PS4 gets its own (unofficial) Elite controllers with paddles and swappable sticks

The DualShock 4 remains an excellent input device, but PlayStation fans may feel a little green with envy about Xbox One players and their premium Elite Controller. Perhaps we'll see an official new option from Sony at the PlayStation Meeting on Wednesday, but until then, a third-party manufacturer has stepped up to fill the gap. You can pre-order it at Target right now.

The "PlayStation 4 Elite Wireless Controller" is currently going for $79.99 (UK price TBD), and it's clearly inspired by Microsoft's premium gamepad; from the back paddles to the interchangeable analog sticks and D-Pads. It even has the same black-and-brushed-silver finish and rubberized grips, and the same iconography and switches for the optional half-click triggers.

The only big giveaway that this is an unofficial controller, aside from cribbing all those Microsoft design notes, is the weirdly angular look. The back of Polygon Man's Head doesn't really scream "premium" to me even if it does go with PlayStation history.

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I got a BA in journalism from Central Michigan University - though the best education I received there was from CM Life, its student-run newspaper. Long before that, I started pursuing my degree in video games by bugging my older brother to let me play Zelda on the Super Nintendo. I've previously been a news intern for GameSpot, a news writer for CVG, and was formerly a staff writer at GamesRadar+.