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From here on out, it feels like the rumors and speculation about next-gen consoles are only going to ramp up more. We know for sure the next PlayStation isn't going to give us the disc drive console gaming has become synonymous with, but what shape will the other hardware take? I for one, feel like it's about damn time stock console controllers come with back buttons as standard. They've become the norm on even budget PC controllers , so why not Sony and Microsoft's official ones?

Maybe this is just my hot take as a controller reviewer, but back buttons should really be a guarantee in 2026. Hell, by the time the next consoles roll out, we'll probably be in 2028, with over a decade of the controller market integrating them into our gaming peripherals.

But what's your take? For some gamers (me), back buttons have become a must-have feature, and one that's hard to go back to doing without. But I have heard other folks saying the opposite, that back buttons aren't a necessity, or are annoying and even get in the way of pressing the standard buttons on a gamepad.

Thankfully, a few pro controllers that have back buttons will have lockable switches on them so that if you don't want to use them, they're not going to get in the way, which could surely be a happy medium.

I feel like the reason for Sony and Microsoft not putting them in stock controllers until now has been all about pricing, which is bound to be a controversial topic in the next console generation.

The performative reasoning is probably "it would cost more to put them on controllers, so we don't want to do it", but I'm not sure that holds weight these days. You can look at the majority of the best TMR controllers these days, and despite their advanced thumbstick technology, loads of the ones designed for PC and Switch cost less than, or around the same as, a DualSense. Oh, and all but one of the top nine I've recommended on that list have back buttons.

(Image credit: Future / Duncan Robertson) The Hyperkin Competitor , a DualSense knock-off for Xbox that comes in cheaper than Sony's PS5 controller , has back buttons, and I can think of loads of others from GameSir, 8BitDo, Flydigi, PowerA, and EasySMX that offer back buttons for less than the cost of a DualSense, so I don't think Sony or Microsoft could possibly say they'd cost too much to integrate.

Money could well be the reason back buttons are reserved for the Elite Series 2 and the DualSense Edge , but it's got nothing to do with costs. Sony and Microsoft likely see the value and demand for controllers with extra functionality, but they know people are willing to pay more for them. Ie, they want to charge you a premium for it through their more expensive homemade pro controllers.

(Image credit: Future / Duncan Robertson) But as gaming continues to get more expensive, and the lines between PC and console gaming continue to blur, I'm not sure this is going to hold up anymore. With so many affordable third-party gamepads in the mix these days that offer more in terms of design, features, and customization than the stock PS5 and Xbox controller, people have so many reasons to look elsewhere.

The reasons for considering a PC versus a console are getting louder and louder, and more affordable controllers that don't need to be licensed to a console platform could be one of them.

The DualSense has had a pretty rough time on the shelves since 2020, with stick drift issues and longevity problems that have forced people to buy replacements - and expensive ones at that, seeing as it has a lofty $70-$100 price tag depending on the colorway. If the next PlayStation or Xbox will cost you the same as a Steam Machine (or more), then the next gamepads for those consoles need to be built to last. They at least need to offer enough of a bargain to get people on board who are burned by the decision to end physical media access.

(Image credit: Future / Duncan Robertson) For reference, the Official Switch 2 Pro Controller has two back buttons, and the official Steam Controller has four back buttons, grip sensor buttons, and trackpads for maximum utility.

If you can't tell, I really hope to see back buttons as standard on next-gen controllers. If anything, just to offer some value for money in what will surely be a generation where the concept of ownership of hardware and software will go under the microscope.

For more, take a look at the best Xbox Series X controllers , the best Switch 2 controllers , and the best PC racing wheels .

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Samsung has been preparing a new home screen setting for One UI 9, with the option for a Google Search bar.

With One UI 9 stable on the new Z8 series, we finally see this setting make its debut.

Users can choose from Google Search, Finder, both, or neither.

Samsung’s latest major platform release is here, as the Android 17-based One UI 9 hits stable for the launch of Samsung’s latest foldables, including the wide new Galaxy Z Fold 8 . As we look forward to Samsung getting the ball rolling with updates for its existing Galaxy models, we wanted to briefly shine the spotlight on one very nice change that makes Samsung’s phones feel just a little more like Google’s own.

A couple months back, we spotted Samsung preparing to give One UI 9 the ability to let users choose between Finder and Google for their home screen search experience. And now, with the debut of One UI 9 stable, we’re seeing that change in action (Thanks: Dylan H).

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Nintendo's release calendar, dotted with Star Fox and The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, might make you think you got sucked up by a wormhole and thrown back to the '90s (until you look at the price tags). Mario creator and Nintendo director Shigeru Miyamoto can empathize. He knows the developer has been fiddling with a lot of remakes lately, but he thinks it's reasonable to do so when fans have such short attention spans.

Miyamoto tells Famitsu in a new interview (translated by Nintendo Everything ), "Some people might say there are a lot of remakes, but after five years, a lot of people have outgrown games and stop playing them."

Just guessing, but I think there are probably a few people out there who would take issue with the idea that they have "outgrown" one of the developer's titles, especially after a measly five years. I, for one, have been gladly helping my Nintendo DS Cooking Mama in the kitchen for a glorious 17 years.

But Nintendo seems eager to introduce newcomers to what first made it a major video game brand.

Miyamoto continues, "Young people today don't have the opportunity to play games from 10 years ago, so remaking them to be more playable and releasing them again is a good way to meet the demand."

I'm a little skeptical of this, too – I think young people would have more opportunity to play Nintendo's old games if the developer didn't actively kill servers for hardware like the 3DS and Wii U . That said, I don't expect developers to keep their old hardware alive forever.

Instead, I wish Nintendo realized that a fresh crop of fans might be willing to donate their organs if it started releasing undeniably creative, new games the way it used to all the time – and is now trying to replicate, but heavily through remakes. It's willingly stuck in the past.

(Image credit: Nintendo) Earlier this summer, former Nintendo marketing leads Kit Ellis and Krysta Yang expressed frustration with Nintendo's remake strategy in a YouTube video on the topic, worrying that a "truly creative company like Nintendo" had resigned itself to being a nostalgia act.

"That would be so sad if they kind of buried that [innovative] part of themselves away because they were too scared to take the risk," Yang said at the time.

Miyamoto seems to think remakes are one way Nintendo can earn stardom among a new generation, telling Famitsu, "Letting people know the original games also leads to future developments, so we've been actively pursuing that recently."

It's heartening to know Nintendo is at least keeping "future developments" in mind as it revisits its older titles. But if Miyamoto really believes players completely drop a lovable game after just five years, he might underestimate what made Nintendo's greatest games so great to begin with.

Nintendo promises to keep "aiming for unique entertainment that only we could produce" as it shouts out its continued "originality" following recent fan vote .