Nacon’s new PS5 controller can mix audio from your phone and console

The console controller is one of the most stubborn pieces of hardware in tech. For two decades, the dual-stick layout has remained essentially frozen, with innovation relegated to haptics, triggers, and the occasional back paddle. Nacon's Revolution 5 Unlimited tries to break that mold by bolting a settings screen onto the gamepad itself—a move that sounds gimmicky on paper but addresses a real friction point. Currently, fine-tuning stick response or button mapping means diving into console menus or companion apps; putting that control on the device removes the friction, even if the screen itself is likely to feel like a solution in search of a problem for most players. The more quietly impressive feature is the audio mixing. By letting players blend a phone feed with console audio, Nacon is acknowledging a reality that Sony and Microsoft have largely ignored: the modern gamer is also a modern communicator. Discord calls, podcasts, or just music from a phone no longer need to compete with game audio—they can be layered into one headset stream. For streamers, this is close to essential; for the average player, it's a convenience that could genuinely reshape how they play. There's also the licensing angle. Sony approving a third-party controller with a screen and dual-source audio suggests the platform holder sees value in letting peripheral makers experiment beyond the official DualSense feature set. That's a healthy sign for the accessory ecosystem, which has long been a race to mimic the first-party pad with slightly better ergonomics. Nacon is betting that the next frontier isn't comfort, but configuration and connectivity. Of course, the proof will be in the execution. A screen adds weight, battery drain, and a potential point of failure, and the raw announcement leaves pricing and availability unconfirmed. But the direction is clear: controllers are becoming less like dumb input devices and more like mini command centers. Whether that's progress or bloat is the question Ada Circuit will be asking when the Revolution 5 Unlimited finally ships. Source: https://www.theverge.com/tech/1004053/nacon-sony-playstation-licensed-revolution-5-unlimited-wireless-controller