or doge and attack at the same time.
And until now, it hasn’t been available on a conventional PS4 controller.
The Sony DualShock 4 Back Button – as a long term internet person, I must admit the name is a touch confusing – is an attachment for the PlayStation 4 DualShock controller that is marvellous in its simplicity.
It attaches to the bottom of the controller and adds two paddle buttons to the underside of the controller.
There’s an LCD display on the back which easily allows you to decide which button the paddle replicates, meaning you can pretty much customise it however you like for your tastes.
I put it through its paces with several games including Zombie Army 4, World of Warships: Legends and Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection, and it worked exactly as I hoped it would.
The reconfigurable buttons were easy to set up, easy to reach, and didn’t affect the handling of the control pad at all for me – I didn’t have any issues accidentally pressing them when I didn’t want to, and they didn’t make it hard for me to reach the traditional buttons either.
The Back Button even retains a 3.5mm jack for plugging your headset into, and draws its power from the controller battery; I didn’t notice any effect at all on controller charge life while using it, either.
It’s simple, it works, and with an RRP of $49.95, it’s a brilliant addition to the DualShock 4 controller – and a must have for any serious PS4 gamer.
