007 First Light art director says the limited edition Dualsense controller
was inspired by a 'light' theme, not the inside of a gun barrel 'What we
were trying to do with that was reference more how the UI of the game feels'

Date:
Fri, 01 May 2026 12:47:52 +0000

Description:
IO Interactive has addressed criticism of the design of the 007 First Light limited-edition DualSense wireless controller, confirming it's not what some fans think.

FULL STORY ======================================================================Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Reddit Pinterest Flipboard Threads Email Share this article 0 Join the conversation Follow us Add us as a preferred source on Google Newsletter Subscribe to our newsletter 007 First Light art director Rasmus Poulsen has responded to the limited-edition Dualsense criticism He says the design is inspired by the game's UI and "light" theme Poulsen adds, "I think it's actually very telling that it's not a straight-up gun barrel"
IO Interactive has addressed criticism of the design of the 007 First Light limited-edition DualSense wireless controller, confirming it's not what some fans think.

Last month, Sony unveiled the gorgeous new DualSense , which will launch alongside the game on May 27 for $84.99 / 74.99 / 84.99. The gold and black design features a '007' logo on the touchpad and is surrounded by straight lines fanning out across the controller. It was thought that the design was inspired by the iconic opening of James Bond movies, which typically show 007 walking across the screen from the perspective of inside a gun barrel, before whipping out his pistol. Article continues below You may like Channeling the 'timeless style of the franchise' Sony's next limited edition DualSense lets you embrace your inner Man with the Golden Gun and I simply must add it to my collection James Bond 007 First Light PS5 controller pre-orders live now the best links and info 007 First Light's combat designer tells us what makes a classic Bond brawl

However, after the announcement, some fans criticised the design, reasoning that if it were the case, the lines should actually be curved and spiralled, not straight.

"I was immediately bothered that the design, which is clearly trying to emulate the iconic opening, didnt have 'rifling' (the swirly bit in the
barrel that stabilizes the bullet)," one user said on Reddit .

Another responded, saying, "The idea of a 007 themed controller, with a
design inspired by the inside of a barrel, NOT referencing the 007 intro stretches my credulity a bit too far lol."

Now, in an interview with Eurogamer , 007 First Light art director Rasmus Poulsen has set the record straight and confirmed the design is not intended to simply mimic a gun barrel. Get daily insight, inspiration and deals in
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"The thing about the straight lines is everybody can do just a gun barrel, right? But in that sense, I think it's actually very telling that it's not a straight-up gun barrel, because that is an icon of the franchise," Poulsen said.

"It isn't actually anywhere," he added, suggesting you don't see rifling in the real world or in Bond movies beyond the iconic title cards. "I mean, it's inside every weapon, of course - but now I'm getting ahead of myself."

The art director goes on to explain the real intention behind the design, revealing that it's a reference to the game's UI and its "light and shadow" themes. First Light , get it? What to read next 007 First Light gameplay director says players will 'see the Arkham games' in the combat, as well as Uncharted in its destructive environments 007 First Light senior combat designer explains how all the cool gadgets can be used in combat 007 First Light dev explains the game's unique 'license to kill' mechanic

"What we were trying to do with that was reference more how the UI of the
game feels," Poulsen explained. "So rather than simply making a franchise stamp, it relates to our product, in the sense that it has that UI sense -
and then it has more of a, dare I say, 'Sun' flavour, referring back to the title. And you've seen the title sequence. So there's some things about light and shadow that we wanted to play with."

If you would like to get your hands on the 007 First Light limited-edition DualSense wireless controller, preorders are now live.

The game's launch is just around the corner, and TechRadar Gaming has already had the chance to preview it. Follow TechRadar on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our expert news, reviews, and opinion in your feeds. Make sure to click the Follow button! The best gaming consoles All the best consoles of this generation

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Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/gaming/007-first-light-art-director-says-the-limited -edition-dualsense-controller-was-inspired-by-a-light-theme-not-the-inside-of- a-gun-barrel-what-we-were-trying-to-do-with-that-was-reference-more-how-the-ui -of-the-game-feels


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