The new iteration of consoles is just about here. Xbox and Sony have come up with a plethora of advanced features to lock in pre-orders from thirsting customers. And looking at the numbers, it might just work.
Microsoft’s gambit this time round is to be more of a Netflix type of platform but for games. Its service, Xbox Games Pass, offers more than a hundred free to play games per month. While rumors of a PlayStation Plus Collection abound, we don’t know much about it yet. As more news comes out, we can cast more light on it.
In the meantime, Sony is focusing the limelight on its new DualSense controller, which is supposed to be revolutionary. The new controller is supposed to be so different from previous PlayStation controllers that it needed a different naming scheme. Follow us as we take a look at the new features the controller has to offer.
The PS5’s DualSense Controller won’t be backward compatible
In a bit of upsetting news, the new controller won’t work on previous generation PlayStation consoles. That means the PS5 controller won’t work for PS4 or PS4 Pro gaming systems. The news was poorly received by fans, many of whom owned more than two pairs of controllers from the last generation.
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Even more upsetting was the lack of PS4 controller support on the new console. Fans felt this was a completely unreasonable decision, with several Twitter users complaining about the marketing strategies employed. It really didn’t make sense, since a lot of the new games on the PS5 will be released for the PS4 as well. That means whatever essential gameplay features need the new controller to work already will be worked around for the PS4 edition.
DualSense is a fitting name for the PS5 gamepad
There are considerable advancements with the new controller, despite the earlier controversy. It is true that Sony is taking the whole immersion factor of a game to new levels with the next generation. For one, the controller features a completely new design. It’s a bit off-white in color, textured with tiny X’s, O’s, Squares, and Triangles covering the outer case. It is larger than the PS4 controller by a wide margin and has fewer contours to the legs on the controller.
However, the design might be the smallest of the changes to the controller. Inside, we’re getting a feature-rich experience. The controller boasts haptic feedback on a whole other level. According to some reviews, the very high-quality motors can make the feeling of driving over sand feel different than mud. There are hundreds of ways to implement this in games, like letting players know when the terrain changes underfoot without having to look down.
The haptic feedback can be turned on and off
A little strange is the fact that Sony allows players to turn off the haptic feedback. That doesn’t make sense at first glance; it’s like paying Tesla money to get a hybrid car. To understand it, we have to consider things on the other side of the fence.
The Xbox Series X is running the same conventional vibration motors that they used in the last generation. It would take absolutely huge amounts of work to incorporate gameplay elements using the haptic feedback of the PS5. Then, they’d need to make the same experience again, but for Xbox.
In conclusion, the DualSense has the ability to be outstanding in certain cases, like in racing games or first-party, optimized cases. Let’s see how it goes.
