For all the credit Sony received on debuting the PlayStation 4’s DualShock 4 controller – from the improved triggers to the overall strong build – Sony product planning department head Toshimasa Aoki reveals that it wasn’t too long ago that the design resembled the Xbox 360’s button layout more than anything.
Speaking to GamesBeat, Aoki said, “For the analog sticks, we did test having the analog sticks on top, since the Xbox has the left side on top [above the D-pad]. Especially from the shooter teams — we got feedback that that’s what they wanted. They knew that consumers liked the 360 for shooters.
“The feedback from the user test team said that we needed to test this version, the Xbox version, and this version. [But having the two sticks symmetrical on the left and right sides] is kind of in our DNA. The prototype team, myself, and also the management team really felt that having this look is the PlayStation look, and we had to keep that.”
And it even works on PlayStation 3 consoles! Well, sort of. The PlayStation 4 will launch on November 15th in North America and November 29th in Europe.