The new DualShock 4 controller for the forthcoming PlayStation 4 is definitely an upgrade from the earlier controller. The addition of social features to the Dualshock 4 in the form of the “share” button is not only a major addition from Sony, but is also a massive push toward bringing the social media closer to the gamer, whether he wants it or not.
The share feature was announced at Sony’s big PS4 reveal last February. At the time Nicolas Doucet, a producer at Sony, said: “The new big feature that we have on this controller is the Share button. The Share button allows you to record any gameplay and create a video or a screenshot, and share it instantly.”
In a recent interview with Edge, SCE boss Shuhei Yoshida confirmed that creative director Nathan Gary from Sony Santa Monica was responsible for upholding the social quotient that finally made its way to the DualShock 4.
“I think it was [creative director] Nathan Gary in Santa Monica studios who suggested it: how about adding a dedicated button on the controller so that everybody can just press that button to share? He was helping out the external development, heavily involved in helping the development of Journey and Unfinished Swan at Santa Monica Studios,” Yoshida said.
“After the core hardware, the CPU and GPU, had been decided the project shifted to designing and discussing what should be the user experience of people who be playing games on PS4.”
“So we formed the cross-functional groups of people from SCEI hardware group and Worldwide Studios and Sony network services teams to meet every month, almost. And Mark [Cerny] was heavily involved and leading some discussions. And the idea of sharing and seamless integration with social networks, that was heavily discussed.”
Although nobody is really sure as to how the social feature will work with the games it is still a pretty smart move from Sony in an age that’s mostly run by social networking sites. My guess is that players will use Twitter and Facebook to glorify their conquests and high scores online to the annonyance of all their friends.
Moreover, the capability to quickly and easily take screenshots of a game without the need to stop the play sounds pretty amazing. The new feature will now allow players to record gameplay and share it with friends by a simple push of a button.
More information about the DualShock 4’s social quotient is expected to arrive in the coming months.
Check out the video below