The DualShock 3 was preceded by the original SIXAXIS controller, which lacked rumble motors and had a slightly transparent plastic shell. Because of this, early PS3 games lacked rumble, but several were retroactively patched to support the feature. The DualShock 3 released exactly one year after the PS3’s launch date. The DualShock 3 was the PS3’s main controller, and the first PlayStation controller to be wireless (well, sort of; see below). It swaped the Analog button for the Home button, and had convex triggers for L2 and R2.

This is the Ferox ship from Resogun, a 2013 launch title for the PS4 developed by Housemarque. It was one of the most well-received titles for the console, and a year later it would be ported to PS3 and PS Vita. Appropriately located in the rainy section that ends Gusty Gateway, next to a shelter you can find a Bot on the ground with an origami crane on him. This references 2010’s Heavy Rain on PS3, developed by Quantic Dream. In it, a serial killer known as the Origami Killer uses long periods of rain to drown his victims, and uses origami as his calling card. In the second mud pit of Gusty Gateway you’ll find a Bot carrying several crates while being surrounded by crabs.

Trip Down Virtual Memory Lane

Along the top edge of the ceiling in the Labo area are architectural elements that are from the PSone, the slim version of the original PlayStation. The two blank slots reference the Memory Card ports, which have flaps on them. In the PlayStation Labo area, the wall skirting just above the floor contain references to various PlayStation hardware ports. In the picture above, you can spot the PSP, PS Vita and PSP Go port and button layouts from the top and bottom of the systems. The only unknown one is the one with the Ethernet port, which doesn’t match any PlayStation system.

The PlayStation 2 Memory Card holds 8 MB of storage, eight times more than the original’s, and abandoned the blocks system so that saves could be whatever size they needed to. It could also store PS1 saves on it if copied over (which Suikoden III took advantage of), although PS1 games would not be able to detect them. Interestingly, the disc in Astro’s Playroom has a blue back, which was used for PS2 games that were small enough to fit on a CD-ROM, the format used by the original PlayStation. The DualShock was actually preceded by the Dual Analog Controller in April that same year.

Every Playstation Easter Egg In Astro’s Playroom

These bots are often trapped in cages or hidden behind environmental obstacles. Players must carefully explore each area, paying attention to visual cues and environmental hints, to locate the Special Bots and figure out how to free them. Obtaining all the Bronze trophies is not only crucial for unlocking the Platinum but also enhances the overall enjoyment of Astro’s Playroom. Each trophy represents a unique moment or challenge, adding depth and replayability to this charming PlayStation 5 experience. Astro’s Playroom features a delightful array of Bronze trophies, each representing a unique challenge or discovery within the game’s vibrant worlds.

Being cheeky robots ourselves, we thought it would be fun to turn this into a treasure hunt riddle and see how long it would take anyone to figure it out. What a big surprise to see it took the community less than 3 hours to clear that riddle. If you have missed it, here is a quick rundown of what you have to do.We hid a secret capsule in the first area of GPU Jungle (Render Forest). To make it appear, you must stand on top of a big plant near the edge of the level, just behind the Bloodborne Hunter Bot. Inside the capsule, another Special Bot (Lady Maria) appears to be trapped and needs rescuing. TR88 represents a classic PlayStation console from the PS1 all the way up to the PS5.

Astro Bot is, among other things, a masterclass in how to make a sequel to a game. There’s a number of these suits where the gameplay switches to 2D and you turn into a robot on a spring, that’s directed via motion controls and a press of the adaptive triggers. There’s also a rocket that works in a similar manner but where you have to push past the resistance it offers to fire the jets – which can also set fire to fuses and the game’s Bob-omb stand-ins. The only redeeming trait of Astro’s Playroom physical accessibility is at the system level.

And that’s on top of the way it blends some audio Easter eggs into the world that are perhaps best discovered while playing. For a free game that comes with the PlayStation 5, one largely designed just to showcase all the bells and whistles of Sony’s next-gen DualSense controller, Astro’s Playroom is surprisingly fun. It’s not just a great toybox to experience the DualSense’s haptic feedback, adaptive triggers, microphone, and more, it also delivers the best proof-of-concept pack-in I’ve played since Wii Sports. This is a truly joyous homage to PlayStation history, as well as an experimental platformer I can only hope to see turned into a larger experience during the PS5’s lifetime. Effective strategies for Silver trophies often involve revisiting levels with newly acquired abilities or knowledge.

This references Kat of Gravity Rush, released on PSVita in 2012 and developed by SIE Japan Studio. As should be evident, Kat has the ability to change the direction of gravity. In 2015, it was remastered on the PlayStation 4 by Bluepoint Games.

To earn it, you need to race in all eight levels and have all your best times total up to less than seven minutes (so an average of about 52.5 seconds each). Remember, once you’re done collecting all the Special Bots, you’ll be able to transfer them to new game Astro Bot. For a full list of All Bots Locations and All VIP Bots in the latest title, check out our Astro Bot PS5 guide. If for some reason you don’t like blowing into your controller’s microphone, just turn it off. When you encounter a windmill in the game, the interaction will start automatically. It is worth mentioning that if you accidentally die by picking up an earlier piece of the puzzle, its place will be replaced by a transparent piece of the puzzle.

To find the special bot in SSD Speedway, head to the Bot Beach area. To find the special bot in SSD Speedway, head to the Deep Dataspace area. To find the special bot in GPU Jungle, head to the Renderforest area. You don’t usually see this kind of charm and polish in the genre unless it has Mario’s name attached to it. He has a simple move set consisting of a jump, a hover, and some punches.

While many games supported the DualShock, very few utilized the right analog stick. JAPAN Studio’s own Ape Escape is famous for requiring the use of a DualShock for this very reason. Even though Astro’s Playroom is relatively simple, it kept me entertained for about five hours with its array of challenges and entertaining Easter eggs. During Astro’s jaunt through the guts of the PS5, you run across all sorts of PlayStation references and memorabilia.