PS5: Is the Dualsense the best Sony controller yet?

Sony is going full-steam ahead with the PS5 and is gearing up for a massive launch come the end of November. The hype leading up to the PlayStation 5's launch is expected as Sony, quite honestly, knocked it out of the park with the PS4.

While the Xbox already looks more competitive in the next-gen war than it ever did during the launch of the Xbox One/PS4, Sony has also stepped up its game. While Microsoft's offering arguably has an edge in the current-gen market regarding hardware and the controller, it seems Sony has finally caught up.

The Dualsense is the latest controller from the Japanese tech giant for the PS5, and it is possibly the most significant change to the controller design for the PlayStation yet.

PS5: The Dualsense's haptic feedback might be the game-changer Sony needs

Sony's approach to PS controllers has mostly been governed by the idea of "don't fix what's not broken," which has largely worked. The controller's fundamental design principles haven't changed all that much since the days of the Dualshock 2.

The PS' controllers have been an afterthought to the console as they didn't offer much outside of just being functional. Sony looked like it was heading somewhere with the Dualshock 4's touchpad and light bar. However, outside of a few first-party titles, they weren't precisely the game-changers the company had expected.

This time around, with the PS5 and the Dualsense, it looks like Sony is done playing around, and the new controller is an essential part of the conversation surrounding the console.

Here are some reasons why the Dualsense might be a game-changer for Sony:

1) Haptic Feedback

The most significant selling point of the Dualsense comes via the Haptic Feedback in the triggers. Essentially, these triggers will provide more tactile feedback to the player for their actions in-game.

For example, each surface that the player walks on in the game will provide a different kind of feedback. Essentially, it makes the PS5 gaming experience that much more immersive with its tactile response to the player's actions.

This is extremely important in taking game immersion to the next level, and the new motors in the Dualsense provide a lot of room for experimentation. However, this feature shouldn't be relegated to the sidelines, like the touch bar was, and third-party studios must also look to experiment with the haptic feedback in the controller.

As first-party studios are almost obligated to incorporate every element of the PS5 controller in their game design, the third-party studios must be encouraged to do the same.

2) Improved design

When put next to each other, the Dualsense appears massive compared to the PS4's Dualshock 4. The former has a much wider footprint and, as a result, could feel more comfortable to players.

The Dualshock series has, more or less, not changed much since its original form, leading many to seek out third-party controllers with a much broader design. It seems like Sony has responded to the feedback with a much bigger controller for the PS5.

The Dualsense has a slight curve on the shoulders, making it fit more snugly into the player's hands.

3) In-built microphone

This might not be the most significant improvement in the controller, but it opens up many avenues for Sony to explore regarding the PS5. While most players have no issues plugging in a headset to play games in a party, this is geared more towards the voice controls on the PS5.

Voice control isn't exactly the most exciting feature, but the in-built microphone does present a lot of opportunities. Perhaps a more comfortable way to navigate menus, voice controls could even add to the gameplay.

Switching between menus while in-game or recording gameplay could be made much simpler using voice controls.