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PlayStation 4 controller almost adopted Xbox layout

Before settling on the DualShock 4 controller, Sony says it considered moving the left analog stick above the directional pad to mimic the design of the Xbox 360 controller.

Don Reisinger
CNET contributor Don Reisinger is a technology columnist who has covered everything from HDTVs to computers to Flowbee Haircut Systems. Besides his work with CNET, Don's work has been featured in a variety of other publications including PC World and a host of Ziff-Davis publications.
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Don Reisinger
Sony

Sony's PlayStation 4 controller, the DualShock 4, could have taken a few cues from Microsoft's Xbox 360 controller, the company revealed in a recent interview.

Before Sony settled on the DualShock 4 controller, the company flirted with the idea of moving the left analog stick to mimic the design of the Xbox 360 controller, according to Sony product planning manager Toshimasa Aoki.

"For the analog sticks, we did test having the analog sticks on top, since the Xbox has the left side on top [above the D-pad]," Aoki told GamesBeat in an interview published on Monday. "Especially from the shooter teams -- we got feedback that that's what they wanted. They knew that consumers liked the 360 for shooters."

Microsoft's Xbox 360 was widely considered in the gaming community to be the best platform for first-person shooters. The controller was the main attraction for gamers who thought it was more responsive and had a better button layout for shooters.

Despite that, Sony ended up going with the familiar DualShock design, featuring two analog sticks below the D-pad and action buttons. According to Aoki, the decision was made because the design "is kind of in our DNA."

Sony's PlayStation 4 launches next month. The Xbox One, which comes with a controller that has a design similar to the one with the Xbox 360, will also be available next month.