PlayStation announced the Prismatic Collection of PS5 DualSense controllers and console covers (for PS5 “slim” and PS5 Pro). They’re transparent.
Transparent peripherals are back, baby.
The Prism Collection of PS5 DualSense wireless controllers and PS5 covers are made out of mostly glossy transparent plastic. The controllers have a contrast going with the accent piece that covers the analog sticks (the “middle cover”) has a metallic finish.
As for the colour choices, it’s going to be a debate whether the name matches the colour. Flare Orange appears more like red in official renders, and Graphite Gray‘s transparent pieces have a bluish hue to them. Emerald Green should be undoubtedly seen as green (unless one contests that the teal/cyan look appears more blue than green).
The latter also harkens back to one of the original DualShock controller for the PS1 that has an entirely transparent green body, which lets you see a bit of the circuitry and gubbins inside. Maybe not enough that the green PCB inside is visible like the old transparent controllers, but for the transparent PS5 controllers, details of the mechanisms of the adaptive controller, the battery housing and the touchpad board can be seen under the right lighting.
Also of note: the analog sticks, d-pad, and buttons are colour matched to blend with the colours instead of using the default black/transparent white pieces of a default colour DualSense.
“We know how much our fans have been looking forward to the return of transparent controllers,” said Leo Cardoso from the Color, Material, and Finish design team at PlayStation, speaking to PlayStation Blog.
“We wanted to bring back the iconic see-through trend of the late ’90s in a fresh, modern way that complements the PS5’s industrial design.”
Gamers of the 90’s should be very fond of this trend that may be mistaken for prison use (those devices need to be fully transparent), and we have seen this transparent design being offered in other Sony devices. Shout out to the Sony WF-C710N wireless earbuds that is offered in a transparent blue colourway.
Nostalgia doesn’t come cheap, though. The Prism Collection of PS5 DualSense controllers starts at RM419 in Malaysia, so this is priced at the premium tier of console colours similar to the previous Hyperpop Collection and other limited-edition controllers. Colour matching those buttons and the metallic finish in one of those pieces do add up to something, after all. The baseline MSRP of a DualSense controller with normal paint schemes is at RM369, for comparison.
The accompanying PS5 covers to match the controllers comes at RM369.
The Prism Collection of PS5 DuelSense controllers and PS5 covers will be available starting February 4, though “exact launch date and availability for the accessories may vary by country/region” as per PlayStation Blog.