Do third-party controllers work on PS5? Are Nacon PS4 controller compatible with the PS5?

While the DualSense controller is regarded as a superb piece of gaming technology, for some people, it just isn't their preferred tool. In the same way that some players might prefer one character or weapon over another, people develop preferences for specific controllers, and want to be able to use them across as many of their games as possible. So can third party controllers be used on the PlayStation 5? More specifically, can the Nacon PS4 controller work on the PS5? We'll be tackling those questions today.

Can you use third party controllers on PS5?

At the moment, there isn't much by way of third party controller options for the PS5. Nothing will give you the same sort of gameplay feedback as the official DualSense controller. That situation is likely to change as time passes, and third party developers get to spend more time with the console.

But in terms of what is currently out there, third party controllers are usable on the PS5 - sort of. Sony posted an explanation on their blog a few months ago, and in it, they stated:

Specialty peripherals, such as officially licensed racing wheels, arcade sticks, and flight sticks, will work with PS5 games and supported PS4 games

The DualShock 4 wireless controller and PlayStation officially licensed third-party gamepad controllers will work with supported PS4 games. 

So your controllers and other peripherals will work with compatible games, primarily those that are from the last generation.

Read More: How to connect PS5 controller to Mac and MacBook Pro/Air laptops

Is the Nacon PS4 controller compatible with the PS5?

Specifically in relation to Nacon's PS4 controllers, we can confirm that they follow the guidelines as posted in Sony's blog. So if you want to use one of these controllers for playing a PS4 game on your PS5, that should be absolutely fine. But if you were hoping to use it on a PS5 exclusive game? You might start to run into difficulties.

On the same blog post, Sony were asked if the DualShock controller would work with PS5 games, they wrote:

No, we believe that PS5 games should take advantage of the new capabilities and features we’re bringing to the platform, including the features of DualSense wireless controller.

Given this, it would be extremely unlikely that a 3rd party controller would have more substantive compatibility than the Dualshock. So in summary, don't be too sad if you can't use your Nacon controller for new, PS5 exclusive games.

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