PlayStation 5 has now arrived in the homes of almost all gamers and looks like a console with almost all the latest features. However, the DualSense Ps5 controller makes it really interesting. Sony has evidently worked a lot on the development of the new PS5 controller, integrating features that work in a way that creates a far greater involvement than that offered by the previous generation.
In this article, we will review the latest PS5 DualSense Controller that is made for the next-gen. It comes with a whole series of features and dynamics that we have analyzed in-depth in this article. The innovation brought by Sony to the world of gaming thanks to PS5, but above all to the DualSense controller as we have seen, is huge and pushes to approach the titles even just to verify the total integration with the peripheral.
Contents
Design of Dualsense Ps5 Controller
When you buy this controller, you realize that Sony totally changed its design. The series of traditional elements of the pad is based on the DualSense design. Therefore, the shape remains that typical of the DualShock with very pronounced horns and a massive central body, but more slender than the Xbox pads; equally, the alignment of the analogs remains the usual: symmetrical with the two sticks perfectly aligned.
But once these basic elements are removed, the pad violently distances itself from its predecessor: it is slightly larger on all 3 dimensions and weighs significantly more, giving a feeling of greater resistance, almost of grandeur. The color scheme is completely altered and compatible with PS5. The glossy black gives way to the same very light gray, almost white color of the primary structure, interrupted by the black of the lower section of the central core and the analogs. Now the colors are all opaque, and the pad has a very pleasant smooth texture that contrasts well with the very slight roughness that instead characterizes the back of the controller.
The dualsense completely changes the front buttons and the digital cross that sets the traditional colors in favor of a transparent button panel with the gray symbols imprinted on a white background with a style that recalls PSP’s aesthetics.
Trackpad size
Significantly increase the size of the trackpad, which now assumes a trapezoidal shape with a completely smooth texture, in line with that of the rest of the pad and those of the dorsals and triggers. The former is now much higher to house the indexes much better, while the triggers are slightly wider, also in this case for greater ergonomics while maintaining their typical “comma” shape on the final.
In terms of feeling, while there is no difference in the return of force. The triggers appear in the last’s precision automatically more complicated, which requires greater force. This also applies, of course, when the pad is completely at rest, without the effect of adaptive triggers. It is very difficult to assess whether this is an advantage or a defect because it certainly goes to sensation, but for what concerns us, we appreciated this increase in resistance.
Buttons
Moving on to the directional cross and the front buttons, there are no differences with those present on the DualShock 4, apart from a different noise at the click of the 4 cross, triangle, circle, and square buttons, which probably indicates the presence of rubber inside the pad for increased resistance to vibrations.
The haptic feedback and force feedback is pretty much the same as the DS4 and, we can’t hide that; we would have expected more on that front. We feel the same also for the analogs, which are practically identical to those of the predecessor. Same stroke, same thickness, and the same type of coating and housing of the thumb even if you perceive an increase in the roughness of the rubber used, which certainly helps, not a little, the grip of the sticks.
Button Ergonomics
We liked the style shift of the PlayStation button, now influenced by a lot of ergonomics. The two menu and share buttons slightly raised from the body compared to their positioning on the DualShock 4. Little to say, instead of the only additional button of the DualSense, which has the single purpose of mutating the microphone now integrated into the pad. LEDs combine well with the LEDs across the trackpad, which show you which driver number is allocated at a glance. The classic light signal in blue and orange indicates that the pad is triggered or charged.
The aesthetics of the DualSense control system satisfy the users. It is a really different pad from its predecessor and the competition. Thanks to visually very flashy solutions such as ”cutting off” the horns. However, some users were significantly disappointed by the total absence of improvements on the front of the buttons, their tactile feedback, precision, and force feedback. On this front, competition is clearly a step forward.
Must Read: Best Controller For PS5 In 2021
Adaptive triggers
The adaptive triggers of the DualSense controller is another major highlight. Gamers claim that trying them teleported us for the first time to the future, and it was something that we never had before. Also on this front, Astro’s Playroom is really the perfect technical demo created specifically to make the mouth open, but also a Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales with the resistance of the triggers that “breaks” when a spider web breaks while we are swinging with it in the streets of New York, makes its beautiful effect.
We find it very difficult to put into words what it means to use these adaptive triggers, but we can guarantee that what you imagine happens: the triggers modify their resistance in real-time in such a way as to be entirely harder to push or to have a double bottom that requires 2 different forces to press up to bottom the trigger.
Independent vibration
The result is amazing and, combined with the independent vibration; each trigger can return; it will leave you breathless the first time you experience this revolution. It will seem absolutely natural to see exactly what happens on screen transmitted on these elements of the pad. This transforms DualSense into a tactile extension of the visual and sound components of video games.
From this point of view, we not only praise the work by Sony, but we sincerely hope that the greatest number of developers can embrace this technology to create new forms of involvement and thus stimulate the imagination and immersion of the player, using adaptive triggers to recreate brand new resistances and sensations. A slight flickering that follows a climb on disconnected walls, a trigger that fails when the ammunition runs out or “sticks” when a weapon jams, different resistances depending on the type of equipment held in the 2 hands.
The only limitation to adaptive triggers could be the laziness of third-party developers forced to develop their titles for multiple platforms where, clearly, only PS5 can offer this added value.
Haptic feedback
The haptic feedback of the DualSense is a great innovation in the gaming world. What is it in concrete terms? Just imagine what a classical environment you have encountered for years in your chosen controller but brought it to a new degree of sensitivity and dynamic range.
The sensations multiply, and the precision of the feedback can really amaze in some situations, and from this point of view, Astro’s Playroom really represents the perfect test bench: a technical demo able to perfectly show all the real potential of this haptic feedback.
What is striking and involving is not only this dynamism capable of returning extremely different sensations ranging from the raindrops that fall on the controlled avatar to the numerous surfaces on which we can make it walk, but it is above all the enormous fluidity of the change of intensity and passage of vibration from one side of the joypad to the other to amaze.
The “rumble” crosses the entire DualSense seamlessly, and the result is engaging because it never returns that artificial feeling of the motor that turns on and off according to the impulses of the game. Here it really seems to have something in your hands that is constantly moving, altering its range dynamically and instantaneously according to what happens on the screen.
Audio and vibration
Coming up to this point, we can already understand how DualSense has actually revolutionized the way we can interface with video games from now on. The controller characteristics are not complete yet. The DualSense features, just like the DS4, an integrated speaker capable of emitting music, noises and even reproducing the chat of a party without necessarily having to use headphones, TV, or audio system.
Sony’s idea of adding an integrated microphone that allows for very fast communications before switching to headphones that can be plugged into the 3.5 mm mini-jack socket on the bottom of the pad is therefore absolutely intelligent. The integrated microphone is in fact sufficient and has a good listening range.
In a title like Spider-Man: Miles Morales in which we have to swing between the skyscrapers of New York launching cobwebs, the DualSense returns the sound feedback of Miles’ canvas, combined with a slight vibration that wants to reproduce the same sensation felt by hours hero at each launch. The audio from the controller as we all know already existed in PS4, however, combining it here with the haptic feedback of DualSense generates far more pleasant feelings.
Must Read: Nacon Ps4 Controller Review
Autonomy
We tried to use the controller with as many games as possible to simulate the proper use of the pad, where clearly our long test with the PlayStation 5 would have forced us to focus on the exclusives produced by Sony. And starting from the autonomy of the DualSense we cannot be completely satisfied. The battery integrated into the pad is 50% larger (1560 mAh against the 1000 mAh of the DS4).
However, the real problem is when using games capable of putting DualSense under pressure on all Astro’s Playroom. We played for a long time with the ASOBI title and frequently we found ourselves with the pad indicator flashing, signaling the almost total download, much earlier than we would have imagined. It is always possible to play while charging the pad connected to the console or a power bank.
Compatibility
The controller can be used both on PC and Android and iPhone mobile devices. In these last 2 cases, associate the controller to the smartphone or tablet by pressing the PlayStation and Share buttons simultaneously for a few seconds. The connection takes place via Bluetooth. The pad is immediately recognized even if, at the time of writing this review, we encountered a problem in the arrangement of the front keys that appeared to have slipped by one position: the cross instead of the square, the square instead of the triangle and so on.
We remind you that the DualSense adopts a USB Type C port, no longer the micro-USB of the DualShock 4. Currently, on the PC the controller work on Windows 10 as a simple Wireless Controller. You will have to install the individual software to configure it. Steam requires the setup of the entire key scheme not presenting, at the moment, the specific configuration of the PS5 controller.
Summary
The DualSense PS5 controller is the most successful product of the entire PS5 project. It is beautiful to see; it strongly moves away from the DualShock tradition and, above all, introduces a handful of very interesting features with one element, in particular, the adaptive triggers, which take on a revolutionary value in the video game landscape. If you like this article, then share it with those friends who plan to buy a new Ps5 Console.