It was just last week that PlayStation revealed it was releasing a controller for the PC, all while unconfirmed reports were coming out that PlayStation was also considering not porting over its single-player games to the PC due to them not selling well on the platform. Reading that, I don’t blame you if it doesn’t seem to make much sense. Why release a controller if you’re essentially pulling back most of your support for the platform?

But oh, it gets interesting.

I’ll admit that I like the DualSense controller. I’ve stated before that it’s one of the best controllers I’ve ever held. I love the ergonomics, and I’ve used it for plenty of games on PC. The only thing I don’t like is that it doesn’t support wireless on PC, and to get access to the haptic feedback you need to use a cable. For some reason, PlayStation just doesn’t want to throw its wireless support behind the PC. So when this controller was revealed, this so-called “PC-Ready DualSense,” I figured that’s what it was finally going to do.

Except it’s not. In fact, this is another prime example of a company trying to fool people into buying something they don’t even need. I happened to come across this controller over the weekend at a local GameStop, and despite the controller not being listed on its website, I asked the friendly person behind the counter if he could open the box for me. Seeing how he was interested as well, we got to see what was inside together, and neither of us were too thrilled.

Despite plastering “PC-Ready” on the front of the box, it’s a sham. Inside the box is a Midnight Black DualSense controller and a USB-C cable. That’s it. No special sauce, no dongle, and no, it still doesn’t support wireless haptic feedback. You still need a USB-C cable for that. 

Adding insult to injury, because it’s a Midnight Black DualSense, it costs a few extra dollars. You’re looking at $75 instead of $70. Now, I’m not telling you what to do with your money, but for that amount, you could easily pick up a third-party controller from 8BitDo or GameSir. They’ll not only give you a better experience with a 2.4GHz dongle, but they’ll give you rumble feedback and honestly look a heck of a lot better too.

PlayStation, you should be ashamed for even attempting this.

Keith Mitchell

Co-Founder & Editor-in-Chief

Keith D. Mitchell is the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of The Outerhaven and a games and technology writer with more than 14 years of experience covering the industry. Backed by nearly 30 years in professional IT, he has spent decades building PCs, troubleshooting hardware, experimenting with handheld gaming PCs, and playing the kind of Soulslikes and Metroidvanias that make you want to throw a controller. He has tested and broken down more hardware than he can count, and he still builds, upgrades, and troubleshoots his own PCs, setting up complex networks and getting lost in countless tech and geek culture rabbit holes on Reddit.