It’s not time to retire your PS4 yet. PS5 consoles are still hard to get hold of, and many of our favourite PS4 accessories will actually work with the new console too when you do decide to level-up.
This guide covers two main kinds of PS4 accessory. There are the essential accessories, which includes gamepads, chargers, service subscriptions and headsets.
These aren’t exciting, but they are important.
Then there are the PS4 pulse-racers. These include accessories like force feedback steering wheels, arcade sticks and VR headsets.
These are the kind of PS4 accessories that really level-up the experience of playing games. Most will work with PS5 too. And while Sony is working on a next-gen virtual headset, it won’t be out in 2021. Like we said: the PS4 isn’t out for the count yet, folks.
With that in mind, here are a selection of PS4 accessories that get our vote, including the bread and butter basics and more exciting upgrades.
You may not need a pad like the Scuf Impact if you play slower-pace games on your PS4. But if you like ultra-competitive games where a 100 millisecond delay in pressing that button might make the difference between a win and a loss, maybe you do.
It has four mappable paddle controls on the back. These give you quicker access to the face buttons while your right thumb is still on the stick.
DualShock 4 features like the light bar and front touch pad are here too, so you can pack your first-party controller away until you need it. There are almost endless cusomizations available, from the kind of triggers used to the finish on the face plate.
Like an arcade stick, a racing wheel with pedals isn’t necessary for everyone, but if you take your racing games seriously then it’s probably the number one accessory you can pick up. The ThrustMaster T300RS is worth every penny if titles like Project Cars 2 and Gran Turismo are among your faves.
Impressive precision is essential of course, but force feedback is the T300RS’s most important feature – this uses motors to pull against your hands as you turn around corners, simulating the forces you’d feel in a real car. And as Thrustmaster uses a belt-driven system, here you get the smoothest, most realistic feel of any racing wheel that’s not ridiculously expensive.
Sturdy design and solid pedals ensure it’ll stand up over the long haul, and it’s compatible with both the PS5 and PS3 too, letting you give next-gen and oldie gems fresh life with this killer wheel.
Make sure you check out our list of the best racing wheels.
The Hori Fighting Stick Mini is the perfect PS4 arcade stick for most people. And by “most people”, we don’t include those who spend months training for Street Fighter tournaments, punching the air like Rocky after matches.
It’s small, it doesn’t cost too much and the buttons and stick are of solid quality, as you’d hope from controller veteran Hori.
The result is an arcade stick you can bring out every now and then, and you won’t have to dedicate a whole cupboard to thing when your intermittent 1v1 fighter bug wears off.
Why is it not for the “pros”? The Hori Fighting Stick Mini has much smaller buttons than a standard arcade cab, so may not offer the legit experience a hadouken hustler wants. But for those of us who just want some of that arcade flavor, minus sticky floors and pockets of change, it’s spot on.
The SteelSeries Arctis Pro is one of the best-sounding headsets you can buy. As such, it’s doubly worth considering if you use your PlayStation 4 to watch films and listen to music as well as play games.
Clarity and audio balance are much better than most of the other sets here. Both the Arctic Pro Wireless and GameDAC versions will work with a PlayStation 4 console, but the vanilla wired version is just for PC – so make sure you pick the right set before buying.
The GameDAC model has an outboard box with top quality Hi-Res audio converters. It needs to be wired-in though, so this may not be the best choice if you play a few meters away from your PS4. The wireless version may be a better choice.
All versions have LEDs around the cups. It may be made for audio perfectionists, but it’s still a gamer headset.
Read the full review: SteelSeries Arctis Pro
Make sure you check out our list of the best PS4 headsets.
Got a PlayStation 4? Great. Your next step should certainly be to consider PlayStation Plus subscription. Having Sony’s membership plan, which is sold in one-month, three-month, and annual options, is the only way you can play PS4 games online and access cloud storage for saves, but there’s a potentially even bigger perk: free games every single month.
That’s right, at the start of every month Sony drops a handful of free downloadable on PS4, and they’re yours to keep and play to your heart’s content so long as your Plus membership is active. With two or three PS4 games free each month, as well as additional discounts during sales and other promotions, the membership rapidly pays for itself.
Make sure you keep an eye on our best PS Plus deals page
There’s plenty to like about Sony’s Platinum Wireless Headphones, offering exceptional – and balanced – audio performance and an above average mic. There’s also 3D Audio support that creates 100 ‘virtual speakers’ for more immersive positional sound.
That said, the Platinum Wireless doesn’t have the same surround sound panache as the very top models.
Ultimately, it’s hard to find a better value headset that’s this easy to use and sounds this good overall. Those qualities definitely exist at a higher price, but if you’re looking for something you can set up without a fuss, you’re going to want a pair of these.
Read the full review: PlayStation Platinum Wireless Headset
Sony’s PlayStation VR is no longer brand new red-hot tech, but it’s still one of the best high-end virtual reality experiences around, not least because it’s the only one that plays nice with a home console.
The headset is comfortable and immersive, and it’s greatly helped by an increasingly impressive library of games. By the way, these are our picks of the best games on PSVR.
Experiences you won’t want to miss include the terrifying Resident Evil 7 (OK, some of you will want to miss this one) and Superhot VR. For the full experience you’ll also need a PlayStation Camera and Move controllers, as many of the top VR games require them.
Read the full review: PlayStation VR
Unlike the Kinect on Xbox One, Sony’s PlayStation Camera was never a big focus of the PS4 platform. However, it’s well worth buying if you want PSVR as it’s used to track your movements and translate those into gameplay.
There are other uses for the PlayStation Camera, as well: you can use it while streaming live games on Twitch, for example, so your viewers can see your face. However, less and less games are using the PlayStation Camera – unless you’re a big fan of Just Dance 2019.
The only true competition we’ve seen to the Wii motion controls, Sony’s Move Controllers are perfect for those who want to kick their PSVR experience up a notch.
With near-perfect precision and movement accuracy, Sony’s PlayStation Move controllers truly enhance virtual reality, providing a more immersive gameplay (for the games which are compatible with it of course).
If you aren’t interested in PSVR (or already own a headset) then there’s little reason to invest in Move controllers but for those who love stepping into a virtual reality, having a Move controller in your arsenal can prove useful.
Read the full review: PlayStation Move
Do you need more hard drive space for all the games you want to play but aren’t overly keen on digging into your console’s internals? You should definitely consider an external hard drive.
External hard drive support was introduced in February 2017 and it was something of a revelation for those who were unwilling to consider an internal hard drive change.
There are some great models out there but Seagate tends to make the biggest and the best of the bunch. This 4TB beast will hold around 100 games and since it’s made just for the PlayStation 4 you know it’s going to work well.
Make sure you check out our list of the best PS4 external hard drives.
There’s nothing worse than settling down for a long, lazy gaming session only to discover that your controller is dead. Now you’re hunting for a charging cable and moving to make sure you’re close enough to the TV – it’s sure to infuriate you more than any trash-talking 12-year-old Call of Duty guru can. But there’s an easy solution.
Sony PlayStation DualShock 4 Charging Station is a dock designed to keep two PS4 gamepads fully charged. Simply pop your DualShock 4 into the slot when you finish playing and it’ll top off while you’re not playing, ensuring the controller is ready to go the next time around. Also, you’re less likely to lose a controller if you keep ’em docked.
If you enjoy playing first-person shooter games in PlayStation VR then the PSVR Aim Controller is simply a must-have – it combines both a move controller and a DualShock into one integrated whole, transforming the experience of shooting down enemies in virtual reality (for compatible games). If only all VR accessories were this good…
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