Your PS4 controller won’t work with PS5 games

You won’t be able to use your PS4 controller to play PS5 games when Sony’s next-gen console arrives this holiday season, the company revealed in a blog post Monday. The DualShock 4 will work if you’re playing PS4 titles on the backward-compatible console, but only its new DualSense controller will work on games made for PS5.

“We believe that PS5 games should take advantage of the new capabilities and features we’re bringing to the platform, including the features of DualSense wireless controller,” Isabelle Tomatis from PlayStation’s peripherals marketing division wrote.

It isn’t a huge surprise — Sony has traditionally added a feature on its new consoles’ controllers that render its old ones unusable with new games. However, its competitor Microsoft has said Xbox One controllers will work on the upcoming Xbox Series X, and the new controller will be compatible with its older console too.

You’ll get one DualSense when you buy a PS5, but Sony hasn’t said how much an extra pad will set you back (it hasn’t revealed the price of the console itself).The DualShock 4 costs $60.

The PS Camera, which acts as the motion sensor for the PlayStation VR headset, will work on PS5, but you’ll need an adapter that will apparently be available for free — Sony promised more details on how to get the adapter later. PS Move Motion Controllers and the Aim Controller can also be used to play PS VR games on the new console.

Officially licensed specialty peripherals, like racing wheels, arcade sticks and flight sticks, will work with PS5 games and supported PS4 games. These are often wildly expensive, so it’s good that you’ll be able to wring some extra value out of them by using them on a new generation of games. 

The company warned that not all third-party peripherals and accessories will work on PS5, so you’ll have to check with the manufacturer to make sure.