Sony Unveils the DualSense

Earlier this week, Sony finally revealed the latest look for the upcoming Playstation 5 controller. It's called the DualSense and aims to continue the success the Dualshock 4 had when the PlayStation 4 released back in 2014. Sony listened to feedback from fans and improved some critical areas, such as battery life, as well as building on the "Share" button introduced in the PS4 generation. Let's take a look at these details together with some other juicy tidbits that Sony dropped in their blog post!

New Look for a New Generation

Previous generations of Playstation controllers always featured a slick, entirely black surface at launch. The DualSense is shaking things up right out of the box with its clean white and black combination. The top of the DualSense is white, along with the touchpad, which is still in the middle of the controller. The back panels are also white. The L1/L2 and R1/R2 buttons pop out as the traditional black on the back, as are the sticks and bottom middle of the front underneath the touchpad.

The DualSense keeps the "guts" of previous-generation controllers. The directional pad is still on the left side with two sticks in the middle bottom of the controller. Of course, cross, square, circle, and triangle all remain in their faithful positions. The trigger buttons seem larger than previous generations, and Sony mentions that engineers took special care when creating the DualSense. This is no surprise, though, especially with so much focus on the new generation of adaptive feedback.

Sony was determined to find a better option for battery life this generation, leading to a significant change in the DualSense's light bar.

It no longer stretches along the back like on the Dualshock 4. Instead, the new and improved light bars wrap around the edges of the touchpad. According to Sony, this gives the controller an improved look and feel of being slightly larger. We anticipate some pretty great aesthetics coming from this updated look. Developers will no doubt continue using the light bar as indicators for all types of in-game things like low health or dangerous areas, which will burst even more on the new DualSense's two-tone look.

Additionally, the Dualshock 4 went back to the drawing board for this next generation-- literally. Engineers approached the DualSense for the Playstation 5 precisely to fit better into gamer hands. The triggers are streamlined for the DualSense, providing a subtle but effective grip change. Sony says this will improve the gaming experience by offering better comfort during long sessions. From a visual standpoint, the DualSense's shape flows better even though it certainly has a larger profile than its past versions.

The Latest Tech Straight to Gamer Hands

Sony agreed with fans that battery life is an important aspect of a controller. The DualSense features an improved rechargeable battery that is more light-weight. This translates into a lighter controller overall and a better gaming experience. Additionally, charging now uses a USB-C connection, allowing quicker recharging than ever before while also keeping up with the newest improvements in connection technology.

In addition to updating the charging technology, the DualSense adds another great feature in the form of a built-in microphone.

The microphone is at the bottom of the controller; this means that gamers no longer need a headset for quick chatting.

Sending recorded messages and jumping in with the crew is easier than ever. Nonetheless, Sony still does recommend having that headset available for longer sessions. Also, the speaker in the DualSense controller has been updated. It will offer the latest HD audio output, the PS5's Tempest Audio Tech. This unique chip inside of the controller itself provides crystal clear sounds and adds immersion to games like never before.

Furthermore, Sony revealed that the DualSense offers improved haptic feedback with its adaptive triggers. Completing actions in-game will feel more real thanks to this improved trigger tension. Experience the feeling of being stuck in the mud during a racing game. Comparatively, feel the tension increase, the trigger getting more and more difficult to press, as you pull back further and further on a bow in the latest RPG. This new feature addition has endless applications we are itching to see developers use. Everything from opening chests in dungeon crawlers to firing heavy weapons in countless FPS games is on the table.

Finally, Sony even expanded on the popular "Share" button from PlayStation 4. The newly renamed "Create" button offers plenty of ways to get involved with communities and your friends. Sony lists things like editing and sharing gameplay. They also promise additional details on the other features we'll see with this new "Create" option as the Playstation 5's launch gets closer.

Dreaming of The DualSense's Future

Speculation began about customization options for the DualSense almost immediately after Sony's big reveal.

The plate face design seems almost intentionally built for customization; though, of course, Sony hasn't confirmed this.

Mixing and matching colors would be a great way for the company to let us create fantastic and unique next-generation accessories. Fans are already editing some of the Dualshock 4's most popular colors onto the DualSense images, like the Berry Blue and Sunset Orange.

Plenty of rumors suggest that Sony may be preparing some artificial assistant in the vein of Alexa or Cortana to accompany the PlayStation 5's interface. Could this be the real reason behind a built-in microphone addition? It would be incredibly handy to wake up an assistant while mid-game and have that AI share gameplay footage or send messages. The speaker on the DualSense would also be the perfect vessel for these user-assistant conversations.

Of course, there's lots of time for Sony to surprise us.

The PlayStation 5 and DualSense controller is still on schedule to launch during the Holiday 2020 season.

Sony has promised plenty of updates between now and then, like revealing the console's actual design. If it's anything like the DualSense controller, though, we're expecting plenty of improved technological and quality-of-life upgrades to the classic we gamers know and love. Stay tuned for the latest updates about all things PlayStation 5!