One of the best things about each new year of games is the new ideas they bring to the table, changing the future of games as we know them. What is a “new idea?” All ideas stem from other ideas, evolutions of evolutions of thought and processes. Our current games, no matter how original they may seem, all come from the games that came before. And yet, somehow developers still manage to come up with new things that shock us, delight us, and surprise us. They introduce elements into games that are unexpected or twists on tired old ideas. We left the definition of this category pretty broad this year and allowed the staff to determine for themselves what constituted a “new idea.” Here are the PlayStation LifeStyle nominations for Best New Idea in 2020.
- DualSense Features
- Call of Duty’s Cross-Game Progression
- FUSER Music Mixing
- PS5 Activity Cards/Control Center
Best New Idea in 2020 Winner
DualSense Controller Features
With the launch of a brand new console, the DualSense controller finally broke the old tradition of PlayStation controllers being called the DualShock, and for good reason. “Shock” was no longer the right word. The DualSense isn’t just about rumble or introducing vibration, but in immersing players in the game through a sense of feeling. The haptic feedback, adaptive triggers, onboard mic and mute button, and little features help make this controller one of the biggest innovations in console gaming, where games actually feel different to play.
Reader’s Choice Winner
DualSense Controller Features
It wasn’t even close. In an overwhelming blowout, readers voted the DualSense Controller Features as the best new idea of 2020, enthralled with the detailed way in which adaptive triggers and haptics change what we feel as we play. It truly is deserving of the name change as Sony tries to make the PS5 an even more immersive gaming experience, largely through the controller.
Don’t miss our full lineup of nominees for the PlayStation LifeStyle Game of the Year awards. We’ll be revealing more winners all throughout the week, leading up to the Game of the Year on Friday January 1.
