The DualShock (originally Dual Shock, trademarked as DUALSHOCK or DUAL SHOCK, with the PlayStation 5 version as DualSense) is a line of gamepads developed by Sony Interactive Entertainment for the PlayStation family of video game consoles.

These motors are housed within the handles, with the left one being larger and more powerful than the one on the right, so to allow for varying levels of vibration.

Unlike the previous controller, the DualShock's analog sticks feature textured rubber grips with convex domed caps rather than the smooth plastic tips with recessed concave grooves found on the Dual Analog controller.

Other visible differences between the Dual Analog and the DualShock include the longer grips and handles of the former and slightly larger L2/R2 buttons on the latter.

The face buttons in particular use simple geometric shapes instead of letters or numbers, which includes a green triangle, a red circle, a blue cross, and a pink square (, , , ).

The designer of the original PlayStation controller, Teiyu Goto, explained the meaning behind the symbols: the circle and cross were made to represent "yes" and "no" respectively (as common in Japanese culture, and thus were typically used for "confirm" and "cancel" in most PlayStation games in Japan respectively, placed in the same way as the A and B buttons on the Super NES controller with similar functions), while the triangle symbolizes a point of view and the square is equated to a sheet of paper there to be used to access menus.

[4] The DualShock controller is widely supported; shortly after its launch most new games, including Waku Waku Puyo Puyo Dungeon, Crash Bandicoot: Warped, Spyro the Dragon, and Tekken 3 include support for the vibration feature and dual analog sticks, and Capcom re-released Resident Evil: Director's Cut and Resident Evil 2 with support for the controller added to these newer versions.

Some games designed for the Dual Analog's vibration capability, such as Porsche Challenge and Crash Bandicoot 2, also work.

Many games take advantage of the presence of two motors to provide vibration effects in stereo including Gran Turismo and the PlayStation port of Quake II.

This controller was similar to the first one, except with a "PSone" word mark replacing "PlayStation" underneath the logo, a purple hue on the buttons and sticks to match the color scheme of the PSone, a semicircle-shaped connector, and multiple color options for the body.

[7] The DualShock 2 has been made available in various colors: Black, satin silver, ceramic white, slate grey, clear, ocean blue, emerald green, crimson red, lemon yellow, and candy pink.

Sony settled a patent infringement lawsuit with Immersion in March 2007 following a lengthy legal battle.

Its main power source is an internal 3.7 V Li-ion battery tentatively capable of storing 570 mAh, which provides up to 30 hours of continuous gaming on a full charge.

A Sony representative confirmed on April 2, 2008, that the original Sixaxis controller would officially be discontinued with the release of the haptic-feedback enabled DualShock 3 in mid-April 2008.

[21] Another color, "Metallic Gold", became available in June 2012 as a limited edition in Europe,[22] and in North America it is sold exclusively in GameStop from October 2012.

[28] It includes a non-removable,[30] rechargeable 3.7 V, 1000 mAh lithium-ion battery, which can be charged while the system is in rest mode.

The light bar is also used in conjunction with the PlayStation Camera to judge the positions and movements of multiple players.

[28] It also includes a mono speaker, like the Wii Remote, and is the second major controller in video game history to have such feature.

[28][30] A dedicated SHARE button allows players to upload screenshots and videos from their gameplay experiences.

[40] In early 2014, the company announced that a future update would allow the light bar to be dimmed,[41] which was delivered in 1.70 in April 2014.

Exclusive console bundles with DualShock 4 include the 20th Anniversary Edition, Gun Metal, Batman: Arkham Knight, Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain, Call of Duty: Black Ops III,[46] Uncharted 4: A Thief's End, Star Wars Battlefront, Monster Hunter World, God of War, Gran Turismo Sport, Call of Duty: World War II, The Days of Play, Marvel's Spider-Man, Death Stranding,[47] The Last of Us Part II,[48] and the 500 Million Limited Edition PS4 Pro.

[56] The actuators enable games to provide varied feedback, such as feeling the wind and sand in a sandstorm.

The adaptive triggers provide varying levels of resistance to the user depending on game actions.

[54][57] Connectivity includes a 3.5 mm audio jack; USB-C, which replaces the microUSB port on the DualShock 4; and copper pins for use with charging docks.

The controller also has a dual-microphone array, allowing players to communicate without an external headset and enabling Sony to introduce voice typing to the PS5.

[62] The DualSense Edge has a more modular design than the DualSense, featuring replaceable analog stick modules, interchangeable analog stick caps (standard DualSense caps, and high- and low-convex dome caps resembling earlier DualShock analog sticks prior to the DualShock 4) and rear paddle buttons, adjustable trigger lengths, multiple control profiles as well as customizable mapping inputs.

Sean Hollister, for The Verge, wrote an article examining the microtexture and its creation:[65] The company decided to apply a microtexture to the DualSense controller's entire lower shell [making it] Sony's most grippable gamepad yet because of the thousands upon thousands of tiny squares, triangles, circles, and crosses literally at your fingertips.

They're not a single, evenly spaced layer at all ... Morisawa, the senior art director of Sony's Design Center product design group, explains that a variety of designs were handcrafted, digitized, mocked up, applied to actual prototype gamepads, and tested over and over again until the teams found the balance they wanted: good-looking, textured enough to be comfortable and non-slip, but not so sandpaper-rough that it'd hurt your hands over a lengthy gaming session.In the same article, Hollister mentions that the one downside to the microtexture is that "it picks up dirt extremely easily and doesn't want to let go".

Sony has also released limited/special editions of the DualSense, which includes God of War Ragnarök, Hogwarts Legacy, LeBron James, Final Fantasy XVI (Japan Only), Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, Concord (US Only), Astro Bot, Fortnite, 30th Anniversary, Helldivers 2 & Monster Hunter Wilds (Japan Only).Various other software can be used to allow the use of DualShock 3, DualShock 4, and DualSense controllers on PCs.

It demonstrates the versatility and adaptability of these gamepads in various gaming environments, extending their use beyond the intended PlayStation consoles.