DualShock 4 PS3 Software Compatibility



Long story short, my roommate bought a PS4 on launch day. Braving the phone lines, he found a GameStop that had two PS4s in stock and bought one. Later that night, I borrowed the only DualShock 4 controller in the house and put it through the gamut of PS3 games I owned, both on Blu-Ray and digitally through PlayStation Network.

Before you call BS, here are the conditions for this experiment:

- Third Generation PlayStation 3 (aka “PS3 Super Slim”)

- PlayStation 3 System Software 4.50

- DualShock 4

- DualShock 3 (for quitting out of games)



A few of things to note: in order for the DualShock 4 to work with the PlayStation 3, it has to be plugged in directly to the console via USB. The PlayStation ‘home’ button on the DualShock 4 will not work. In order to remedy the situation of quitting games and returning to the XMB (Cross Media Bar), I had to sync a DualShock 3 controller as player two. Lastly, neither the touchpad or the DualShock 4’s rumble capabilities will not work on PlayStation 3. With that in mind, I present to you a list of games that work or do not work with the DualShock 4 when plugged into a PlayStation 3.



Angry Birds (PlayStation Minis) - Works

Back To The Future - Episode 1 It’s About Time - Does Not Work

Battlefield Bad Company - Works

Battlefield Bad Company 2 - Works

Battlefield 3 - Works

Bayonetta - Doesn’t Work, triggers do not work (Confirmed by @Jarvdawg)

Bioshock - Works

Bioshock 2 - Works

Bioshock Infinite - Works (Confirmed by Shuhei Yoshida)

BlazBlue Chronophantasma - Works (Confirmed by @Jarvdawg)

Blue Toad Murder Files: Mystery of Little Riddle - Works

Burnout Paradise - Does Not Work

Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 - Works (Confirmed by @Jarvdawg)

Call of Duty 4 Modern Warfare - Works

Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 - Works

Dead Space - Works

Dust 514 - Works

Everyday Shooter - Works

Fight Night Round 4 - Works

Flower - Does Not Work, buttons and analogue sticks work

Grand Theft Auto IV - Works

Gran Turismo 5 Prologue - Works in menus, does not work in gameplay

Gran Turismo HD Concept - Works

God of War Collection - Works for both GoW I and II

Infamous - Works

Jetpack Joyride - Does Not Work

Killzone 2 - Works (SIXAXIS loading screens, UI, QTEs does not work)

The Last of Us - Works

LittleBigPlanet - Works (PSN version works)

Lumines Supernova - Works

Mirror’s Edge - Works (No SIXAXIS)

NBA Street Homecourt - Works

NBA Live '08 - Works

NHL '08 - Works

Pac Man Championship Edition (PlayStation Minis) - Works

Peggle - Works

Pure - Works

Portal 2 - Works

007 Quantum of Solace - Works

Rag Doll Kung Fu: Fists of Plastic - Does Not Work

Resident Evil 5 - Works

Scott Pilgrim vs The World: The Game - Does Not Work

Soul Caliber 4 - Works

SSX - Works

Street Fighter III 3rd Strike: Online Edition - Works

Street Fighter X Tekken - Works

Super Stardust HD - Works

Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix - Works

Tekken 6 - Works

Tekken Revolution - Works

The Orange Box - Does Not Work

Tomb Raider Underworld - Works

Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Vegas - Does Not Work

UNO - Works

Uncharted Drake’s Fortune - Works

Uncharted 2: Among Thieves - Works

Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception - Works

Unreal Tournament III - Works

WipEout HD, Fury - Works

Wolfenstein 3D - Works

In conclusion, if you’re thinking about getting a DualShock 4 for the sole purpose of using it as a substitute for a DualShock 3: don’t. Despite the laundry list of games that do work with the controller, it still has to be plugged into the console. The disparities between the DualShock 4’s Bluetooth and the PlayStation 3’s prove that a mere software update to the console will not make this controller backwards compatible with the PlayStation 3.



If you’re buying a DualShock 4 as a PC Controller, you’re better off plugging in a good old XBOX 360 controller. The extra functions on the DualShock 4 such as the touchpad, rumble/vibration, and the headphone port on the controller will not work on platforms that isn’t the PlayStation 4. I really like the DualShock 4. The triggers feel so much better compared to the DualShock 3’s. Until more games are released that justify the touchpad and make it noteworthy, the DualShock 4 as a basic controller is the best PlayStation controller.

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Follow Richy on twitter: @richyg84.



UPDATE: Added Bioshock Infinite. It works.

UPDATE 2: Added Call of Duty: Black Ops 2, Street Fighter III 3rd Strike: Online Edition, BlazBlue Chronophantasma, and Bayonetta.