PS4’s Share button was so awesome everyone copied it

The Nintendo Switch, PS5, and Xbox Series X all have one thing in common: a controller button that lets you take game screenshots quickly and easily. While this feature looks like something obvious that’s been around for a long time, it only became a thing for the first time on the PS4 in 2013. The share button has since become one of the best features of the system, and it seems to stick around for this next generation.

When I first heard of a dedicated share button on the PS4’s new DualShock 4 controller, I wasn’t thrilled and thought about it a lot. At the time, I thought it might be cool or maybe useful for some people. Or it would just be forgotten in a few years.

Surprisingly and fairly quickly, the PS4 share button became one of the console’s best tricks; In contrast, the lack of one on the Xbox One felt like a mistake and a big oversight. In fact, the Xbox One launched without the ability to take screenshots at all. This functionality was finally fixed in the console by March 2015, more than a year after its release. And taking screenshots on Xbox One wasn’t that easy. You had to press the guide button twice and press Y. This brought up the guide, which made it very cumbersome and cluttered in the system. By comparison, on PS4 all you had to do was hit that share button and you snapped a photo quickly and without a hitch.

After the launch of the PS4, countless games began to add photo modes, allowing gamers to create stunning screenshots using the built-in screenshot tools and the share button. This has led to the creation of a large thriving community of virtual photographers. And while it’s true that there were ways to take screenshots of PC games and console games before the share button, it made things a lot easier. Think about it: How many screenshots have you taken of your games on the Xbox 360 or PS2? For most of you, that answer is probably zero. Now I’m guessing you’ve all taken a few or more PS4 screenshots, and maybe even posted them on Twitter or Reddit.

A good sign that you’ve found something clever, clever, useful, and good is that Nintendo is copying your idea. And that’s exactly what happened. Nintendo has added its own version of a share button to Nintendo Switch controllers. Google even added a share button to the Stadia controller. And Microsoft’s latest console, the Xbox Series X, comes with a controller that now has a big share button in its middle.

At this point, it looks like the share button will be available for the foreseeable future. Much like controllers, triggers, and rumble motors, the share button has become a staple standard feature for all future game controllers and consoles. And it is awesome. Making it incredibly easy to create art and share game images, no matter how tech-savvy you are or not, is good for games. It’s also easier than ever to talk about games and share your experiences with other gamers. So while Sony’s PS4 touchpad and lightbar were busts, its share button was a huge hit that reshaped the way people interact with games. Not bad for a bit of plastic pushed in the middle of a gamepad.

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