Nope and my local gamestop didn't get any in yet it seems as well.
-
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PS5 accessories are shipping early! (10/30)
- Thread starter RedHeat
- Start date
I received my DualSense controller this week, and I'm very excited about it. I'm very enthusiastic about controllers specifically, so here are my impressions after playing around with it for a while. Since I obviously don't have a PS5 yet, this means I have not yet been able to experience the most interesting new features of the DualSense: the haptic feedback and resistant triggers.
First off, the DualSense is slightly bigger than the DualShock 4, and feels just a bit heftier - a slight but noticeable difference. Right off the bat, it feels great in the hand, and maybe even more naturally contoured and comfortable than the DS4.
The buttons and d-pad feel softer and a little "mushier" than the DS4 I compared against. The d-pad is flatter and has a less pronounced tapered center compared to the DS4 - that bit in the middle where the buttons slope down into each other. The d-pad is still a single piece split into the four directions, so you can rock and roll your thumb across it, unlike the Switch joy-cons with its d-pad comprised of four independent buttons. (I hate the joy-con d-pad.)
The surface of the four face buttons is similar to the DS4's - mostly flat, but with a very slightly convexed surface. However, the Circle button is contoured to match the shape of the DualSense's curves, so the Circle button does curve slightly downward on its right-most side, making it the unique outlier of the four. It feels ever so slightly different from the DS4's Circle button, but only time will tell if this will have any noticeable impact on gameplay and usability. I doubt it will.
The new sticks are very similar to the DS4's, are spaced exactly the same distance apart as on the DS4, and share the same surface shape, but the heads have a more pronounced ring and are slightly more textured. The stick action, resistance, and snapback all feels good - very similar to the DS4. Maybe just a hair snappier, but also maybe because my DS4 isn't brand new. I noticed that there is a new ring protecting the DualSense chassis where the sticks make contact with the rest of the controller - it seems to be metal, not plastic, but it's hard for me to tell. One effect of this protective ring is that it greatly dampens the clicking sound of the sticks making contact with the chassis, so maybe this is partially to reduce the controller sounds when using the DualSense's built-in microphones - more on that in a bit.
The Options and Create buttons are smaller than on DS4, but are slightly more raised so they're easier to find and press. They have a nice clickiness compared to the DS4's buttons, which I like a lot better. I think the Options and Share buttons on DS4 were one of its weakest elements - too flush with the surface of the controller so it takes a while to learn their placement, and the clicking action isn't very pronounced so you're not getting great tactical feedback when trying to take a screenshot or whatever. So this is a big improvement over those.
The shoulder buttons are much bigger on the DualSense - both the L1/R1 and L2/R2 buttons. I never had much issue with these on the DS4, and I really liked the added curviness introduced to L2/R2 on the DS4, which made the triggers feel like actual triggers and prevented finger slippage. The DualSense matches the feel and shape of the DS4's shoulder buttons, but with additional surface area for your fingers. Nice improvement.
The PlayStation button is now shaped like the PlayStation logo instead of the circular buttons on the DualShock 3 and DualShock 4. It looks a lot fancier, but otherwise functions exactly as you would expect, with a soft press. The changed shape doesn't make it more difficult to find or press, since the location of it is exactly where you expect it to be. Directly underneath that, the small microphone mute button has a short action but a nice clicky feedback, so there shouldn't be any doubt that you've pressed it. Plus, it has a light to indicate whether it's muted or not.
When you plug the DualSense into a PC or Mac via USB, it comes up immediately as a generic game controller device, and works out of the box in Steam, though you do have to configure the controller's inputs first. In USB mode, you can also use the DualSense's microphone as an audio input, so I tested it out by recording myself talking into it. After the first recording, I realized that the front microphone - directly underneath the Mute button - is the right channel, and the rear microphone on the bottom of the controller is the left channel. So I re-recorded myself talking into the bottom of the controller to try to hit both mics equally. It sounds really good! And if you're wondering, "How are the two channels supposed to be balanced when you're only going to talk to the front," the answer is probably that voice chat on PS5 will be mono and the second mic will be used for noise canceling - another feature I can't test since that'll be done on the PS5 via software.
Here's my short voice recording. I also mashed the buttons and sticks at the end to test how bad the controller sounds are, and they're honestly not that bad at all, even before noise canceling.
voca.ro
So, we've learned from others on the internet that you can actually pair the DualSense as a wireless controller to the PS3, but the same doesn't work on the PS4. However, I did verify that you can definitely use the DualSense as your controller on the PlayStation Remote Play app, so I used this ridiculous setup to get the closest thing to using the DualSense on the PS4.
Playing Ghost of Tsushima like this, everything on the controller works perfectly, with no configurations needed (except the mic, which does not work on PS4 like this). The Options and Share buttons work, the triggers work, and the touchpad works. And also, rumble works! This isn't the advanced haptic feedback or anything fancy like that, but even still, the DualSense's rumble is immediately a huge improvement over the DS4's. It feels "higher resolution," for lack of a better way to describe it. Each individual pulse in a rumble action is smaller and faster, so you get more consistent and reliable physical feedback, especially on short or light rumbles, such as dodging in Ghost of Tsushima, which is barely noticeable sometimes on the DS4. It feels like the "HD Rumble" feature on Switch, but maybe more powerful. Can't wait to feel the true haptics.
Other devices: DualSense will not pair with the DualShock 4 PC wireless adaptor USB dongle. DualSense does pair to Windows and Mac OS via Bluetooth, and can be used as a generic game controller in Steam and probably other apps like this. However, I was not able to get the DualSense working in the PS Remote Play app wirelessly via Bluetooth. DualSense also does not pair to iOS via Bluetooth - it probably needs an iOS update to be supported.
Overall, this is a really well designed controller, feels great in the hand, and is solidly and thoughtfully constructed. One nice detail is that there are actually no screws holding it together anywhere on the exterior - the DS4's bottom has four screws. However, this might make opening it and self-service more difficult for the average user.
Even just from the short use period with remote play and some Steam games, I can say with confidence that I like the DualSense a lot, and it might quickly surpass the DS4 as my favorite controller once I can experience the haptics and adaptive triggers, which are both supposed to be very impressive. I can't wait!
First off, the DualSense is slightly bigger than the DualShock 4, and feels just a bit heftier - a slight but noticeable difference. Right off the bat, it feels great in the hand, and maybe even more naturally contoured and comfortable than the DS4.
The buttons and d-pad feel softer and a little "mushier" than the DS4 I compared against. The d-pad is flatter and has a less pronounced tapered center compared to the DS4 - that bit in the middle where the buttons slope down into each other. The d-pad is still a single piece split into the four directions, so you can rock and roll your thumb across it, unlike the Switch joy-cons with its d-pad comprised of four independent buttons. (I hate the joy-con d-pad.)
The surface of the four face buttons is similar to the DS4's - mostly flat, but with a very slightly convexed surface. However, the Circle button is contoured to match the shape of the DualSense's curves, so the Circle button does curve slightly downward on its right-most side, making it the unique outlier of the four. It feels ever so slightly different from the DS4's Circle button, but only time will tell if this will have any noticeable impact on gameplay and usability. I doubt it will.
The new sticks are very similar to the DS4's, are spaced exactly the same distance apart as on the DS4, and share the same surface shape, but the heads have a more pronounced ring and are slightly more textured. The stick action, resistance, and snapback all feels good - very similar to the DS4. Maybe just a hair snappier, but also maybe because my DS4 isn't brand new. I noticed that there is a new ring protecting the DualSense chassis where the sticks make contact with the rest of the controller - it seems to be metal, not plastic, but it's hard for me to tell. One effect of this protective ring is that it greatly dampens the clicking sound of the sticks making contact with the chassis, so maybe this is partially to reduce the controller sounds when using the DualSense's built-in microphones - more on that in a bit.
The Options and Create buttons are smaller than on DS4, but are slightly more raised so they're easier to find and press. They have a nice clickiness compared to the DS4's buttons, which I like a lot better. I think the Options and Share buttons on DS4 were one of its weakest elements - too flush with the surface of the controller so it takes a while to learn their placement, and the clicking action isn't very pronounced so you're not getting great tactical feedback when trying to take a screenshot or whatever. So this is a big improvement over those.
The shoulder buttons are much bigger on the DualSense - both the L1/R1 and L2/R2 buttons. I never had much issue with these on the DS4, and I really liked the added curviness introduced to L2/R2 on the DS4, which made the triggers feel like actual triggers and prevented finger slippage. The DualSense matches the feel and shape of the DS4's shoulder buttons, but with additional surface area for your fingers. Nice improvement.
The PlayStation button is now shaped like the PlayStation logo instead of the circular buttons on the DualShock 3 and DualShock 4. It looks a lot fancier, but otherwise functions exactly as you would expect, with a soft press. The changed shape doesn't make it more difficult to find or press, since the location of it is exactly where you expect it to be. Directly underneath that, the small microphone mute button has a short action but a nice clicky feedback, so there shouldn't be any doubt that you've pressed it. Plus, it has a light to indicate whether it's muted or not.
When you plug the DualSense into a PC or Mac via USB, it comes up immediately as a generic game controller device, and works out of the box in Steam, though you do have to configure the controller's inputs first. In USB mode, you can also use the DualSense's microphone as an audio input, so I tested it out by recording myself talking into it. After the first recording, I realized that the front microphone - directly underneath the Mute button - is the right channel, and the rear microphone on the bottom of the controller is the left channel. So I re-recorded myself talking into the bottom of the controller to try to hit both mics equally. It sounds really good! And if you're wondering, "How are the two channels supposed to be balanced when you're only going to talk to the front," the answer is probably that voice chat on PS5 will be mono and the second mic will be used for noise canceling - another feature I can't test since that'll be done on the PS5 via software.
Here's my short voice recording. I also mashed the buttons and sticks at the end to test how bad the controller sounds are, and they're honestly not that bad at all, even before noise canceling.
Vocaroo | Online voice recorder
Vocaroo is a quick and easy way to share voice messages over the interwebs.
voca.ro
So, we've learned from others on the internet that you can actually pair the DualSense as a wireless controller to the PS3, but the same doesn't work on the PS4. However, I did verify that you can definitely use the DualSense as your controller on the PlayStation Remote Play app, so I used this ridiculous setup to get the closest thing to using the DualSense on the PS4.
Playing Ghost of Tsushima like this, everything on the controller works perfectly, with no configurations needed (except the mic, which does not work on PS4 like this). The Options and Share buttons work, the triggers work, and the touchpad works. And also, rumble works! This isn't the advanced haptic feedback or anything fancy like that, but even still, the DualSense's rumble is immediately a huge improvement over the DS4's. It feels "higher resolution," for lack of a better way to describe it. Each individual pulse in a rumble action is smaller and faster, so you get more consistent and reliable physical feedback, especially on short or light rumbles, such as dodging in Ghost of Tsushima, which is barely noticeable sometimes on the DS4. It feels like the "HD Rumble" feature on Switch, but maybe more powerful. Can't wait to feel the true haptics.
Other devices: DualSense will not pair with the DualShock 4 PC wireless adaptor USB dongle. DualSense does pair to Windows and Mac OS via Bluetooth, and can be used as a generic game controller in Steam and probably other apps like this. However, I was not able to get the DualSense working in the PS Remote Play app wirelessly via Bluetooth. DualSense also does not pair to iOS via Bluetooth - it probably needs an iOS update to be supported.
Overall, this is a really well designed controller, feels great in the hand, and is solidly and thoughtfully constructed. One nice detail is that there are actually no screws holding it together anywhere on the exterior - the DS4's bottom has four screws. However, this might make opening it and self-service more difficult for the average user.
Even just from the short use period with remote play and some Steam games, I can say with confidence that I like the DualSense a lot, and it might quickly surpass the DS4 as my favorite controller once I can experience the haptics and adaptive triggers, which are both supposed to be very impressive. I can't wait!
I received my DualSense controller this week, and I'm very excited about it. I'm very enthusiastic about controllers specifically, so here are my impressions after playing around with it for a while. Since I obviously don't have a PS5 yet, this means I have not yet been able to experience the most interesting new features of the DualSense: the haptic feedback and resistant triggers.
First off, the DualSense is slightly bigger than the DualShock 4, and feels just a bit heftier - a slight but noticeable difference. Right off the bat, it feels great in the hand, and maybe even more naturally contoured and comfortable than the DS4.
The buttons and d-pad feel softer and a little "mushier" than the DS4 I compared against. The d-pad is flatter and has a less pronounced tapered center compared to the DS4 - that bit in the middle where the buttons slope down into each other. The d-pad is still a single piece split into the four directions, so you can rock and roll your thumb across it, unlike the Switch joy-cons with its d-pad comprised of four independent buttons. (I hate the joy-con d-pad.)
The surface of the four face buttons is similar to the DS4's - mostly flat, but with a very slightly convexed surface. However, the Circle button is contoured to match the shape of the DualSense's curves, so the Circle button does curve slightly downward on its right-most side, making it the unique outlier of the four. It feels ever so slightly different from the DS4's Circle button, but only time will tell if this will have any noticeable impact on gameplay and usability. I doubt it will.
The new sticks are very similar to the DS4's, are spaced exactly the same distance apart as on the DS4, and share the same surface shape, but the heads have a more pronounced ring and are slightly more textured. The stick action, resistance, and snapback all feels good - very similar to the DS4. Maybe just a hair snappier, but also maybe because my DS4 isn't brand new. I noticed that there is a new ring protecting the DualSense chassis where the sticks make contact with the rest of the controller - it seems to be metal, not plastic, but it's hard for me to tell. One effect of this protective ring is that it greatly dampens the clicking sound of the sticks making contact with the chassis, so maybe this is partially to reduce the controller sounds when using the DualSense's built-in microphones - more on that in a bit.
The Options and Create buttons are smaller than on DS4, but are slightly more raised so they're easier to find and press. They have a nice clickiness compared to the DS4's buttons, which I like a lot better. I think the Options and Share buttons on DS4 were one of its weakest elements - too flush with the surface of the controller so it takes a while to learn their placement, and the clicking action isn't very pronounced so you're not getting great tactical feedback when trying to take a screenshot or whatever. So this is a big improvement over those.
The shoulder buttons are much bigger on the DualSense - both the L1/R1 and L2/R2 buttons. I never had much issue with these on the DS4, and I really liked the added curviness introduced to L2/R2 on the DS4, which made the triggers feel like actual triggers and prevented finger slippage. The DualSense matches the feel and shape of the DS4's shoulder buttons, but with additional surface area for your fingers. Nice improvement.
The PlayStation button is now shaped like the PlayStation logo instead of the circular buttons on the DualShock 3 and DualShock 4. It looks a lot fancier, but otherwise functions exactly as you would expect, with a soft press. The changed shape doesn't make it more difficult to find or press, since the location of it is exactly where you expect it to be. Directly underneath that, the small microphone mute button has a short action but a nice clicky feedback, so there shouldn't be any doubt that you've pressed it. Plus, it has a light to indicate whether it's muted or not.
When you plug the DualSense into a PC or Mac via USB, it comes up immediately as a generic game controller device, and works out of the box in Steam, though you do have to configure the controller's inputs first. In USB mode, you can also use the DualSense's microphone as an audio input, so I tested it out by recording myself talking into it. After the first recording, I realized that the front microphone - directly underneath the Mute button - is the right channel, and the rear microphone on the bottom of the controller is the left channel. So I re-recorded myself talking into the bottom of the controller to try to hit both mics equally. It sounds really good! And if you're wondering, "How are the two channels supposed to be balanced when you're only going to talk to the front," the answer is probably that voice chat on PS5 will be mono and the second mic will be used for noise canceling - another feature I can't test since that'll be done on the PS5 via software.
Here's my short voice recording. I also mashed the buttons and sticks at the end to test how bad the controller sounds are, and they're honestly not that bad at all, even before noise canceling.
Vocaroo | Online voice recorder
Vocaroo is a quick and easy way to share voice messages over the interwebs.
So, we've learned from others on the internet that you can actually pair the DualSense as a wireless controller to the PS3, but the same doesn't work on the PS4. However, I did verify that you can definitely use the DualSense as your controller on the PlayStation Remote Play app, so I used this ridiculous setup to get the closest thing to using the DualSense on the PS4.
Playing Ghost of Tsushima like this, everything on the controller works perfectly, with no configurations needed (except the mic, which does not work on PS4 like this). The Options and Share buttons work, the triggers work, and the touchpad works. And also, rumble works! This isn't the advanced haptic feedback or anything fancy like that, but even still, the DualSense's rumble is immediately a huge improvement over the DS4's. It feels "higher resolution," for lack of a better way to describe it. Each individual pulse in a rumble action is smaller and faster, so you get more consistent and reliable physical feedback, especially on short or light rumbles, such as dodging in Ghost of Tsushima, which is barely noticeable sometimes on the DS4. It feels like the "HD Rumble" feature on Switch, but maybe more powerful. Can't wait to feel the true haptics.
Other devices: DualSense will not pair with the DualShock 4 PC wireless adaptor USB dongle. DualSense does pair to Windows and Mac OS via Bluetooth, and can be used as a generic game controller in Steam and probably other apps like this. However, I was not able to get the DualSense working in the PS Remote Play app wirelessly via Bluetooth. DualSense also does not pair to iOS via Bluetooth - it probably needs an iOS update to be supported.
Overall, this is a really well designed controller, feels great in the hand, and is solidly and thoughtfully constructed. One nice detail is that there are actually no screws holding it together anywhere on the exterior - the DS4's bottom has four screws. However, this might make opening it and self-service more difficult for the average user.
Even just from the short use period with remote play and some Steam games, I can say with confidence that I like the DualSense a lot, and it might quickly surpass the DS4 as my favorite controller once I can experience the haptics and adaptive triggers, which are both supposed to be very impressive. I can't wait!
Fantastic review.
Was wondering how the rumble in existing games is gonna be and glad to hear it's a nice little upgrade. Clever way to test it too, good work.
Just looked, there really isn't anything interesting. It does not detail anything about the system itself. The only thing that stands out is the box talks about removing backgrounds automatically.
Got my charging dock today from Sony Direct.
The controllers simply sit on the dock pushing down a plastic cover that surround the charging pins and gravity is the only thing holding them in place once they are on it. No locking or anything like that. They do sit on it well, but if you were to bump it somehow it could dislodge it and you'd have to reseat them. Also, the bottom of the dock is smooth so it could slide around as well if bumped. I am going to keep it behind my TV so shouldn't be an issue. The thing does look sleek with the two tone PS5 look.
I'm curious to see third party docks later since last gen the Power A dock was actually better than the official one.
The controllers simply sit on the dock pushing down a plastic cover that surround the charging pins and gravity is the only thing holding them in place once they are on it. No locking or anything like that. They do sit on it well, but if you were to bump it somehow it could dislodge it and you'd have to reseat them. Also, the bottom of the dock is smooth so it could slide around as well if bumped. I am going to keep it behind my TV so shouldn't be an issue. The thing does look sleek with the two tone PS5 look.
I'm curious to see third party docks later since last gen the Power A dock was actually better than the official one.
Amazing review, thanks a lot for the effort! Dualsense look like an excellent controller allaround. One question, any chance that side panels are removable and customisable? Would fit PS5 design language and could cover the disassembly screws, for example.I received my DualSense controller this week, and I'm very excited about it. I'm very enthusiastic about controllers specifically, so here are my impressions after playing around with it for a while. Since I obviously don't have a PS5 yet, this means I have not yet been able to experience the most interesting new features of the DualSense: the haptic feedback and resistant triggers.
First off, the DualSense is slightly bigger than the DualShock 4, and feels just a bit heftier - a slight but noticeable difference. Right off the bat, it feels great in the hand, and maybe even more naturally contoured and comfortable than the DS4.
The buttons and d-pad feel softer and a little "mushier" than the DS4 I compared against. The d-pad is flatter and has a less pronounced tapered center compared to the DS4 - that bit in the middle where the buttons slope down into each other. The d-pad is still a single piece split into the four directions, so you can rock and roll your thumb across it, unlike the Switch joy-cons with its d-pad comprised of four independent buttons. (I hate the joy-con d-pad.)
The surface of the four face buttons is similar to the DS4's - mostly flat, but with a very slightly convexed surface. However, the Circle button is contoured to match the shape of the DualSense's curves, so the Circle button does curve slightly downward on its right-most side, making it the unique outlier of the four. It feels ever so slightly different from the DS4's Circle button, but only time will tell if this will have any noticeable impact on gameplay and usability. I doubt it will.
The new sticks are very similar to the DS4's, are spaced exactly the same distance apart as on the DS4, and share the same surface shape, but the heads have a more pronounced ring and are slightly more textured. The stick action, resistance, and snapback all feels good - very similar to the DS4. Maybe just a hair snappier, but also maybe because my DS4 isn't brand new. I noticed that there is a new ring protecting the DualSense chassis where the sticks make contact with the rest of the controller - it seems to be metal, not plastic, but it's hard for me to tell. One effect of this protective ring is that it greatly dampens the clicking sound of the sticks making contact with the chassis, so maybe this is partially to reduce the controller sounds when using the DualSense's built-in microphones - more on that in a bit.
The Options and Create buttons are smaller than on DS4, but are slightly more raised so they're easier to find and press. They have a nice clickiness compared to the DS4's buttons, which I like a lot better. I think the Options and Share buttons on DS4 were one of its weakest elements - too flush with the surface of the controller so it takes a while to learn their placement, and the clicking action isn't very pronounced so you're not getting great tactical feedback when trying to take a screenshot or whatever. So this is a big improvement over those.
The shoulder buttons are much bigger on the DualSense - both the L1/R1 and L2/R2 buttons. I never had much issue with these on the DS4, and I really liked the added curviness introduced to L2/R2 on the DS4, which made the triggers feel like actual triggers and prevented finger slippage. The DualSense matches the feel and shape of the DS4's shoulder buttons, but with additional surface area for your fingers. Nice improvement.
The PlayStation button is now shaped like the PlayStation logo instead of the circular buttons on the DualShock 3 and DualShock 4. It looks a lot fancier, but otherwise functions exactly as you would expect, with a soft press. The changed shape doesn't make it more difficult to find or press, since the location of it is exactly where you expect it to be. Directly underneath that, the small microphone mute button has a short action but a nice clicky feedback, so there shouldn't be any doubt that you've pressed it. Plus, it has a light to indicate whether it's muted or not.
When you plug the DualSense into a PC or Mac via USB, it comes up immediately as a generic game controller device, and works out of the box in Steam, though you do have to configure the controller's inputs first. In USB mode, you can also use the DualSense's microphone as an audio input, so I tested it out by recording myself talking into it. After the first recording, I realized that the front microphone - directly underneath the Mute button - is the right channel, and the rear microphone on the bottom of the controller is the left channel. So I re-recorded myself talking into the bottom of the controller to try to hit both mics equally. It sounds really good! And if you're wondering, "How are the two channels supposed to be balanced when you're only going to talk to the front," the answer is probably that voice chat on PS5 will be mono and the second mic will be used for noise canceling - another feature I can't test since that'll be done on the PS5 via software.
Here's my short voice recording. I also mashed the buttons and sticks at the end to test how bad the controller sounds are, and they're honestly not that bad at all, even before noise canceling.
Vocaroo | Online voice recorder
Vocaroo is a quick and easy way to share voice messages over the interwebs.
So, we've learned from others on the internet that you can actually pair the DualSense as a wireless controller to the PS3, but the same doesn't work on the PS4. However, I did verify that you can definitely use the DualSense as your controller on the PlayStation Remote Play app, so I used this ridiculous setup to get the closest thing to using the DualSense on the PS4.
Playing Ghost of Tsushima like this, everything on the controller works perfectly, with no configurations needed (except the mic, which does not work on PS4 like this). The Options and Share buttons work, the triggers work, and the touchpad works. And also, rumble works! This isn't the advanced haptic feedback or anything fancy like that, but even still, the DualSense's rumble is immediately a huge improvement over the DS4's. It feels "higher resolution," for lack of a better way to describe it. Each individual pulse in a rumble action is smaller and faster, so you get more consistent and reliable physical feedback, especially on short or light rumbles, such as dodging in Ghost of Tsushima, which is barely noticeable sometimes on the DS4. It feels like the "HD Rumble" feature on Switch, but maybe more powerful. Can't wait to feel the true haptics.
Other devices: DualSense will not pair with the DualShock 4 PC wireless adaptor USB dongle. DualSense does pair to Windows and Mac OS via Bluetooth, and can be used as a generic game controller in Steam and probably other apps like this. However, I was not able to get the DualSense working in the PS Remote Play app wirelessly via Bluetooth. DualSense also does not pair to iOS via Bluetooth - it probably needs an iOS update to be supported.
Overall, this is a really well designed controller, feels great in the hand, and is solidly and thoughtfully constructed. One nice detail is that there are actually no screws holding it together anywhere on the exterior - the DS4's bottom has four screws. However, this might make opening it and self-service more difficult for the average user.
Even just from the short use period with remote play and some Steam games, I can say with confidence that I like the DualSense a lot, and it might quickly surpass the DS4 as my favorite controller once I can experience the haptics and adaptive triggers, which are both supposed to be very impressive. I can't wait!
Amazing review . Can't wait to try mine on an actual PS5I received my DualSense controller this week, and I'm very excited about it. I'm very enthusiastic about controllers specifically, so here are my impressions after playing around with it for a while. Since I obviously don't have a PS5 yet, this means I have not yet been able to experience the most interesting new features of the DualSense: the haptic feedback and resistant triggers.
First off, the DualSense is slightly bigger than the DualShock 4, and feels just a bit heftier - a slight but noticeable difference. Right off the bat, it feels great in the hand, and maybe even more naturally contoured and comfortable than the DS4.
The buttons and d-pad feel softer and a little "mushier" than the DS4 I compared against. The d-pad is flatter and has a less pronounced tapered center compared to the DS4 - that bit in the middle where the buttons slope down into each other. The d-pad is still a single piece split into the four directions, so you can rock and roll your thumb across it, unlike the Switch joy-cons with its d-pad comprised of four independent buttons. (I hate the joy-con d-pad.)
The surface of the four face buttons is similar to the DS4's - mostly flat, but with a very slightly convexed surface. However, the Circle button is contoured to match the shape of the DualSense's curves, so the Circle button does curve slightly downward on its right-most side, making it the unique outlier of the four. It feels ever so slightly different from the DS4's Circle button, but only time will tell if this will have any noticeable impact on gameplay and usability. I doubt it will.
The new sticks are very similar to the DS4's, are spaced exactly the same distance apart as on the DS4, and share the same surface shape, but the heads have a more pronounced ring and are slightly more textured. The stick action, resistance, and snapback all feels good - very similar to the DS4. Maybe just a hair snappier, but also maybe because my DS4 isn't brand new. I noticed that there is a new ring protecting the DualSense chassis where the sticks make contact with the rest of the controller - it seems to be metal, not plastic, but it's hard for me to tell. One effect of this protective ring is that it greatly dampens the clicking sound of the sticks making contact with the chassis, so maybe this is partially to reduce the controller sounds when using the DualSense's built-in microphones - more on that in a bit.
The Options and Create buttons are smaller than on DS4, but are slightly more raised so they're easier to find and press. They have a nice clickiness compared to the DS4's buttons, which I like a lot better. I think the Options and Share buttons on DS4 were one of its weakest elements - too flush with the surface of the controller so it takes a while to learn their placement, and the clicking action isn't very pronounced so you're not getting great tactical feedback when trying to take a screenshot or whatever. So this is a big improvement over those.
The shoulder buttons are much bigger on the DualSense - both the L1/R1 and L2/R2 buttons. I never had much issue with these on the DS4, and I really liked the added curviness introduced to L2/R2 on the DS4, which made the triggers feel like actual triggers and prevented finger slippage. The DualSense matches the feel and shape of the DS4's shoulder buttons, but with additional surface area for your fingers. Nice improvement.
The PlayStation button is now shaped like the PlayStation logo instead of the circular buttons on the DualShock 3 and DualShock 4. It looks a lot fancier, but otherwise functions exactly as you would expect, with a soft press. The changed shape doesn't make it more difficult to find or press, since the location of it is exactly where you expect it to be. Directly underneath that, the small microphone mute button has a short action but a nice clicky feedback, so there shouldn't be any doubt that you've pressed it. Plus, it has a light to indicate whether it's muted or not.
When you plug the DualSense into a PC or Mac via USB, it comes up immediately as a generic game controller device, and works out of the box in Steam, though you do have to configure the controller's inputs first. In USB mode, you can also use the DualSense's microphone as an audio input, so I tested it out by recording myself talking into it. After the first recording, I realized that the front microphone - directly underneath the Mute button - is the right channel, and the rear microphone on the bottom of the controller is the left channel. So I re-recorded myself talking into the bottom of the controller to try to hit both mics equally. It sounds really good! And if you're wondering, "How are the two channels supposed to be balanced when you're only going to talk to the front," the answer is probably that voice chat on PS5 will be mono and the second mic will be used for noise canceling - another feature I can't test since that'll be done on the PS5 via software.
Here's my short voice recording. I also mashed the buttons and sticks at the end to test how bad the controller sounds are, and they're honestly not that bad at all, even before noise canceling.
Vocaroo | Online voice recorder
Vocaroo is a quick and easy way to share voice messages over the interwebs.
So, we've learned from others on the internet that you can actually pair the DualSense as a wireless controller to the PS3, but the same doesn't work on the PS4. However, I did verify that you can definitely use the DualSense as your controller on the PlayStation Remote Play app, so I used this ridiculous setup to get the closest thing to using the DualSense on the PS4.
Playing Ghost of Tsushima like this, everything on the controller works perfectly, with no configurations needed (except the mic, which does not work on PS4 like this). The Options and Share buttons work, the triggers work, and the touchpad works. And also, rumble works! This isn't the advanced haptic feedback or anything fancy like that, but even still, the DualSense's rumble is immediately a huge improvement over the DS4's. It feels "higher resolution," for lack of a better way to describe it. Each individual pulse in a rumble action is smaller and faster, so you get more consistent and reliable physical feedback, especially on short or light rumbles, such as dodging in Ghost of Tsushima, which is barely noticeable sometimes on the DS4. It feels like the "HD Rumble" feature on Switch, but maybe more powerful. Can't wait to feel the true haptics.
Other devices: DualSense will not pair with the DualShock 4 PC wireless adaptor USB dongle. DualSense does pair to Windows and Mac OS via Bluetooth, and can be used as a generic game controller in Steam and probably other apps like this. However, I was not able to get the DualSense working in the PS Remote Play app wirelessly via Bluetooth. DualSense also does not pair to iOS via Bluetooth - it probably needs an iOS update to be supported.
Overall, this is a really well designed controller, feels great in the hand, and is solidly and thoughtfully constructed. One nice detail is that there are actually no screws holding it together anywhere on the exterior - the DS4's bottom has four screws. However, this might make opening it and self-service more difficult for the average user.
Even just from the short use period with remote play and some Steam games, I can say with confidence that I like the DualSense a lot, and it might quickly surpass the DS4 as my favorite controller once I can experience the haptics and adaptive triggers, which are both supposed to be very impressive. I can't wait!
My DualSense should be arriving today at some point. My charging cradle looks to be slated to ship on the 7th. Now I just need to see some sort of movement on my PS5.
It looks like it may be possible, but I don't feel comfortable attempting to do that myself.
Just picked up my controller from Walmart. Was delayed a few days but still got here.
Loving the feel of this controller. It just feels higher quality than the DS4. Now if I could only find a cradle and a Pulse 3D headset literally anywhere.
Loving the feel of this controller. It just feels higher quality than the DS4. Now if I could only find a cradle and a Pulse 3D headset literally anywhere.
Got my Pulse 3D headset yesterday and used it for like 3 hours with my PS4.
Comfort wise it's definitely an improvement from the latest Gold headset. I felt a little pressure, but with the Golds my ears would be hurting after 3 hours.
They sounded fine to me, but I think I'm starting to lose my hearing a bit so maybe I'm not the best judge.
Comfort wise it's definitely an improvement from the latest Gold headset. I felt a little pressure, but with the Golds my ears would be hurting after 3 hours.
They sounded fine to me, but I think I'm starting to lose my hearing a bit so maybe I'm not the best judge.
Got my dock and 2 DS last night. The DS is spooky in a completely dark room when it's charging. Just two orange eyes slowly opening and closing.
What's going on with this? I can order a controller now from them to be delivered Thursday. Why haven't they shipped ours? Ugg
And we can't cancel the original order either. This is crazy.
Yeah it's ridiculous. I have the UPS app too and there hasn't been even any tracking set up so it isn't like it's sitting there waiting. I can't decide if I need to order another just to make sure I have one for launch or what.
I am really close to go ahead and buy the third-party charge station. I wished I had pre-ordered mines when I had a chance. And eBay is such a bastard. I need to know when Sony is coming out with a second shipment for their charge stations. Wonder if I should go ahead and jump on buying a second controller right now or just wait it out until I get the charge station.
Just got the controller. I don't know if sony knocked it out of the park, but I'm pretty happy so far. I drove well in gtav and had no issue with aiming in that game or in re2 (using the triggers instead of shoulder buttons). Something that I wasn't comfortable doing with the ds4.
I need more time with the controller, but I like it. The dpad is an improvement imo. The face buttons are softer. Share and pause are easier to hit. Overall shape is a big improvement for my hands.
Glad to hear your initial impressions are positive! And I totally agree that the overall shape of the controller is much more comfortable to hold
What's the rush on a charge station? Why not wait til they're back in stock?
I hate having to wait until they get in stock because when they usually are in stock I'm not able to get to them in time and they're usually sold out.
Right now, you are correct that its is not a priority since I don't have a second controller yet. I'm still contemplating if I should buy a second controller this week for my wife.
Just got my DualSense... It's so pretty. It feels heftier and more solid than the DualShock 4, for sure.
Been out of it lately, is there any good place to look for the Charging Station? Having no luck...
I received mine on the 31st. They're nice but the sound is a bit thin. I'm curious about how 3D Audio will change that. Very comfy though.
Also, I was just able to place a dualsense order through Amazon and it'll arrive tomorrow. Can't wait. Hopefully they get some updates for the system preorders soon....
It's gone in and out of stock at https://direct.playstation.com a couple of times in the past week (currently OOS though). That's the only place I've seen it available lately.
Just charge your controller with any random USB C cable until they come back in stock?
Target has been a disaster for me for the accessories. The only thing I got was the charger. My controller shipped spent 3 days in oregon and now says delivery schedule pending and the date on my order says 11/18. The headset is still backordered with no known date. Really starting to doubt I get the actual ps5 from these clowns.
Your controller isn't Target's fault at that point. They shipped it and it's out of their hands. You can ignore the date they list on your order though because they don't update it. All of my accessories from Target had the same date in November and didn't change up until it was delivered well before. Also, I don't think the accessory issues Target has had is Target's fault. All the major retailers have had issues with sending out accessories. There's something higher up in the chain that is at fault if all retailers are having problems.
My Pulse headset and charging station from Target is considered "backordered" even though I ordered them when preorders first went up. It does show Estimated Nov 6 - Nov 13 though.
Funny thing is that I barely ordered the media remote over a week ago and ended up getting that within 5 days of ordering it from Target.
Anyone else do online ordering from Target on accessories have any issues?
Funny thing is that I barely ordered the media remote over a week ago and ended up getting that within 5 days of ordering it from Target.
Anyone else do online ordering from Target on accessories have any issues?
I don't know if it means anything for those with Playstation Direct console orders but I finally found and ordered a charging stand on Monday around 9pm and I received the package this morning before 9:30am.
I'm definitely impressed by the shipping speed (and PS+ shipping upgrade) after missing out and not being able to find one recently.
I'm definitely impressed by the shipping speed (and PS+ shipping upgrade) after missing out and not being able to find one recently.
Just picked up my $21.88 DualSense from Walmart without incident. They had a few headsets in the case as well.
The estimated date is meaningless. They're basing it on a release day plus a set amount of days for shipping after that release date. All of my orders had dates based on the assumption it would ship on the 30th and stuff arrived long before their expected date. So that expected release date is meaningless. That said, that doesn't mean it will come early. Target often does ship on the day of release for new items so it's still possible that they don't ship it until that day. From there they ship it ground so depending on where you're located relative to the warehouse, it can take a week to arrive.
Target is also not the only retailer having accessory inventory issues. All the retailers are having issues. So there has to be something higher up in the chain that is causing this problem and it's likely not Target's fault. Personally I ordered a Pulse 3D headset, a DualSense controller and a charging station and all three arrived. They were shipped at different times and from different locations.
You and I are either going to be sitting pretty in a week or getting burned lol