Guerrilla Games, developer behind Killzone Shadow Fall, discussed its role in helping to mold the controller for the PlayStation 4. In an interview with VG247, Killzone : Shadow Fall Lead Designer Eric Boltjec spoke briefly on their involvement alongside Mark Cerny working on the controller.
“One of the things we wanted to improve upon was the controllers. I personally feel that in previous Killzones, the DualShock was always good, but when you looked at other controllers they had an edge. We really worked together with Mark from Sony on improving the controller. For example, the triggers. We wanted better triggers. They previously reverted inwards where, in a shooter game, that’s not very good. Your fingers slip off.
“We really pushed them to make better triggers that go up. Also stuff like the touch-pad. When I first saw it on the prototype controller I was like, ‘What the hell am I supposed to do with that? It’s not an iPhone game.’ But I’m really surprised as to how well that little thing works. I’m not promoting it, I don’t have to sell that controller, but I’m really happy with how it works in our game. Everything else works now, from response time, the dead-zones, everything is better. The lag is gone, and that makes Killzone a better game.”
But the biggest influence is probably when they put the kibosh on touch-sensitive buttons. They tried a number of prototypes, and flat out said “no” to that particular model. The controller needed the tactile feedback.