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DualSense Designer Explains Early Experiments for PS5 Controller

IbizaPocholo

NeoGAFs Kent Brockman

As the first anniversary of the controller draws near, Sony has shared new information with IGN on the creation of the DualSense and how its notables features were always intended in the controller's final design.

Sony Interactive Entertainment Product Director Toshi Aoki told IGN that it was always part of the product team's plan to include both haptic feedback and adaptive triggers in the DualSense, noting how they saw haptics being used in mobile technology and decided to create "their own experiments to see how we can bring this into gameplay."

When creating the first prototype, Aoki says that the product team was using haptics and motion sensors with a demo that featured a metal ball and a plastic ball rolling in a box, which he told us "worked really well." The next prototype included a DualShock 4 with haptic feedback and found the same demo provided a similar experience.

When the product team shared the prototype with the PlayStation Studio teams, "everyone who experienced it said they wanted it in the next controller," Aoki tells IGN.

As far as the adaptive triggers go, Aoki says that the L2 and R2 trigger buttons were the most used buttons on previous PlayStation controllers, and the team "wanted to find ways to leverage the buttons to add to the sense of touch."

During early testing, the product team tested early demos using adaptive triggers with a motion controller in VR and were impressed with the results. "It felt amazing," Aoki said. "Especially because you can see yourself pulling the triggers in a gun simultaneously with what you were doing with your hands."
 

saintjules

Member
I've used the haptic feedback and adaptive triggers extensively and I enjoyed them personally. I think Astro's Playroom and Returnal have used them super well.

I've read comments on here and on other forums that people mainly turn them off during gameplay. I get why, but is it really a 'next-gen' experience when one of the biggest features of the PS5 are turned off entirely?
 
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Tschumi

Member
Well, that was interesting, in a nutshell: "we knew what we were doing from the start and it worked from the start", but I guess that's the ideal.. I've yet to use one, might be a long time before i do, but i definitely think it's in a whole other ballpark to its competitors.
 
I've used the haptic feedback and adaptive triggers extensively and I enjoyed them personally. I think Astro's Playroom and Returnal have used them super well.

I've read comments on here and on other forums that people mainly turn them off during gameplay. I get why, but is it really a 'next-gen' experience when one of the biggest features of the PS5 are turned off entirely?
I own both consoles and I like both controllers. I think dualsense feels more next gen due to what is mentioned above. However, either for me really its not really a make or break and both feel comfy in your hands and play well and at that point its personal preference. Even if you turn off that stuff I don't think your truly missing a next gen experience. Its nice, but not a must experience imo.
 

TrueLegend

Member
So this guy created a 70$ drift hazard in a perfectly stable controller, so YouTubers can give a hot take on a demo game. Have we forgotten Sixaxis, move, and all the gimmicky stuff and where it always leads. The only thing I wanted to be improved in DS4 was curved handles like xbox and latency. That's it.
 

Venom Snake

Gold Member
They could have made an improved Dualshock with no gimmicky sensors and no touchpad.
Simply better batery life (or even AA batteries too) and better support for PCs and Mobile.

But noooooooo, let's appeal to muh marketing and pretend we're doing something innovative.

Yeah let's go further and bring back cables and develop kite support.

1. PC already has a of fuckton controllers in all possible shapes, sizes and price ranges.

2. A mobile phone is a controller itself.

3. AA batteries are for wall clocks.
 
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bender

What time is it?
They could have made an improved Dualshock with no gimmicky sensors and no touchpad.
Simply better batery life (or even AA batteries too) and better support for PCs and Mobile.

But noooooooo, let's appeal to muh marketing and pretend we're doing something innovative.
So this guy created a 70$ drift hazard in a perfectly stable controller, so YouTubers can give a hot take on a demo game. Have we forgotten Sixaxis, move, and all the gimmicky stuff and where it always leads. The only thing I wanted to be improved in DS4 was curved handles like xbox and latency. That's it.
fc5bddbc0a776888f5f0a70efb5eb9a1.gif
 

alienator

Member
i love how games are starting to feel 'alive' like the enviromental rain in your hands in Returnal, or recharging your battery in Metro Exodus, little touches like that enhance the experience (for me) a lot.

if there is one downsided about the dual sense, its that it makes playing all my other consoles BORING.
 

Shivvy24

Member
I've read comments on here and on other forums that people mainly turn them off during gameplay. I get why, but is it really a 'next-gen' experience when one of the biggest features of the PS5 are turned off entirely?
I play my campaigns/story mode with the haptics on and it's brilliant. However for multiplayer I turn it off.
 

Mokus

Member
I really like the DualSense, but the battery life it's way too short. I've been playing on the PS3 recently with the Dual Shock 3 and it can last you 2-3 days with one charge. Going back to the DualSense, which is lasting you in the 5-8 hours range, can be stressful with long sessions. Luckily I bought from the very beginning a second controller and the official charging station which helps a lot. I hope that with the second version of the DualSense, they'll upgrade the battery capacity big time.
 

Soosa

Banned
Dualsense is easily the coolest feature of PS5, DS4 were the best controller (to me) and dualsense only made it better.

Haptics + triggers are nice and add immersion + feels good on hands.



Dat 2 hour battery life is astounding
Your controller is broken if it only lasts for 2 hours.

I got PS5 on launch and never been run out of juice while gaming, and I game usually 1-6h

On sunday I completed man of medan in one sitting with few breaks (console on) and it took maybe 7.5h and controller had plenty of battery left.
 

ZywyPL

Banned
As far as the adaptive triggers go, Aoki says that the L2 and R2 trigger buttons were the most used buttons [...]

This is my biggest complain about controls since PS360 era, the triggers might've worked well in racing games, but that's about it, for the whole rest of the genres R1/L1 is the better option as it gives you instant response time, which is most noticeable in shooters with semi/burst-firing guns, but for whatever the reason devs always set the triggers as default buttons, so no shit they were the most used ones.
 

Putonahappyface

Gold Member
I've easily used my dualsense for fifteen to twenty hours over a weekend without having to sit the controller back in to the charging station. That was playing FF7R though! Atro's Playroom did drain the controller pretty quickly but two hours is nonsense, I did atleast a ten hour session without having to use the USB lead.
 

N1tr0sOx1d3

Given another chance
Seemingly possible if a game uses all of its gimmicks:
Not sure if Firmware updates have resolved battery life or not, but after spending 1st half of this year in lockdown spending copious amounts of time with the PS5. I can honestly say that battery life is better than DS4. Not by a huge margin but certainly an hour or so. Returnal uses Dualsense extensively and I get hours of gameplay. Honestly, battery life is of little concern.
 
They could have made an improved Dualshock with no gimmicky sensors and no touchpad.
Simply better batery life (or even AA batteries too) and better support for PCs and Mobile.

But noooooooo, let's appeal to muh marketing and pretend we're doing something innovative.
And it worked. Its so beloved, the Xbox Ceo already stated they are copying the features in their next controller.
 
Yeah haptic and resistive triggers are awesome but almost everything else is a downgrade compared to DS4. I like the share / options buttons but that's it.
 

Aenima

Member
Seemingly possible if a game uses all of its gimmicks:
I played Astro Playroom for 4 hours non stop and my controller still had battery left. The game do drain the battery faster than other games, but u have a faulty controller, or not fully charged controller if it only lasted 2 hours.
 
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nbkicker

Member
I really like the dual sense for some games for the adaptive triggers, even though it feels like my right trigger feels looser then the left now and we not even a yr in, but the only thing thats rubbish is the d-pad its just rubbish to me compared to the past dual shock controllers,for fighting games im finding im missing combos yet plugging in a fighting stick im hitting them everytime
 

DenchDeckard

Moderated wildly
Playing games like returnal and astro bot and the duel sense is incredible. Can't wait for more from Sony on this.
 
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