City College of New York

English 21007

Professor. Sara Jacobson

March 23, 2023

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‎Abstract

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Individual objects are created and made up of lesser entities that, as a whole, allow the function of that object. An example of this is a Ps4 controller, and as such, this paper will break down the specs, necessary components, and machines behind a Dual Shock Ps4 Controller. It will entail background information, its history, and diagrams to showcase the specs and their respective functions.

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Outline of the Contents

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Introduction…………………………………………………………………………………………………………….……………..3
The exterior of the Top and Bottom……………………………………………………………………….…………….5
Interior Top Half……………………………………………………………………………………………………….……………6
Battery…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….6
Touchpad……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..…………7
Mid-Section……………………………………………………………………………………………………………….…………..8
Buttons…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….…………..10
Analog Stick…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………11
Interior lower half…………………………………………………………………………………………………..………….11
Ribbon……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..….12
LED PCB……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….………12
Conclusion……………………………………………………………………………………………………..………………….13
References…………………………………………………………………………………………………….…………………..14

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Introduction

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Since the dawn of capitalism, every company wants its product to be a household name.
There is no difference with that given fact when it comes to consoles and gaming. Ever since the
late 1990s and early 2000s, two specific household names were starting to sit on their tycoon
throne: Microsoft and Sony. Around 2001, Microsoft made its first mark on the gaming world
when it released the Xbox, right after Sony had released their PlayStation two, Ps2; however,
Sony ended up selling more units, 158.70 million to only 24.56 million Xboxes
(VGChartz, 2023). Although, it was nowhere near the profit Sony made. Microsoft had enough
of its shoe into the door to hold a well-established reputation in the gaming world with the
introduction of the Xbox 360, Xbox One, and then, most recently, Xbox Series X; Sony also
went on to release the Ps3, Ps4, and then recently the Ps5. Both companies butted heads over
sales, profit, et cetera, which are still seen with the Ps5, which sold 30.47 million, and Xbox
Series X, 20.26 million (D’Angelo, W., 2023).

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This paper will focus on and deconstruct the Ps4 controller, created by Sony and officially named: the DualShock controller modeled CUH-ZCT1, introduced with the release of the Ps4 in 2013 (West, J., 2020). The controller gave an edge over the then Ps2 and Ps3, Sixaxis Controller, and DualShock 3 controller: with better rumble motors and better/more ergonomic button styles/triggers, facing up instead of down like the Ps2 and Ps3 controller, adding clickable touchpad, a pluggable headphone jack, and the Share button, and better battery (West, J., 2020). However, with the release of the Xbox One controller, the demand to develop faster, better, and more profit-efficient modals of the Ps controllers was starting to become a norm, as seen with the jump from the Ps3 DualShock 3 controller to the Ps4 DualShock controller: to generate and keep dominating the global gaming market. As a result of this, Sony would leap again to the next generation of controllers: the DualSense, modal CFI-ZCT1W, filled with new upgrades features such as better haptic feedback, speakers, triggers, and the Create button in 2020 due to this still-developing console war (Tailby, S., 2020).

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Note. Figure 2 and Figure 3 were taken from West, J. (2020). From digital to dual sense – the history and evolution of the PlayStation controller ahead of PS5. gamesradar.

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Exterior of the Top and Bottom

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The controller is enclosed in a durable hard plastic, high-density polyethylene, a type of thermoplastic made from Petroleum, and has rubber sticks and grip pads along the front of its exterior shell. The outside exterior is composed of two separable parts: the controller’s top shell and the controller’s bottom shell, which hold and protect everything between. The hard shell can handle harsh temperatures and increase the controller’s life (Assembly Electronics Manufacturing, n.d.).

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Note. Figure 4 and Figure 5 were taken from DUALSHOCK 4 wireless PS4 controller: PlayStation 4. PlayStation. (n.d.).

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Interior Top Half

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The interior top half of the controller contains the battery, touchpad, mid-section, analog sticks, and buttons, including up, right, down, and right-side buttons, the character specialized green triangle, blue x, light pink square, and red circle button, the PS button, L1 R1, L2, and R2 triggers (Eickemeyer et al., 2014).

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Battery

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The battery is a standard 3.7 V lithium polymer with a capacity of 1000 mAh, milliampere per hour. The battery is placed on top of a battery mounting bracket, attached/connected to the controller PCB. The battery mounting bracket is made from plastic; the battery stores power/charges the controller (Mhatre, N., 2021). 

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Touchpad

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The touchpad can be used in games, to write, or as another button/input bind in various games that offer customizable inputs. It is made from the same material as a touchpad from the laptop and has a sensor underneath it that picks up motion. And the touchpad is found in the back of the controller next to the buttons (Eickemeyer, Suovanen et al., 2014).            

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Mid-Section

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The mid-section is composed of multiple parts: the button PCB, controller PCB, loudspeaker, controller center, and vibration motors. The controller PCB, facing the front: has circuit board parts, including resistors, transistors, et cetera. The button PCB is also known as the button circuit membrane: fiberglass-like material consisting of ribbon-like circuits connecting to all parts of the controller and outlining the buttons, sitting behind the controller PCB, facing the back. Both the PCBs take in user-button inputs to be read clearly and translated into code the game/console can process. (Zhao, H., 2021). The loudspeaker is below the controller PCB, facing the button PCB. The loudspeaker can play audio if plugged into a headset or audio jack or enabled by the user (PlayStation, n.d.). The controller center is made of plastic and acts as a skeletal structure of the mid-section: holding everything together and in place. Lastly, the vibration motors are embedded in the lower two ends of the controller center (Westberg, S. et al., 2018).‎

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Buttons

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The buttons beforementioned are placed behind the controller PCB and are covered by a soft plastic protective casing. The four-character buttons are Play station’s signature design with green, blue, red, and pink colors; like any pressable buttons, they are used to play the game/control inputs in a game and can be binned if the play chooses to do so. The directional buttons are also enclosed behind a soft plastic casing. (Eickemeyer, C., Stephens, et al., 2014).

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Analog Stick

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The analog sticks can be found placed on top of the controller PBC. The analog sticks are covered with a soft rubberish material and are pivoted: for comfortable use even after long hours. They are used to control inputs when playing a game: ideally in cardinal directions with the left analog controlling movement and the right controlling vision (Eickemeyer, C., Stephens, J., Havard, et al., 2014).

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Interior Bottom Half

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The controller’s rear shell is composed of a light bar, LED PCB, charging port, and ribbon cable. The LED PCB is attached to a clear plastic protector; glued down on top of the LED PCB. A white clip also holds the clear plastic in place of the small window, where the blue light comes out (Eickemeyer, C., 2023).

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Ribbon

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The first ribbon cable is attached to the lower right of the LED PCB and gets attached to the lower half of the controller (Eickemeyer, C., 2023).

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LED PCB

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The LED PCB is used for the battery to show whether the controller has a low battery, charging, indicating a connection of the controller to the device, and for the aesthetics/experience of the game. The LED PCB turns on the colored light when the PS button is pressed; the user connects a USB or micro-USB cable, signaling that the controller is alive/trying to connect (Eickemeyer, C., 2023).

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Conclusion

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In summation, each part and component of the Ps4 controller is designed for a reason: to be better than the Ps2 and Ps3 controllers. With the war: against Microsoft and PlayStation, the need for innovation was of capitalistic means, which led PlayStation to innovate and create their Ps4 controller with a better design, battery, speakers, et cetera. As shown in this paper, each part of the controller was essentially an upgrade from the Ps3 controller, and this same trend can be seen in the ps5 controller with the application of haptic feedback, adaptive triggers, and better design. It also gives a pathway to newer models soon underway, as the need for innovation will not stop if people continue to play games.

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References

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D’Angelo, W. (2023). Ps5 vs Xbox Series X: S sales comparison – December 2022. VGChartz. https://www.vgchartz.com/article/456184/ps5-vs-xbox-series-xs-sales-comparison ndash december 2022/#:~:text=The%20PlayStation%205%20is%20currently,year%2Dover%2Dyear).

DUALSHOCK 4 wireless controller: PlayStation 4. PlayStation. (n.d.). https://www.playstation.com/en us/accessories/dualshock 4 wireless controller/#:~:text=Built%2Din%20speaker,your%20DUALSHOCK%204%20wireless%20controller.

DUALSHOCK 4 wireless PS4 controller: PlayStation 4. PlayStation. (n.d.). https://www.playstation.com/en-us/accessories/dualshock-4-wireless-controller/

Eickemeyer, C. (2023, March 17). DualShock 4 (CUH-ZCT1U) charging assembly replacement. iFixit. https://www.ifixit.com/Guide/DualShock+4+(CUH ZCT1U)+Charging+Assembly+Replacement/156960

Eickemeyer, C. (2023, March 20). DualShock 4 (CUH-ZCT1U) midframe replacement. iFixit. https://www.ifixit.com/Guide/DualShock+4+(CUH ZCT1U)+Midframe+Replacement/156969

Eickemeyer, C. (2023). DualShock 4 (CUHZCT1U speaker replacement. iFixit. https://www.ifixit.com/Guide/DualShock+4+(CUH ZCT1U)+Speaker+Replacemen /156986

Eickemeyer, C. (2023). DualShock  4 (CUH ZCT1U) rear case replacement. iFixit. https://www.ifixit.com/Guide/DualShock+4+(CUH ZCT1U)+Rear+Case+Replacement/158909

Eickemeyer, C., Blakely, A., & Ahmed, M. (2021, February 17). DualShock 4 Ribbon Cable Replacement. iFixit. https://www.ifixit.com/Guide/DualShock+4+Ribbon+Cable+Replacement/140653

Eickemeyer, C., Rippens, M., Stephens J., Stokes, K., McCrigler, B., & Dustin. (2014). DualShock 4 (CUH ZCT1U) front case replacement. iFixit. https://www.ifixit.com/Guide/DualShock+4+(CUH-ZCT1U)+Front+Case+Replacement/25442.

Eickemeyer, C., Shi, A., & Devnol. (2019). DualShock 4 (CUH-ZCT1U) button circuit membrane replacement. iFixit. https://www.ifixit.com/Guide/DualShock+4+(CUH-ZCT1U)+Button+Circuit+Membrane+Replacement/121986

Eickemeyer, C., Stephens, J., Havard, S., Edwards, B., Mulcrone, C., Mark, Kirkham, B., & Hussaini, M. (2014). DualShock 4 (CUH ZCT1U) analog stick covers replacement. iFixit. https://www.ifixit.com/Guide/DualShock+4+(CUH ZCT1U)+Analog+Stick+Covers+Rep acement/22675

Eickemeyer, C., Stephens, J., Myers,R., Mark, & Kirkham,B. (2014). DualShock 4 (CUH ZCT1U) buttons replacement. iFixit. https://www.ifixit.com/Guide/DualShock+4+(CUH-ZCT1U)+Buttons+Replacement/22447

Eickemeyer, C., Suovanen, J., Mark, & Kirkham, B. (2014). DualShock 4 (CUH ZCT1U) touch pad replacement. iFixit. https://www.ifixit.com/Guide/DualShock+4+(CUH-ZCT1U)+Touch+Pad+Replacement/22684.

Mhatre, N. (2021). PS4 Controller Battery Replacement Guide: Save your dualshock 4 from the landfill. MUO. https://www.makeuseof.com/ps4-controller-battery-replacement guide save- your dualshock 4 from the landfill/#:~:text=The%20stock%20PS4%20controller%20is,1200%20mAh%20to%202500%20mAh.

Platform totals. VGChartz. (2023). https://www.vgchartz.com/charts/platform_totals/Hard ware.

php/.

PS4 PCB. SMT / PCB Assembly Electronics Manufacturing. (n.d.). https://smtnet.com/company/index.cfm?fuseaction=view_company&company_id=57542&component=catalog&catalog_id=46756.

Sony PlayStation 4 teardown. TechInsights. (n.d.). https://www.techinsights.com/ja/node/16626

Tailby, S. (2020). The evolution of the PlayStation Controller. Push Square. https://www.pushsquare.com/news/2020/04/feature_the_evolution_of_the_playstation_controller.

West, J. (2020). From digital to dualsense – the history and evolution of the PlayStation controller ahead of PS5. gamesradar. https://www.gamesradar.com/from-digital-to-dualsense-the-history-and-evolution-of-the-playstation-controller-ahead-of-ps5/.

 Westberg, S., Gismondi, K., & Rodriguez, P. (2018). DualShock 4 Controller Rumble Motors Replacement. iFixit. https://www.ifixit.com/Guide/DualShock+4+Controller+Rumble+Motors+Replacement/106820.

Zhao, H. (2021). PS4 controller PCB circuit board – what you need to know. WellPCB. https://www.wellpcb.com/ps4-controller-pcb.html.