PlayStation 5 DualSense Teardown Shows Off New Controller Tech

We've already seen an official teardown of the PlayStation 5, and today, it's time to take a look inside the console's new DualSense controller. Generally speaking, controllers are something of known quantity – we wouldn't necessarily expect the inside of an Xbox Series X controller to look a whole lot different from an Xbox One controller, for instance. However, the DualSense controller has some new tech inside it, which makes a teardown well worth it.

The teardown was performed by Steve Porter from TronicsFix on YouTube, who tore down the controller not only to take a look at this new tech, but also to see how repairable it is. One of the first things TronicFix encounters is the DualSense's new battery, which is a fair bit larger than the DualShock 4's battery – 1,560mAh for the DualSense compared to 1,000mAh for the DualShock 4.

The haptic feedback motors in the DualSense are also quite a bit larger than the DualShock 4's rumble motors, but that makes sense as Sony has been advertising haptic feedback in the DualSense as a step above traditional rumble. A look at the motherboard shows a USB-C charging port that's "fairly easy to replace" for anyone "who knows how to micro and hot air solder."

Unfortunately, it seems that not much has changed in regards to the analog sticks, as they're more or less the same ones we saw in the DualShock 4. This means that we could see problems with stick drift down the road, which is never a good thing. While the haptic motors are fully encased, TronicsFix discovered that they are replaceable. We also get an up close look at the DualSense's adaptive triggers, which are much more complex than the DualShock 4's triggers.

While that potentially makes repairs more complex as well, it's worth noting that the triggers are modular, so hopefully fixing problem areas won't be too difficult when they arise. In the end, TronicsFix seems encouraged that so much of the controller is modular, which should make repairs easier, but is disappointed by the fact that the analog sticks are the same and therefore probably just as prone to stick drift. Be sure to give the whole video above a watch, because it's a fascinating look at the PlayStation 5's new controller.