Limited Edition The Last of Us Controller Announced—So Why Am I Angry?

Sony has just revealed a new limited edition The Last of Us inspired DualSense controller, and it's… beautiful. It features a sleek black-and-white design, with the Firefly, moth, and wolf symbols emblazoned in white on black, surrounded by dozens of subtle, black-on-black details. It looks fantastic. It's exactly the kind of custom PlayStation hardware fans love. And yet, it makes me furious.

Why? Because Sony Is Wasting Its Best Feature

When the PS5 was first revealed, it sparked endless discussion. Some people loved its alien-like design, others hated it, and many were just baffled. But one thing was undeniably cool: the detachable faceplates. The idea of easily swapping faceplates to customize your PS5 opened up endless possibilities. Within hours of the console's reveal, the internet was flooded with mockups—Spider-Man, God of War, Horizon Zero Dawn, Days Gone, Uncharted, The Last of Us—every major PlayStation franchise had stunning fan-made designs that made us all dream of an era where we could truly personalize our consoles.

Fast forward 4.5 years… and all we got was colors.

Sony released nine solid-colored faceplates. That's it. No special designs, no franchise-themed editions—just colors (and a single gray camo version). And while they have released two limited-edition consoles (Spider-Man 2 and the 30th Anniversary Edition), those can only be purchased as full consoles—no standalone faceplate options. So if you already own a PS5? Too bad. Want the Spider-Man logo on your existing console? Better shell out for an entirely new system.

Why?! Why create removable faceplates if you're not going to sell actual cool ones? Why not let me buy an Astro Bot-themed PS5? Why force me to spend hundreds of dollars on a second console instead of just selling me the design I want? It makes zero sense.

Controllers Have Swappable Faceplates Too—So Why Not Use Them?

In case you didn't know, DualSense controllers also have detachable faceplates. Granted, they're a bit trickier to swap out, but it's totally doable. Instead of making me buy an entirely new controller for every special edition, why not sell custom faceplates for the ones I already own?

So while I appreciate the effort behind this The Last of Us controller, I can't help but feel like Sony is completely missing the point. Let us customize our existing hardware! It just doesn't make any DualSense!