The DualSense controller was one of Sony’s main selling points for the PS5. Beyond things like a sleek new design and adaptive triggers, the controller’s haptic feedback provided really cool new experiences for the game. The rumble effect had been around for decades at that point, but the DualSense introduced something different: I’m still amazed by the crunch of sand under Astro’s feet in Team Asobi. Astro’s Game Room Or waves of the future from weapons in Housemarque Return.
But since the release of the PS5 there have been some titles that have captured the same magic and shown what made the controller so unique. This week, Housemark launched its next title, sarosAnd this is probably the first game in quite some time that makes the DualSense feel important.
In most games, rumble and haptics feel like an added bonus. They might help emphasize an explosion or gunfire here and there, but if I turn off the thunder in a game, I usually don’t miss it. but with this sarosThe DualSense’s haptics are an important part of gaming.
Here are some examples of how haptics work. When attacking enemies with the rifle, the pitch of the haptics ticks off as a warning that I’m running out of ammo. With a powerful handcannon that fires three bullets at a time, the DualSense peppers three short taps with each shot. When a charged crossbow is ready to shoot, the haptics place a nice dot in my hands letting me know I can fire. When my shield is about to blur because I’ve held it up too long, the controller rumbles in a way that matches the way the shield is waving on the screen.
Outside of combat, the DualSense’s haptics make exploring the world feel more immersive. As the hero Arjun moves through the world of Carcosa, you will feel a slight heartbeat. When using the grappling beam to throw across the chasm, the DualSense begins to rattle as you get closer to the grapple point. When Arjuna approaches the strange set of hands that set off a world-changing eclipse, the controller rumbles forebodingly.
Even some of Arjun’s interactions with other characters use the controller. In a late-game area, when a character’s hum filled my ears, I was surprised to feel my DualSense’s haptics hum along with them. And I loved interacting with the corporate robot Primarch at Arjun’s base, because of how the DualSense synced up with the machine’s predictive voice. These moments add important new dimensions to the game.
Haptics don’t just feel cool; They make the experience better in really specific ways. In the heat of a frenzied firefight where I’m trying to survive waves of bullets and hordes of enemies, it’s often easier to rely on the DualSense’s tactile haptic indicators rather than trying to parse something on a very busy screen.
In more than five years of the PS5’s life, only a few studios have really been able to figure out what to do with DualSense. What was once one of the console’s biggest selling points has been largely forgotten. saros Shows that there’s still a lot of untapped potential in the DualSense’s various features – let’s hope it sparks renewed interest in the controller.
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