Technologies

Hands-On With Sony’s DualSense Edge Controller for PlayStation 5

The expensive and pro-style DualSense Edge game controller gives players more customization and performance options.

The DualSense Edge controller is the latest accessory for Sony’s PlayStation 5, and it offers a high degree of customization at an equally high price. The PS5’s default controller, the DualSense, got its name from its ultraspecific vibration functionality. The Edge is a pro-style controller that improves on that by allowing players more options to fine-tune their inputs and, as Sony explains, «craft [their] own unique gaming experience tailored to [their] playstyle.» However, this enhanced customization doesn’t come cheap.

While a typical PS5 controller will cost you around $70, the new DualSense Edge, which comes with some accessories, is $200. Alongside the controller itself, the box includes a carrying case with a pass-through window to allow for charging, a USB-C cable and a connector housing to secure it to the controller, plus two separate options for back paddles and two options for analog stick replacements.

The DualSense and DualSense Edge controller look very similar to one another at first glance. The controllers even weigh just about the same, with the DualSense coming in at around 281 grams while the Edge is slightly more at approximately 325 grams.

The Edge features a textured grip on the handles that helps the controller stay in your hands. It also has grooves on the trigger buttons, which is nice because you can more easily keep your fingers in the proper position. Textures and grooves aside, when the back buttons are removed, the controllers feel almost identical to use. The original DualSense has a notoriously short battery life, around 7 to 10 hours. From my brief testing, I’m disappointed to report that the Edge comes in at an even lower 5 to 7 hours. The included USB-C is pretty long so, fortunately, I could still play games while the controller charged.

More buttons, more options

Pro controllers give players more options for how the buttons and triggers register inputs. When connecting the controller to the PS5 for the first time, a welcome screen shows the different customization options from both a hardware and software perspective. On the hardware side, players can attach either half-dome (rounded and short) or lever (skinny and long) back paddles to the device. These paddles sit close to where the player’s middle or ring fingers rest and can be mapped to any other input on the DualSense Edge. First-person shooter fans often use these to keep their right thumb on the right analog stick so they can aim while still being able to jump or duck (an input often put on the X or O face buttons). While both paddles are comfortable to use, I prefer the half-dome option since it sits a bit further away and can’t be as easily pressed by mistake.

These back paddles are also a great accessibility feature. Players with low range of motion for any of the primary controller fingers (the thumbs or pointer fingers) can swap one of those inputs to the back of the controller where they might have an easier time pressing a button.

The next biggest hardware tweak is in the trigger buttons on top of the controller. Next to each trigger is a mechanical switch that adjusts how much the L2/R2 buttons can be pressed before registering a full push. Players can choose between three ranges of motion. Fans of twitch-based games often prefer shorter distances so they can press quicker and more often. For example, being able to shoot a gun more rapidly will give Call of Duty players an advantage. Microsoft’s Xbox Elite controller has similar options for its triggers and paddles.

Customizing the software

Customization options are set via the PS5 accessories settings screen, and the intensity and deadzone customization options are the most exciting. These menus can adjust how fast the input curves are for any of the controller’s analog inputs. For example, if you want to physically use the full range of the trigger buttons but want the controller to register that input more quickly, you can fine-tune that on a surprisingly granular level. This goes for the analog sticks’ movement, as well. In addition, you can adjust the deadzone (the center part of the stick where the controller registers no input) to be wider.

All of these software options can be saved into a user profile. The DualSense Edge features two Fn (function) buttons, located below the analog sticks. Holding either of them down and pressing any of the face buttons will let you toggle between four assigned profiles. It seems like a missed opportunity that both of these buttons do the same thing when held down and don’t have the ability to map different commands to each one. That said, being able to swap between profiles midgame was quite useful, especially when jumping between different games. For example, Fortnite and Overwatch have different crouch buttons, so using the same profile wouldn’t be helpful.

The DualSense Edge fills a hole that was missing from PlayStation’s portfolio. The controller feels good and offers new and more personal ways for any player to connect with a game, but its high price means it only makes sense for the truly dedicated.

This review is in progress, and we’ll update with additional impressions and a video later this week.

Technologies

Today’s NYT Strands Hints, Answers and Help for June 9, #463

Here are hints and answers for the NYT Strands puzzle No. 463 for June 9.

Looking for the most recent Strands answer? Click here for our daily Strands hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle, Connections and Connections: Sports Edition puzzles.

Todays NYT Strands puzzle features a bunch of mysterious words. Some are a bit difficult to unscramble so if you need hints and answers, read on.

I go into depth about the rules for Strands in this story.

If you’re looking for today’s Wordle, Connections and Mini Crossword answers, you can visit CNET’s NYT puzzle hints page.

Read more: NYT Connections Turns 1: These Are the 5 Toughest Puzzles So Far

Hint for today’s Strands puzzle

Today’s Strands theme is: What you see isn’t what you get

If that doesn’t help you, here’s a clue: Hiding in plain sight

Clue words to unlock in-game hints

Your goal is to find hidden words that fit the puzzle’s theme. If you’re stuck, find any words you can. Every time you find three words of four letters or more, Strands will reveal one of the theme words. These are the words I used to get those hints but any words of four or more letters that you find will work:

CALL, CALLS, FALL, FALLS, SAME, SEAM, LAND, ROSE, COVE, CANE, CANES, FLUME, FLUMES, DIGS, MEAL, COLA, CARD, CASE

Answers for today’s Strands puzzle

These are the answers that tie into the theme. The goal of the puzzle is to find them all, including the spangram, a theme word that reaches from one side of the puzzle to the other. When you have all of them (I originally thought there were always eight but learned that the number can vary), every letter on the board will be used. Here are the nonspangram answers:

MASK, CLOAK, COVER, FACADE, DISGUISE, CAMOUFLAGE

Today’s Strands spangram

Today’s Strands spangram is FALSEFRONT. To find it, start with the F that’s two rows over from the far left and two letters down. Wind around into a question mark.

Technologies

Today’s NYT Connections Hints, Answers and Help for June 9, #729

Here are some hints and the answers for Connections for June 9, No. 729.

Looking for the most recent Connections answers? Click here for today’s Connections hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands puzzles.

Do you play the NYT Spelling Bee? If you do, you should be able to ace the purple category in today’s NYT Connections puzzle. Read on for clues and today’s Connections answers.

The Times now has a Connections Bot, like the one for Wordle. Go there after you play to receive a numeric score and to have the program analyze your answers. Players who are registered with the Times Games section can now nerd out by following their progress, including number of puzzles completed, win rate, number of times they nabbed a perfect score and their win streak.

Read more: Hints, Tips and Strategies to Help You Win at NYT Connections Every Time

Hints for today’s Connections groups

Here are four hints for the groupings in today’s Connections puzzle, ranked from the easiest yellow group, to the tough (and sometimes bizarre) purple group.

Yellow group hint: Control-C.

Green group hint: Don’t wait till the last minute.

Blue group hint: Pals to plan a heist.

Purple group hint: Think another NYT online game.

Answers for today’s Connections groups

Yellow group: Keyboard shortcut commands.

Green group: Secure in advance.

Blue group: Crime organization.

Purple group: Spellling Bee ranks minus a letter.

Read more: Wordle Cheat Sheet: Here Are the Most Popular Letters Used in English Words

What are today’s Connections answers?

The yellow words in today’s Connections

The theme is keyboard shortcut commands. The four answers are paste, print, quit and save.

The green words in today’s Connections

The theme is secure in advance. The four answers are book, order, request and reserve.

The blue words in today’s Connections

The theme is crime organization. The four answers are crew, family, ring and syndicate.

The purple words in today’s Connections

The theme is Spelling Bee ranks minus a letter. The four answers are genus, goo, mazing and slid. (Genius, good, amazing and solid.)

Technologies

I Made Google Translate My Default on iPhone Before a Trip and It Saved Me More Than Once

Google Translate supports far more languages than Apple’s app, and it’s easy to make the switch.

If you’re traveling overseas this summer, the Google Translate app can come in handy to quickly translate a road sign or conversation. The latest Google Translate update allows you to pick the app as your default translation app for Apple iPhones and iPads running iOS and iPadOS 18.4 and later. Previously, you were limited to the built-in Apple option.

Google began leveraging AI to boost Google Translate’s offerings, adding 110 languages last year to increase its total support for 249 languages. Compare that to Apple Translate, which supports 19 languages. Neither Google nor Apple responded to a request for comment.

Both apps offer voice and text translation, including a camera feature that lets you instantly translate by pointing your camera at text. Both also allow you to use translation features without an internet connection, which can come in particularly handy when traveling to more remote locations.

After using both, I found that the Google Translate picked up speech a little quicker so I didn’t have to constantly repeat myself, and the audio pronunciations were a little easier to understand than on Apple Translate. I switched to Google Translate as the default on my iPhone, and here’s how you can, too.