Sony PS5 DualSense Controller Revealed
April 8, 2020Sony has revealed what the upcoming PlayStation 5’s controller will look like. And based on first impressions, its a welcomed departure from the company’s usual Single-tone colour scheme. The arctic white colour choice for the bulk of the controller (transparent button housing), accented by the PS4’s cherished matte black center section lend a futuristic look he controller with a futuristic look.
Mind, this isn’t a brand new device. Sony took the tried and tested DualShock PS4 controller and made evolutionary improvements where necessary. And as a result, its now called the DualSense controller. While the DualShock was all about the violent jolts associated with action gameplay, the DualSense places much emphasis on immersive feedback.
Haptic feedback is at the heart of the new controller’s functionality. It is meant to invoke powerful sensations during gameplay. An example of this is the resistance felt by a rally car when meandering past a muddy track. This experience is expected to be more realistic than that experienced with he DualShock 4.
This is also carried over to the adaptive triggers incorporated into the L2 and R2 buttons. It is able to simulate sense of tension, like when drawing a bow to shoot an arrow. As a result, this could be game-changing, pun intended, especially for titles that offer ‘nail-biting’ action sequences.
Sony says that this was tall order, shoehorning cutting edge tech into the DualSense without making it look bulky. Its design and engineering team worked together regarding trigger and actuator placement. In the end, they achieved the intended look by changing the angle of the hand triggers and altering the the grip somewhat.
Other subtle changes include moving the controller’s light indicator from the top, to each side of the touchpad. The “share” button, is now called “Create”, and is said to be the improvement of the former. More details of this will be divulged at a later date.
A first for the PlayStation is the addition of a built-in microphone array. This will enable gamers to engage in brief conversations with their friends without the need of a headset. However, Sony doesn’t expect this to replace an actual headset, especially if you plan on conversing for an extended period of time.
Though stopping short of revealing details of the battery, Sony says that steps have been taken to ensure the controller offers strong battery life. Also, weight saving measures were taken were possible to compensate for the extra heft of the new hardware/features.
