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Controllers haven't seen much change over the past decade or two. We've had the same set of buttons for a while now. Rumble and gyro have been a thing for a while too now. So everyone's curiosity was piqued when reviewers began hailing Sony's DualSense, the controller for the PlayStation 5, as the next-generation controller. Many reviewers went as far as to claim that this controller single-handedly gave the PS5 an edge over not just the XBox but the PC too.
The DualSense does work on PC, especially when used in tandem with Steam's SteamInput API but all you get then is just another controller. None of the fancy stuff that is supposed to set the DualSense apart such as the haptic feedback or the adaptive triggers. These are things that game developers need to support though and while there's a small but growing list of games with DualSense support for PC, I think I've finally found the perfect showcase for why this controller belongs in the arsenal of PC gamers.
Death Stranding: Director's Cut launched on PC on the 30th of March and comes with the same level of DualSense support that its PS5 version launched with. This is unlike other games that support these features on the PS5 but only offer basic support on PC — looking at you Deep Rock Galactic and Sifu.
You do need to disable SteamInput support for the DualSense in order to let the game do its thing but once you do, you'll have haptic feedback triggering on each footfall and varying with the terrain. Adaptive triggers kick in when using weapons but also really make you work to balance your weight when moving. These effects even extend into cutscenes which means you wouldn't want to set your controller down for them. In fact, you'll never want to set your controller down after this level of immersion with a game.
The hype is real people. The DualSense is incredible and we finally have a PC game that makes the most of it. You owe it to yourself if you've got a DualSense.
Here's an actively updated list of games that come with (varying) degree of DualSense support:
P.S I know that there are games such as Metro Exodus, Far Cry 6 and a few others that make use of it but I've never been a first person shooter kinda person while Exodus is certainly more than that, its rather exigent graphics requirements keep it out of my reach.
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CC0 low-key, 2022-04-07