I’m reletively new at with the whole UE4, so this may be a sort of novice question. I understand that X-Box controllers are plug-and-play and Dulashocks require some sort of additional software to use, but would the blueprints be any different? Or would it just read X as A and O as B and so on?
UE4 got common interface for all, but everything depends on what OS interface does gamepad driver use on specific platfrom and if UE4 support it.
UE4 on Windows only support XInput (which is successor of DirectInput and made specifically for XBox hardware), it requires from gamepad hardware to support it, or else gamepod is not visible by XInput. XBox gamepad and usally any pad that mimics Xbox pad will work with XInput.
Dualshock 4 on other hand is only USB HID compatible device (Standard Human Interface Device described in USB specifications) and it runs on default Windows HID USB driver which is incompatible with XInput, so it wont work with UE4, and Sony don’t make there own PC driver. User will need to download 3rd party driver to make it work with your game, but considering most of games requires XInput-compatible gamepads this should not be such a big issue, if somebody wants to use DS4 on PC they will get driver anyway because they are forced. The same goes with DS3 it is USB HID compatible, but it unique init command, which prevent it to use in other devices then and requires driver to even be used on PC.
Linux on PC on other hand will support both Xinput devices DS4 and DS3 out of the box (it depends on how kernel of user’s distribution been compiled, but usally all desktop distributions has all kernel driver modules compiled). Not only that the kernel driver for DS4 supports all features of the pad including lightbar and touchpad (and oyu can use those in UE4 in C++) and most impotently vibration which should work with UE4 out of the box.
I also hear if you are registrated Playstation devloper you have access to UE4 plugin for DS4 used for PC, but i don’t know the details, everything regarding UE4 console development is under NDA. But my bet is Sony won’t allow you to use that plugin on PC version of your game