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'

• 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.

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, didn’t 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.

"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 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.

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