A report has revealed that the new PlayStation 5 DualSense controller won’t be getting a major update that players had expected. According to an update, the PS5 DualSense V3 might actually be a downgrade from previous versions.PS5 DualSense V3 Won’t Feature Removable BatteriesScreenshot: PlayStationIn October, a rumor that the PS5 DualSense V3 would have removable batteries took off like wildfire online. Leaks claimed the revised controller would allow players to open up their controller to make modifications easily. This was a big deal for many PlayStation fans, as it meant they could upgrade their controller’s battery if it started to lose power over time. Plus, it just gave players more flexibility to charge their PS5 peripherals.However, enthusiasts who got their hands on the PS5 DualSense V3 controller early have recently debunked those rumors. In an October video by Austin Evans, the tech expert showed off the new PlayStation 5 Pro revision. Evans was specifically able to tear down the DualSense V3 to its internal parts, which showed that the new controller did not, in fact, have a feature that lets people quickly swap out its batteries.Screenshot: PlayStationWhile looking at the 2024 and 2025 PS5 DualSense controllers side by side, Austin Evans confirmed that they were pretty much the same devices. Like the old DualSense, you can still technically take out the battery and swap it, but it takes just as much work as it did in previous iterations and requires taking apart the entire controller. The rumor claimed that the PS5 DualSense V3 would be designed in a way where you could just pop the back off and make a quick swap, which, based on Austin Evans’ video, clearly isn’t the case.New PS5 DualSense Controller Appears to Be a DowngradeScreenshot: PlayStationInterestingly, Austin Evans also confirmed that the new PlayStation 5 DualSense V3 edition is technically a downgrade. In his teardown of the PS5 peripheral, he discovered that Sony had removed a microphone from the controller. However, it should be pointed out that it’s not entirely clear why this decision was made.“The most obvious difference is it looks like they removed one of the microphones. So the original DualSense used to have two microphones—one in the front and one on the back. But you can see the rear microphone on the 2024 is very front and center. But in 2025, there is nothing there.” However, Evans did go on to say that he wasn’t sure whether the removed microphone would actually make that big of a difference.Unfortunately, there haven’t been any tests done between the old and new PS5 DualSense. So it hasn’t been confirmed whether the new design is an actual downgrade. But purely on a surface level, the new edition is missing a microphone and has fewer parts. Many PlayStation fans reacted to the video believing it to be a downgrade. Players pointed out that Sony recently lowered the memory of the new PS5 edition in Europe. This of course led people to theorize that Sony removed the new DualSense microphone to cut down on costs. But again, this is pure speculation.The post New PS5 DualSense V3 Controller Gets Disappointing Update—and Players Aren’t Happy appeared first on VICE.