Yesterday, Sony casually dropped the reveal of the new PS5 controller, called the DualSense. The last 24 hours have been a flurry of reactions, memes, community custom designs, and analyses of the DualSense, which is quite a large departure from this generation’s DualShock 4. Of course, the proof is in the pudding, and the only way to truly get a sense (heh) for the new controller is to go hands-on with it. Bethesda’s Pete Hines has done just that, tweeting out that he was “very impressed.”
I’ve gotten to try the haptic feedback and adaptive triggers on this thing and was very impressed. I think games are gonna do some really cool things with them. https://t.co/zZQJrTHfl6
— Pete Hines (@DCDeacon) April 8, 2020
Specifically, Hines is talking about the new haptic feedback and adaptive triggers which will change how a game actually feels to play in our hands. “I think games are gonna do some really cool things with them,” he says. Haptic feedback is different from standard rumble in that it can more accurately recreate specific feelings, as opposed to just a stronger or weaker vibration. Think of the way your phone’s touchscreen vibrates to feel like a “button” is pushed. Haptic feedback is along those same lines and will better translate the immersion of what is going on in the game. Surfaces in games will actually feel different through the controller.
Adaptive triggers are triggers that provide variable resistances based on in-game context. So, for example, pulling back a bowstring will increase resistance on the trigger as it is pulled to make you feel like you are drawing on the tension of a bowstring. This is just one example, but the feature can be used in a variety of contexts.
Being called the “DualSense” is a notable difference from the two-decade-old “DualShock” name. Sony is moving beyond the “shock” of rumble and vibration to the “sense” provided through minute and detailed haptic feedback. It seems to be a big part of Sony’s focus for next-gen, another layer to the immersive experience that is gaming. Pete Hines is just one of the first to talk about the controller with a hands-on experience, but as more developers get their hands on the final retail models, you can be sure we’ll hear continued commentary about the capabilities and feel of the PS5 DualSense controller.
Sony itself is planning on showing off the PS5 console design in the coming months and is still on track for a Holiday 2020 release.
