As the year pushes on, game console manufacturers are giving us a taste of what we have to look forward to in their next consoles, and that includes how we control it.
The major video game show that is E3 may well be cancelled this year, but that doesn’t mean video game news is going to stop. It’s still going, and while games are likely the thing you’ll be thinking about in self-isolation, gearing up for a new console is something you can do in 2020, as well.
Both Microsoft and Sony are working on something new for the end of the year, with the Xbox Series X from Microsoft and the next model in the PlayStation consoles, the PlayStation 5.
Microsoft and Sony have both spent some time talking about their new consoles, and now Sony is giving a glimpse of the controller changes coming in the PS5.
First off, there’s the look, which Sony has said it has tested with a wide range of gamers to get a level of comfort with great ergonomics, but that’s only part of it.
While a colour and design change is clearly a part of the shift, with more curves evident in the angular design, but there’s also a move from the DualShock design of the past, moving to what Sony calls “DualSense”. It’s a change that retains the vibrating feedback, shifting it to haptic feedback which will apparently improve the type of vibration sensations. The L2 and R2 triggers will also be adaptive, helping to deliver tension in pressing buttons.
Sony has also provided a microphone in the controller, allowing you to game without a headset, and the “share” button on the PS4 controller is being changed to a “create” button on the PS5 controller.
“DualSense marks a radical departure from our previous controller offerings and captures just how strongly we feel about making a generational leap with PS5,” said Jim Ryan, President and CEO of Sony Interactive Entertainment on Sony’s PlayStation blog.
“The new controller, along with the many innovative features in PS5, will be transformative for games – continuing our mission at PlayStation to push the boundaries of play, now and in the future.”
As for whether Sony’s current PlayStation 4 controller, the DualShock 4, will work on the PlayStation 5, that remains to be seen. We’ve asked Sony whether there’ll be some degree of backwards compatibility, particularly if you already have a collection PS4 controllers you’d like to reuse. Our guess is it will be a “no”, but we’ve asked all the same, so stay tuned.
