by Earlier this week, PlayStation confirmed that its DualSense Edge controller for the PS5 will cost $269.99.
With the price of almost everything going up, it’s interesting to see PlayStation charging so much for a controller. Naturally, many people were quick to point out how the DualSense Edge is more than half the price of the PS5 Digital Edition at $519.99. For context, the Xbox Elite Series 2 Wireless Controller costs $229.99, while the standard PS5 DualSense is priced at $89.99.
Game your way with the ultra-customizable DualSense Edge wireless controller, available for pre-order at select retailers. Details here: https://t.co/0SlolyeFrh pic.twitter.com/2e4IiptRaZ
— PlayStation Canada (@PlayStationCA) October 26, 2022
Of course, the DualSense Edge is intended to be a niche product. After all, this is a high-end customizable gamepad that people will generally only use if they play multiplayer games often. PlayStation clearly isn’t targeting everyone with this.
Even still, nearly $300 for a controller is insane, and as such we feel the need to call it out. With that in mind, here are 10 gaming products you could invest that money in instead. Now we’re not telling you should buy one of these, but just offer alternatives – some serious, some maybe not so much – to an overpriced gamepad.
Backbone One PlayStation Edition – $139.99
Image credit: Backbone
I’m not a mobile gamer myself, but it’s obviously a very big market. In particular, there’s been a lot of positive reception for the Backbone One, a controller that makes mobile gaming easier. There’s even a specific PlayStation version with ecosystem-dedicated buttons and features. If the idea of being able to stream your PS5 games to your phone appeals to you, the Backbone One PlayStation Edition will cost you just $139.99, leaving you with $130.
15 months of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate – $254.85
Xbox Game Pass Ultimate is the best gaming deal, providing access to hundreds of console and PC games. Thanks to its Cloud Gaming feature, you can also stream titles to mobile devices, which is a great option for people who don’t want to buy hardware.
Since Xbox Game Pass Ultimate costs $16.99/month, $270 would last 15 months. This also assumes that you have used the service before and are not eligible for the $1 introductory offer for your first month.
Nintendo Switch Lite – $259.99
At $270, you can buy Nintendo’s most affordable Switch system and still have $10 left. While the Switch Lite lacks TV docking capabilities, it otherwise does everything a regular Switch can, including access to the Switch’s high-end catalog of games. And if you really wanted a standard Switch, you’d “only” need an extra $140. The OLED Switch model, meanwhile, costs $449.99.
6.75 copies of Cyberpunk 2077 — $269.93
Cyberpunk 2077 has seen a huge boost in popularity lately thanks to the Edgerunners anime series. Image credit: CD Projekt Red
If you’re not one of the many people who watched Studio Trigger’s outstanding Cyberpunk: Edge Runners on Netflix, then entered Cyberpunk 2077, you could pick up almost seven complete copies of the open-world action-RPG for you and your friends. Of course, you can’t have 0.75 of a game, so let’s cut that down to six copies for $239.94. With that remaining $30, you can purchase the highest Netflix subscription ($20.99/month) to watch edge runners and share your account with the boys before Netflix starts charging for password sharing.
Two years of PlayStation Plus Premium — $279.98
Image credit: PlayStation
While I’m pretty mixed on PlayStation Plus Premium, it’s the closest PlayStation has to Xbox Game Pass with its catalog of older games and streaming features. In Canada, a year of Premium costs $139.99, so for the price of a DualSense Edge + an additional $10 you can get a full 24 months of the highest PlayStation Plus deal. If you opt for PS Plus Extra, which I would recommend, you can get two full years for $229.99 ($114.99/12 months) and you’ve got $40 left over for something else, like a game.
Xbox Series S – $379.99
The DualSense Edge is essentially 2/3 the cost of Microsoft’s current-gen entry-level console. Although it’s less powerful than the $599 Series X and doesn’t have a disk drive, it plays all the same games and offers the same fast SSD. It would be a great way for current PlayStation owners with a little extra cash to get into the Xbox Game Pass ecosystem if they don’t want to stream.
Get Xbox Series S here.
A shipment of batteries – price varies
We always need batteries for something or other, whether it’s the (boring) Xbox Wireless Controller, your TV remote, or a fire alarm. Given that, you might want to spend your hard-earned $270 on a large amount of batteries.
For the purposes of this story, we’ve chosen Energizer’s AA batteries, but that would of course change a bit if you opted for AAA, C, etc. As for the bunny-themed AA batteries, though, you could get 16 packs of 20 packs ($16.14 individually on Amazon) for $258.24, leaving you with $11 and change.
One SSD — price varies
The file sizes for games are so big these days that they just eat up your storage space. Forget playing a game with a high-end controller – does your PS5 even have the space to play other games, period? Once you know which M.2 SSDs are supported on your console, the price will be determined by the size and brand you want. That said, you can get 1TB drives for around $200, which is certainly expensive on its own, but still more affordable than a DualSense Edge.
Some of the many good games that came out this year alone
Ring Elden. Image credit: Bandai Namco
There have been so many big game releases in 2022. The year has started strong with the likes of Pokemon Arceus: Legends, Forbidden Horizon West, Ring of Elden and Kirby and the Forgotten Landwhile the following months include Xenoblade Chronicles 3, Back to Monkey Island, Multiverse, Mario + Rabbids: Sparks of Hope, Splatoon 3, A Plague Tale: Reqiuem, Live Live, Gotham Knights and, in the coming months, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 and war zone 2.0, God of War Ragnarök, sound borders and Crisis Core Reunion: Final Fantasy VII.
That’s not to mention low profile games like Immortality, Singing and Repentance. Many of these are also on PlayStation, so PS5 owners could buy several (at least three if we start with $80-90 full-price titles) instead of one premium controller.
Steam Deck – $499.99 to $819
Valve’s remarkably impressive PC handheld is the perfect gateway to gaming PCs for those who haven’t invested a lot of time and money building one. Instead of a DualSense Edge, you can put the $269.99 towards the base Steam Deck model and only need $230 more. That said, you’ll probably want Steam Deck’s middle offering, the $659 256GB NVMe SSD model. While that might seem pricey, it’s a decent price for the hardware and is definitely worth the investment.
Again, though, it’s ultimately your choice what to spend your hard-earned money on. Those interested in the DualSense Edge can pre-order it now in Canada.
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