PlayStation has announced that it's bringing back one of its best (and most popular) PS5 controllers very soon, with one minor tweak. Perhaps more so than ever before, the past year has been fantastic for those who like to buy Special Edition DualSense controllers for PS5. Over this period, Sony has released the Death Stranding 2: On the Beach limited edition DualSense, another limited model based on The Last of Us, and most notably, the 30th Anniversary controller, which saw the DualSense based on the color scheme of the PS1. Now, another such PS5 controller that was released in the back half of 2024 is returning after endless requests from PlayStation fans.
Set to arrive next month on October 30th, PlayStation will be re-releasing the Astro Bot PS5 DualSense controller. This model arrived last year in tandem with Astro Bot, but it didn't stay in stock very long. Now, PlayStation is set to let loose a new run of the Astro Bot DualSense, with pre-orders for the controller taking place next week on September 12th at 10am. This controller will be available to purchase on PlayStation Direct, but is also said to be coming to "participating retailers" as well.
While it's great to see that PlayStation is listening to fans and is selling the Astro Bot DualSense once again, this is technically a completely new version of the controller that is coming out. Rather than being identical to the first run of the controller, PlayStation has dubbed this the "Joyful" edition, which has resulted in the eyes on the touchpad now being altered. The previous Astro Bot controller featured blue eyes that were standard circles. Now, the eyes curve upward, making it seem as though the controller is happy to see you.
Personally, I don't care for this revision of the Astro Bot DualSense. Although it's not a bad controller by any means, the original version with the standard eyes just looks better. Still, the alteration isn't a massive one, especially since the color scheme of this new version remains identical to the first model. As such, anyone who has been trying to snag this Astro Bot PS5 controller over the past year will surely be thrilled to finally be able to get it for retail value soon.
Are you going to pick up this new Astro Bot DualSense for yourself when pre-orders go live next week? Or do you prefer the original look of the controller? Let me know your own thoughts down in the comments section!