Via Twitter on Saturday, Sony‘s President of Worldwide Studios, Shuhei Yoshida, revealed that PlayStation 4 players will be able to use their new DualShock 4 controllers for “basic functions” on Windows PCs when the console ships next month. While Yoshida did not clarify what “basic functions” include, he did mention that “the analog sticks and buttons will work just fine.”
One question this compatibility raises is whether or not PCs will recognize the DualShock 4 controller for what it is. Many non-Microsoft game controllers use the XInput API for Windows, which causes them to register as Xbox devices. Yoshida did not mention if the DualShock 4 uses XInput or some other application programming interface (API).
Although the DualShock 3 can be user-configured to work with Windows, the process requires some finagling that is not particularly user-friendly. Out-of-the box support for the DualShock 4 should be a welcome feature for those who enjoy playing PC games with a traditional controller.
