PS5 DualSense Wireless Controller

Description

DESIGN

Essentially, while it may not look it from an initial glance, the DualSense controller is based on the PS4’s DualShock 4 – easily the best controller in PlayStation’s history so far.

Yes, the colour might have changed – to a two-tone design – and the bulk seemingly increased and rounded off a little (to, almost, Xbox-form), but the thumbsticks are in the same position and there is still a touchpanel at the top. A lightbar returns too, albeit either side of the touchpanel rather than on the top.

Haptic feedback

One new feature added to the DualSense controller is haptic feedback. Instead of just the plain old rumble pack found in controllers across many generations of gaming, the DualSense will give a player a tangible feedback to better immerse him or her in a game.

Adaptive triggers

Along with haptic feedback, the new controller adopts adaptive triggers for the L2 and R2 buttons.

These also introduce content-related feedback and finer control, such as when you are pulling the trigger of a gun on screen, or pulling back a bow to fire off an arrow.

Battery life

Another biggy for the PlayStation team was to improve the battery life in the latest controller. That’s perhaps one of the DualShock 4’s main caveats and it’s great to hear it is being addressed.

There is no word yet on how large the battery is, or how long it might last, but the slightly bulkier design of the new controller is partly as a result of cramming in a bigger battery. And that’s great to hear.

No “Share” button

As previously rumoured, the Share button has gone. However, it has been replaced with a new “Create” button feature.

It launches a new Creation Studio tool that allows players much more control over their screengrabs and captured videos, than currently possible on the PS4. We’ll find out more about it later, for sure.

Built-in microphones

One thing that will please multiplayer/social gamers no end is the new facility to chat in-game and with other players without the need for a headset – especially for short periods and when voice audio quality isn’t that important.

The DualSense will come with its own microphone array built into the controller. We wonder if this might also be a signal that the console could be compatible with voice assistants, such as Alexa or Google Assistant? Maybe even its own voice recognition system (better than the one Sony has dabbled with before)?

What this means for PS5

With the DualSense controller being unveiled ahead of the PlayStation 5, it was clear that we were in for something quite special – design wise. And we weren’t disappointeD