What Controller Comes With a PS3 2101A?

Background

• From 2006, the year the PlayStation 3 launched, to 2008, the controller that was packaged with the gaming console was the SIXAXIS. It is a controller named for the motion-sensitive technology of its six directional movements. The DUAL SHOCK 3 was announced at the 2007 Tokyo Game Show as the successor to the SIXAXIS.

Differences

• The DUAL SHOCK 3 possesses the motion-sensitive technology of its immediate predecessor. Also, it is a wireless gamepad like the SIXAXIS; it has a mini USB port at the top to connect the controller to the game system, and recharge its built-in 3.7-volt lithium-ion battery. The DUAL SHOCK also features the vibration capabilities of the previous, wired DualShock entries: the DualShock Analog Controller for the PS1 and the DualShock 2 for the PS2. It is a feature that the SIXAXIS lacks. Still, the DUAL SHOCK 3 has the same shape as all its aforementioned predecessors.

Buttons

• The DUAL SHOCK 3 that comes with the CECH-2101A version of the PS3 system has 13 buttons and a D-Pad, or directional pad. At the front, the D-Pad is to the left; four pressure-sensitive circular buttons -- painted with a green triangle, pink square, orange circle and purple X -- are to the right; and in the middle are its two analog joysticks, and Start, Select and "PS" menu button. On top of the controller are two more pressure-sensitive buttons called L1 and R1, and two analog trigger buttons called the R1 and R2. Four light-emitting diode indicators lie right next to the L1 button, for assignment of up to four DUAL SHOCK 3 controllers.

Color, Measurements and Price

• The DUAL SHOCK 3 controller packaged with the PS3 2101A is black, although it is available in six other colors. It measures 5.56 inches in width, 8.5 inches in height and 3.63 inches in depth. At the time of publication, the manufacturer's suggested retail price for the DUAL SHOCK 3, purchased separately from the gaming system, is $55.