A bizarre thread has appeared over on Reddit warning PlayStation 5 users that they probably shouldn't wear a mechanical watch while using the DualSense controller. The author of the thread claims that Sony's next-gen controller can, in theory, magnetise your timepiece, rendering it useless.
Saguchi warned (via PlayStation Universe) that the DualSense controller can emit strong magnetic fields "not only at the speaker level (which is to be expected) but also at the grips themselves." He added that mechanical watches are quickly undone by the likes of water, shocks, and magnetism, so the PlayStation 5's fancy new controller could be a real threat.
"I did some further readings while holding the controller and measuring the field at the wrist level," the Redditor explained. "The intensity does drop to near-normal levels (maybe partly attenuated by my hand). So it might be safe to use the controller while wearing a mechanical watch but I wouldn't leave the controller very close to a watch when not in use."
While other users in the thread have acknowledged that the DualSense is more magnetic than the PlayStation 4's DualShock 4, Saguchi's claims have been met with some skepticism - to the extent that they updated the post to apologise for having caused any undue alarm.
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"Some comments suggested that the generated EMF is not strong enough to magnetize a watch," they wrote. "This might be true and I might have raised a false alarm (to be intellectually and scientifically honest). I am basing what I said on the fact that 1. the values I measured are similar to those I measured from speakers, and 2. many watchmakers state in their manuals that speakers, case bucle magnets, fridge door magnets, etc. can magnetize watches. I am terribly sorry if I alarmed you unnecessarily."
Given that the PlayStation 5 has sold remarkably well worldwide and has already been available for a few months now, it does feel likely that we would have heard about the DualSense controller magnetising at least a few mechanical watches by now. As Saguchi says, there's probably no cause for alarm here... but if you really do feel like playing it safe, take this as a reminder to remove your watch next time you're playing Demon's Souls.
Featured Image Credit: SonyTopics: PlayStation 5, GAMING, News