From robotic dogs to pocketable PCs – Sony’s never been afraid to get weird. But for the most part, the PlayStation has played it pretty vanilla. That’s why it’s exciting to see something as strange as the DualShock 4 Back Button Attachment.
As the name implies, this strange, clip-on attachment adds back buttons to your PlayStation controller. It’s a peripheral that’s overdue. It’s been more than four years since Microsoft released the Xbox Elite controller to critical acclaim, and just under a year before the inevitable PS5. Sony didn’t even make the holiday season.
So why now is a valid question – though we can speculate that it points to the forthcoming PS5 controller possibly having similar back paddles, thus the attachment exists for compatibility reasons. Either way, Sony undercuts its importance by offering it at a bargain-basement $30 price point.
Design and Features
The Back Button Attachment plugs into the headphone jack and the rarely used EXT port – although actually affixing the cradle to the ports is easier said than done. It requires a precise angle and pressure to plug in, and there were multiple times I thought I was about to break it. I even consulted YouTube videos before getting it right. More times than once, I accidentally started the controller and turned on the PS4, which meant I had to turn the controller off, try again, or risk pairing issues.
This would usually be the place where I’d give you some practical advice on how to get it right. However, after dozens of attachments, I still haven’t nailed it. It just requires a ton of wiggling it, pushing it, pulling it out, and starting again.
Once on, you’re set. The Back Button Attachment adds a bit of a chin to the DualShock 4, but I quickly got used to it. And despite adding a bit of clunk to the rear of the controller, it’s subtle enough to keep adhered to your default controller.
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At .88 ounces, the rear attachment doesn’t weigh much. What’s more noticeable is the ergonomic shift. Depending on how forward your hands sit on the controller, the grip will either feel most comfortable on your ring or middle fingers. You may need to try out new grips.
Mapping buttons feels high-tech and low-tech all at the same time. There’s a circular button on the back that, when held down, reveals an OLED screen. Once you hold it down, you can program the buttons by cycling through the options (there are sixteen). Then it’s just a matter of actually stopping at the right spot. Miss the button you want to map it to, and you’ll have to press the button another 16 times, which I had to do three times because I’m an idiot.
To understand just how weird this process is, consider other “elite” controllers. The Xbox Elite can do it through Xbox software, and Astro’s C40 controller has a dedicated pairing button. Hold that button until the controller vibrates, then hit the trigger you want to program, followed by whatever button you want to map it to. Three button presses. Versus (literally) 48, in my case. The Back Button Attachment could easily ape this same functionality. It already has a giant button that starts the mapping process. Alas.
Fortunately, once you’ve managed to find your perfect mapping, it’s easy enough to save your button combinations into a profile, of which the attachment holds three. These profiles are displayed as P1, P2, and P3. At first, I figured the controller was telling me which Player I was, not which profile was selected. Thankfully, it’s dead simple to flip through these profiles – simply double-tap the OLED button twice. The screen even tells you which buttons are mapped to which.
Performance and Gaming
The Back Button Attachment is made of sturdy plastic, and it feels similar to the back of the DualShock. Unlike the Scuf and Elite, these buttons have almost no travel. That makes them super easy to click, whether you’re using your middle or ring fingers. And while battery drain is minimal, I did notice it – especially on some of my oldest controllers.
The effectiveness of back buttons varies drastically from game to game. Ostensibly, they’re intended to help you keep your thumbs on the thumbstick, so are recommended for face buttons. However, in practice, it’s a little more complicated.
I found them to be just as useful for lobbing grenades in The Division 2 (D-Pad), bullet jumping in Warframe (L1 and X), and adding a little oomph to my melees in Modern Warfare (R3). For most games, once I got used to the new button configurations, I found the Back Buttons irreplaceable. There’s a real advantage to rear buttons, but you may have to experiment with what works for you.
I didn’t have a great use-case for them in every game, however. For instance, in Rocket League, I was thrilled to map Air Roll (a maneuver that has no default binding on the controller) to the triggers. But once I actually got playing, I found it altogether too confusing and just mapped boost and jump to the triggers instead.
Even when the back buttons combos aren’t natural, the attachment always is. It feels like a natural extension to the controller and I’ve been delighted to try out old favorites with the new peripheral. If that’s not worth $30, I don’t know what is.
Purchasing Guide
The DualShock 4 Back Button Attachment is available now for $30.
Source: IGN.com DualShock 4 Back Button Attachment Review