Sony PlayStation reveals Astro Bot Limited Edition DualSense controller, priced at $79.99

Ahead of its new Astro Bot game launch on September 6th, PlayStation has unveiled the Astro Bot Limited Edition DualSense wireless controller, with an Astro-themed design. The controller features his signature blue accents on the buttons and handles, and Astro's eyes on the touchpad.

The Astro Bot controller has haptic feedback and adaptive triggers. Nicolas Doucet, the studio head of Team Asobi (developer studio of the Astro Bot game) states that players will feel the textures of different terrains Astro traverses — from grass, sand, metal to more squishy textures or water. Astro’s Playroom had a similar haptic design, but the number of textures one can feel through the controller has gone way up. 

Astro’s new powers are linked to the adaptive triggers (combined with haptic feedback). Every new power up has been given that same special treatment, Nicolas says. The team further states that the Astro Bot controller is perfect for experiencing physical sensations like stretching, pounding, or pummeling while fighting bosses/enemies in the game.

Early concept art included in the launch post points towards Astro's Dual-Speeder, which he uses to visit different planets in the game. Nicolas mentions that the Dual-Speeder makes full use of motion control, adaptive triggers and haptic feedback of the DualSense controller.

Pre-orders for the Astro Bot controller start on August 9th at select retailers for $79.99 USD, as compared to the standard DualSense controller (currently listed at $69.99 on Amazon). The limited edition controller can also be pre-ordered online at direct.playstation.com on the same date, 7am PT in the U.S. and 10am local time in the U.K., France, Germany, Belgium, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Italy, Spain, Austria, and Portugal. It will be launched on September 6th, alongside the PlayStation exclusive Astro Bot game.