PS5 Controller: Dual Sense Features and Battery Life

Sony has officially detailed some of Dual Sense’s next-gen features.

Firstly, the PS5 controller will replace regular rumble with far more advanced haptic feedback. Instead of the whole controller vibrating as we’ve all become accustomed to, it will be capable of providing a wide range of different tactile sensations. For example, if you’re playing a platformer and you’re running around on ice, you’ll be able to “feel” that the surface is slippery. Testing out a version of Gran Turismo Sport running on a PS5 dev kit, Wired’s Peter Rubin explains he could feel the difference of two different surfaces simultaneously. “Driving on the border between the track and the dirt, I could feel both surfaces,” he said. Haptic feedback should make for much more effective immersion.

Next up is adaptive triggers. The L2 and R2 buttons on a PS4 pad are fine, but what if you could feel the resistance of a taut string on a bow, or the clink of pulling the trigger on a gun? That’s what the DualSense PS5 controller will be able to provide. The triggers on the PS5 controller will “offer varying levels of resistance” to further cement you in the game’s world. This combined with the haptic feedback should achieve some pretty amazing results.

Dual Sense also replaces the PS4 controller’s Share button with the Create button. We don’t know too much about the difference here, but Sony says it will provide “new ways for players to create epic gameplay content to share with the world”.

The PS5 controller also has a built-in microphone, located at the bottom of the pad. This will let players communicate with each other in online games even if they don’t own a headset. We imagine you’ll also be able to use this microphone for voice commands. Don’t worry — there’s also a mute button in case you don’t want your pad picking up your vocals.