DualShock 4 Light Dimming Coming In PS4 Software Update

Earlier today during GDC 2014, a bit of miscommunication was left on the playing field as it was reported that the PlayStation 4's DualShock 4 controller would be able to have its light turned off in a future firmware update. As it turns out, an interview between Shuhei Yoshida, President of Worldwide Studios, Sony Computer Entertainment, and Geoff Keighley from GameTrailers resulted in "dimming" the light being changed to "turn off" the light by mistake. In fact the future software will allow the controller to have its light dimmed, not turned off entirely.

The light that sits in front of the DualShock 4 for the PlayStation 4 has been controversial since it first arrived on the scene. Before it was released to the public, even. Back before the PlayStation 4 was released, it was revealed that this bright Blue (or Red) light would be always-on.

This light is utilized in a number of ways, starting with the PlayStation Camera. The camera sees the light as a unique image in its range of view, allowing tracking to happen much easier than it would without a place to bounce. This light is also used in places like Tomb Raider where it flickers when you hold a torch in-game.

At the moment it's not clear when this firmware update will be rolling out, nor is it solid to what degree the dimming will be user-controlled. The same dimming will likely be allowed for the PlayStation Move controller collection, but for now, details are scant.