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We're still a fortnight out from the official start of Black Friday, but the deals have already begun to pop up.
The DualSense, the PS5's innovative official gamepad, has dropped back down to its lowest-ever price in the US of $49.99 at Amazon. The controller is also on sale at Best Buy, and at both retailers, you can get the full suite of colorways and designs at the same price.
I'm still waiting for the DualSense Edge to get a proper discount, but until then, this early Black Friday PS5 deal will absolutely suffice. The DualSense might be the stock controller for the platform, but it's up there with the best PS5 controllers for sure thanks to its haptic feedback and adaptive trigger resistance.
Unfortunately, these features do result in a higher price than most stock controllers as a DualSense will usually set you back $69.99. At times like these, when it comes down to the price of a DualShock 4 in its heyday, it's well worth investing in.
If you're a collector (like yours truly), this is a great chance to grab another DualSense color before the swarms of shoppers on Black Friday make stock shortages an issue.
It must be said, the DualSense has come under fire plenty of times since its release with the PS5 in 2020. Particularly with the first batch of controllers, there were widespread reports of stick drift issues and unreliable springs in the gamepad's triggers. I encountered both of these, and I'll never forget the moment I played Kena Bridge of Spirits and I physically felt the springs in my triggers snap.
Luckily, as time has gone on, there have been fewer and fewer reports of these issues. It does seem as though they were exasperated by pandemic era manufacturing issues, and newer batches have ironed out the problems. Annoyingly, what hasn't improved is the controller's battery life, which frustrates a lot of players.
If you're in that camp though, buying a second DualSense to keep in your rotation might do you wonders as you won't need to tether yourself to a charging cable while playing quite so often.
Should you buy a DualSense Wireless Controller before Black Friday?
I'd be a little shocked if the DualSense came down in price any lower than this for Black Friday, especially since it's now experiencing an early deal. If you're sick of having to charge the one controller you use, you want to play couch co-op games, or you're seeking a replacement for a faulty model, buying a DualSense with the above deal before Black Friday is advisable.
Of course, there are plenty of other PS5 controllers out there, and the third-party ones with official licensing are all great options. Annoyingly, you won't get haptic feedback or adaptive triggers with these, as I recently discovered that Sony prohibits these features for use in third-party products. Nonetheless, how controllers get their official licensing is a lot more than a purchased watermark - there are loads of review processes from Sony itself that ensure high-quality standards. What's more, these options all have to use PlayStation's own chipset to win their license.
If you play multiplayer games, or you want a bit more bang for your buck when it comes to customisation features, waiting until Black Friday to see if you can get a pro controller on the cheap might be a good option for you.
That said, having a spare DualSense lying around is never really a bad thing.
Check out more of the best PS5 accessories and controllers. We've pulled lists together of the best PS5 steering wheel, the best PS5 headset, and the best PS5 SSD.
