I hope you have the space (and the patience) for yet another dongle. Alongside plans to bring its PlayStation Now game streaming service to Windows, Sony also announced a $25 doohickey to connect your DualShock 4 controller to your PC…for some reason.
I say “for some reason” because in theory there is little reason you should need a USB dongle for the DualShock 4. It pairs to the PlayStation 4 with a simple Bluetooth connection, meaning it should pair with your PC the same way. Hell, Microsoft’s new Xbox One S controller added Bluetooth for that very same purpose. But in reality, official drivers for the DualShock 4 never materialized for PCs—though third-party software can coax Sony’s controllers into working well by convincing your PC that the DualShock is an Xbox 360 controller.
People complain that the DualShock 4’s Bluetooth connection can be shaky or temperamental with PCs, but that would seem to be a driver issue, not one requiring an entirely new piece of hardware.
But here we are. The $25 DualShock 4 USB Wireless Adapter is scheduled for a September release. To quote Sony, it “will let you connect a DualShock 4 to PC and Mac wirelessly, and will enable every feature of the controller you know and love: buttons, analog sticks, touch pad, light bar, motion sensors, vibration, and stereo headset jack—as long as the gaming application supports these features.”
That last sentence is most important, especially given Sony’s already subpar support for the DualShock 4 on PC. The dongle will be compatible with Sony’s official PlayStation Now and PS4 Remote Play applications for the PC, but Sony didn’t say whether or not it would allow you to use your DualShock 4 with any PC game that embraces gamepads.
Like it or not, the Xbox One controller inherited the PC community’s goodwill and has stayed the de facto option for most PC ports. This dongle might be too little, too late. Though I do love the DualShock 4’s feel…