2 Attachment(s)
PS5 Game Developers Reveal How Games Will Use DualSense Haptic Feedback
The PlayStation 5 DualSense controller’s new haptic feedback system may be the biggest functional change from the DualShock, and developers are now revealing just how they’ll use the upcoming feature. Until recently, players didn’t even know what the PS5’s new controller would look like up close, fueling speculation about its design and numerous leaks before the official unveiling.
Many PlayStation fans were shocked when Sony revealed the DualSense controller, which looks substantially different from the DualShock that had been around since the PlayStation 1. While the initial reveal - which didn’t actually show the controller in anyone’s hands - left some fans worried that the DualSense would be too large, leaks and an official reveal confirmed that it’s similar in size to the old controller despite its radical new look.
Now, game developers are opening up about the differences hiding under the DualSense’s new shell. Sony had previously announced that the PS5 controller would have enhanced haptic feedback, and now players are getting a better idea of just what that means. Along with the reveal of the PS5’s first commercial, the PlayStation Blog published remarks from developers of several PS5 games about exactly how they’ll use the new feature. Spider-Man: Miles Morales will use haptic feedback to indicate where attacks are coming from and adding rumble that moves from one side of the controller to the other when Miles attacks. Demon’s Souls will use different feeling responses depending on whether a player’s attack or parry is successful. Maybe most interestingly, Deathloop will even block the controller’s triggers when the player’s weapon jams to give them another level of immediate feedback.
The PS5 isn’t the first console to promise that its controller’s feedback would change the game. The Nintendo Switch’s advertised “HD Rumble” didn’t end up amounting to much, so some skepticism around whether the DualSense’s haptics can deliver certainly seems justified. If developers’ intentions pan out, though, it sounds like the PS5 could really capitalize on its new level of haptic feedback to give players a significant new way to interact with their favorite games.
Of course, players won’t know how successful the DualSense pulls off its new haptic systems until they actually have one in their hands. Unlike graphics and gameplay, there’s no way to get even a sense of the controller’s haptics just from watching a video, and even specific descriptions of how it will feel paint a fuzzy picture at best. Fortunately, there’s not much longer to wait until the PS5’s probable November release so players can decide from themselves whether it’s worth the fuss.
