Black Friday isn’t quite here yet, but that hasn’t stopped Sony from kicking off the best holiday promo yet, which runs until December 18. The ongoing sale spans everything from PlayStation 5 consoles to Sony’s latest accessories—including Sony’s standard DoubleSense wireless controller, now at its all-time low price in multiple colors at Amazon, Best Buy, and Target. 54.99 ($20 off).
While the price of the aforementioned deal applies to Sony’s base models—including the go-to black and white—you can also pick up the affected limited edition models. Astrobot (Walmart/Best Buy), God of war (Amazon/Walmart), and The Past of the Yétei (Walmart/Best Buy) for about $64 (also $20 off). The controllers start at a higher price than the vanilla models, but recognize that you’re usually getting them for $10 less than the regular DualSense.
DualSense will look familiar to longtime PlayStation fans, but it has key technical features that set it apart from Sony’s first DualShock gamepad. A great example of this is the haptic vibration of a wireless controller, which can make gameplay feel more immersive. One example of what’s possible is feeling a slight movement on alternate sides of the controller as a character moves through the sand. The triggers also have variable tension, which, in some games, requires you to push down with more force during certain sequences. This is a fantastic feature, and one we wish more developers would adopt.
As for the features of the table stakes, the DualSense includes some nicely textured grips and a built-in microphone, which lets you chat with other players online without a headset. You also have the option of plugging a wired headset (or headphones) into the controller’s 3.5mm audio jack. It charges via USB-C—no surprise there—and can last for eight hours or more, which should be enough to get you through most gaming sessions. It’s not compatible with other consoles, but you can use it with a Mac or PC via Bluetooth or by plugging it in with a USB-C cable.
