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Sony's PS4 will juggle just four controllers at once

That contrasts with the current PS3, which can handle up to seven controllers concurrently.

Lance Whitney Contributing Writer
Lance Whitney is a freelance technology writer and trainer and a former IT professional. He's written for Time, CNET, PCMag, and several other publications. He's the author of two tech books--one on Windows and another on LinkedIn.
Lance Whitney
Sony's DualShock 4 controller for the PS4.
Sony's DualShock 4 controller for the PS4. Sony Computer Entertainment

Sony's PlayStation 4 will support as many as four controllers at the same time, less than the number supported by the PS3 and Microsoft's upcoming Xbox One.

The four-controller limit was confirmed on Wednesday in a tweet by Shuhei Yoshida, president of Worldwide Studios for Sony Computer Entertainment. In contrast, the PS3 supports up to seven controllers, while Microsoft's Xbox One will support up to eight, allowing for more people to join in on a single game. The current Xbox 360 can manage up to four controllers.

Hardware support isn't the only factor here. Games also must be designed with the necessary support. Few existing PS3 games can handle seven controllers, so Sony may have simply decided that four was the right number for most multi-user gameplay.

Meanwhile, Sony is beefing up the controller itself for the PS4. The new DualShock 4 controller will include a two-point touchpad, light bar, built-in speaker, and share button.

(Via Polygon)