Skip to main content

Design your own PS5 controller with this handy tool

If you’ve been hoping to customize your PS5 DualSense controller, you’re in luck. Scuf Gaming, a company known for creating high-end third-party gear, has released a new customization tool for its Reflex controller. PS5 owners can use an Xbox Design Lab-like tool to create their ideal gamepad, complete with custom parts.

Scuf’s standard Reflex is perhaps the closest thing the PS5 has to an Xbox Elite Series 2. The controller features mappable back paddles, grips, interchangeable thumbsticks, and more. The company’s newly released builder tool gives players a level of customization that’s yet to be seen in Sony’s DualSense.

Recommended Videos

Corsair Director of Gaming Product Management Jonas Ferry walked me through the process of creating a controller using Scuf’s web builder. You’ll start by choosing a faceplate. There are nine colors available currently and 23 custom patterns, including galactic designs and some more abstract options. Ferry says Scuf plans to add more options over time as it has with previous controllers. From there, players can alter the colors on anything, including triggers, bumpers, the D-pad, and more.

A custom PS5 Reflex controller made using Scuf's builder tool.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

While color customization is always fun to tool around with, Scuf goes one step further than a tool like Xbox Design Lab, which is strictly cosmetic. Players can choose custom thumbsticks that either have a domed or concave design, and there’s a short and taller variant of each.

More intriguing, the tool lets players tweak the DualSense’s defining features. For an extra charge, players can swap out adaptive triggers for “instant” ones that’ll press down more easily. The tool also gives users the option to remove rumble from the controller entirely as a weight-cutting measure.

Naturally, heavy customization can come at a cost. A standard controller will run players $200, but the price can quickly balloon into the $300 range depending on how many custom colors and features are used. Even with the high cost, Scuf is offering a service that Sony doesn’t seem eager to create itself. For those who want more control over their aesthetic and playstyle, it’s a tempting service.

If you want to try creating your own Scuf Reflex, you can try the tool out for free on its website.

Giovanni Colantonio
As Digital Trends' Senior Gaming Editor, Giovanni Colantonio oversees all things video games at Digital Trends. As a veteran…
The PS5 is finally on sale for Prime Big Deal Days. Now’s the right time to buy it
A PS5 sits on a table with a DualSense standing up next to it.

Despite the fact that we're four years into this current console generation, PS5 discounts have been as slim as its recent redesign. You'll hardly ever find Sony's console for less than its launch day price. Even when the PS5 Pro was announced, Sony opted to keep the base model's price the same. That's finally changed. As part of Amazon's Prime Big Deals Day, the PS5 Digital Edition just got a big price cut. Regularly $450, it's on sale for $400 through most major retailers, but has been bouncing a bit lower (it's currently $395 at the time of writing).

You may be wondering if this is the right moment to buy a PS5. After all, its $700 Pro model is slated to launch next month. I'd argue that this is the exact moment to buy a base model, though.

Read more
Until Dawn’s PS5 remake heavily teases a sequel with post-credit scenes
Sam in the remake of Until Dawn.

A remake of Supermassive Games' Until Dawn was released for PlayStation  and PC last Friday. And those who beat the game over the weekend, myself included, have discovered post-credit scenes that heavily tease a sequel.

Spoilers for Until Dawn to follow

Read more
I took the PS5 Pro for a first test drive. Now I’m a believer
A PS5 Pro that's floating in front of a gray background. It's turned to the side.

At Tokyo Game Show 2024, hundreds of thousands of people gathered to get their eyes and hands on the latest and greatest in interactive entertainment. Digital Trends was there checking out the hottest titles, including Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii, Dynasty Warriors: Origins, and The First Berzerker: Khazan (starring industry darling and class clown Ben Starr).

The largest presence at the event may have been Sony, and it was at its booth that I went hands-on with its newest hardware, the PlayStation 5 Pro, for the first time. I put the console through its paces and came away intrigued after seeing the stellar image quality and smooth action for myself. While it may be pricey, this upgrade may be what finally unlocks the graphical promises of this generation.
Tower of power
On the edge of the PlayStation booth is a lit dais surrounded by a velvet rope. Atop it sits a PS5 Pro and the newer, slimmer PS5 base model. There’s a guard keeping watch to make sure no one gets any big ideas. I’m told it’s OK to approach the consoles and look, but not touch. What’s immediately apparent is the Pro is noticeably taller than the updated standard edition PS5. Its height sitting on its stand (which is sold separately) is roughly the same as the original base PS5, though the lack of a disk drive (also sold separately) gives it a skinnier profile.

Read more