PlayStation 4′s new DualShock 4 controller went through several revisions, but boss of the company’s product planning department Toshimasa Aoki has revealed that early designs were close to the current Xbox 360 pad layout.
Speaking with GamesBeat, Aoki recalled, “For the analog sticks, we did test having the analog sticks on top, since the Xbox has the left side on top [above the D-pad]. Especially from the shooter teams — we got feedback that that’s what they wanted. They knew that consumers liked the 360 for shooters.”
He added, “The feedback from the user test team said that we needed to test this version, the Xbox version, and this version. [But having the two sticks symmetrical on the left and right sides] is kind of in our DNA. The prototype team, myself, and also the management team really felt that having this look is the PlayStation look, and we had to keep that.”
