Hasta La Gadget!

Earlier, we showed you a way to use an actual DualShock 4 controller with your jailbroken iOS device. While these are only DualShock 2 controllers, they will plug directly into your smartphone. Unfortunately, that’s where the similarity ends.

These teensy inch-wide PlayStation 2 DualShock 2 controllers are simply designed as decoration for your mobile device, but they are pretty cute and quite detailed. It’s too bad they’re not functional. Though if anyone out there can manage to hack one so it works, I wouldn’t be surprised.

They’re being made by Japan’s Union Creative, and are available for pre-order in sets of six from NCSX for about $27(USD). Buy a set, and share them with five of your closest friends.

There are already plug-and-play third-party devices that let you play previous gen consoles or a PC using any of their controllers. For instance, you can use a Wiimote with your PS3 if you want. There’s no equivalent product for the PlayStation 4 just yet, but Marcos Mori de Siqueira of Softfactory is onto something here. He hacked a Dualshock 4 controller to send input from a mouse and keyboard to the PS 4.

I’m not even going to pretend that I fully understood what Marcos pulled off, but from what I grokked he used a microcontroller (plus two digital-to-analog converters for emulating the thumbsticks) to turn signals from his keyboard – in this case a Logitech Gameboard – and mouse into signals that the PS4 understands, sent via the Dualshock 4′s circuit board. All in all it took him about $50 (USD) of materials and a ton of solder to make the mod. Skip to about 1:55 in the video to see the mod in action.

Check out Marcos’ post on Softfactory for more details on his mod. Seeing as FPS and MMOs are still popular, I wonder why Sony and Microsoft don’t just add support for keyboards and mice on their consoles. They can probably earn extra from certifying third party hardware if they did that. It’ll make it way easier to search for content on their online stores too.

[via Hack A Day]

I’ve really been trying to avoid carbs lately, but I keep falling off the wagon. Now that I’ve seen these cookies shaped like game controllers, I’m really screwed. I’m not only off the wagon, but under its wheels for these sugary treats.

These beautiful gamer cookies come in the shape of a Wii-mote, PS3 Dual Shock and Xbox 360 controllers. They’re made by Peapod’s Cookies and perfectly capture every detail of the actual controllers.

Of course, all this cookie artistry comes at a price. The set of 12 controllers shown here will set you back $52(USD). That’s over $4 per cookie. Still, that’s cheaper than a single A-list title for either the Xbox 360 or PS3, and way tastier. Way better than those invisible Kinect cookies I ate last night.

Colors! Who doesn’t love colors, right? Well, if you were planning to snag a PlayStation 4, you’ll be happy to hear that the console’s DualShock 4 won’t be available solely in black. As has been the case with previous generation PlayStations, Sony will be offering different color variations of its DualShock controller, this time in “Magma Red” and “Wave Blue.” Both models will be available when the PS4 launches in Europe and in North and Latin America later in the year, where they’ll cost £54 and $59, respectively. So, don’t worry, it looks like you’ll be able to add a bit of hue to your next-gen gaming sessions.

Filed under: Gaming, Sony

Comments

Sony just wrapped its E3 press event, delighting attendees and future console buyers with showstopping news: a $399 retail price and lack of used game restrictions on the PlayStation 4. Now, with all those important bits behind us, it’s time to once again focus on the hardware, specifically the PS4 controller. We got our grips on the controller immediately following Sony’s E3 2013 presser — our first chance to check out the new DualShock — and it feels great!

We’re glad to say that the thumbsticks have dramatically improved and no longer allow your thumbs to easily slip out. The triggers are also much improved, with a little lip enabling a comfortable cradle. The front face buttons are nigh identical with the DualShock 3, as is the d-pad (despite a slight visual alteration) — the biggest difference is the new touchpad. It’s clicky and feels like a surprisingly nice addition to the DualShock. It’s easily clickable from the standard two hand position on a controller, though the share and options buttons are a bit out of reach (at least for our small hands). We’ll have a closer look at the DualShock 4 this week from E3 and some impressions of it with actual games, so stay tuned for more from E3 2013!

Update: We’ve got our hands-on video embedded after the break, so head on down to check it out.

Zach Honig and Ben Gilbert contributed to this report.

Filed under: Gaming, Peripherals, HD, Sony

Comments