PlayStation DualShock 4 Back Button Peripheral Release Date Confirmed

Sony has recently locked in the release date for the back button peripheral for the DualShock 4 controllers. The new device that allows users to map extra buttons behind the controller will be available by late January as previously teased. The new device also costs almost half the price of a DualShock 4 controller.

The recent official PlayStation Blog post confirmed that the upcoming DualShock 4 back button peripheral would be released on Jan. 23. Prior to this announcement, Sony said that the device would be released in late January.

The peripheral is has an OLED screen and two buttons. The commands that can be mapped for the peripheral are limited to the PlayStation’s regular buttons such as square, triangle, circle, cross, R1, R2, L1 and L2. The OLED screen also features which button is currently mapped to the two back buttons for easier reference.

The new back button peripheral allows its users to map three sets of two back buttons for the DualShock 4. With this feature, the peripheral can be useful for players who want to have access to extra buttons as they play through their games.

The peripheral is designed for a more competitive play using the DualShock 4 which could translate well in competitive titles such as fighting, racing, and sports games. The extra buttons could also be useful for titles which support many controls on one control such as Square Enix’s “Final Fantasy 14.”

The new device also uses up the DualShock 4’s bottom grooves but still allows users to use a headset as long as it fits the 3.5mm port. Lastly, the official peripheral is also confirmed to be compatible with all PlayStation 4 and even PlayStation VR titles that are currently available.

Lastly, the device costs around $29.99 USD which is almost half the price of one AAA title for the PS4 or an actual DualShock 4 controller. For now, Sony has yet to see any surges of popularity of this new device. Potentially, this peripheral could give way for a new feature on PS5’s controllers once revealed in 2020.