Excitement has been ramping up for PlayStation 5. Some of these features will be as simple as indicating a player's Hogwarts house, but the implementation of this advanced controller goes further than just skin-deep, and actually fixes a problem that Sony's newest console has had since its launch.
The DualSense controller was and continues to be one of the most appealing and innovative aspects of Sony's PlayStation 5. Reaffirming its commitment to providing tangible, gripping haptic , the DualSense offers a wider range of sensations than most controllers with a rumble feature. Beyond this enhanced vibration feature, the DualSense has adaptive triggers, which can be programmed to have different levels of resistance in different gaming situations. For example, PlayStation exclusive Gran Turismo 7 lets players feel the sense of anti-lock brake systems by providing dynamic resistance and through the DualSense's triggers in real time.
Gran Turismo 7 isn't the only PS5 game to make good use of these triggers - games like Returnal and Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart come to mind - but there is still plenty being left on the table, as most releases since the PS5's launch have made scant use of the revolutionary controller or have only included it in isolated moments. This is where Hogwarts Legacy comes in, as according to a recent update on the PlayStation blog, the Wizarding World game will be making full use of the DualSense controller. If Hogwarts Legacy can deliver in this regard, then the PS5's DualSense could start living up to its full potential.
How Hogwarts Legacy Will Be Using The PS5's DualSense
Although there are concerns that Hogwarts Legacy will punish left-handed PS5 players due to how haptic in balanced on the DualSense, the game is still shaping up to use the controller in inventive and satisfying ways. Per the PlayStation Hogwarts Legacy blog post, the game will provide variable vibrations for the many different spells that players can use in the game, suggesting that stronger or more advanced spells will result in more intense . The post explicitly states that spells will feel unique when they are cast, so haptic features seem to be much more than just the static, repetitive, motorized vibrations that have been used in gamepads for decades. Protego, the in-universe protection charm, is used as an example in the post, as it explains that players will be able to "feel the sizzling of the magic being reflected and absorbed" when the spell is cast.
The world-building of this game, perhaps unsurprisingly, is a major focus, as evidenced by a recent Hogwarts Legacy ASMR video. For players who want to feel immersed during the more ive, pacifistic portions of the game, the DualSense will still come into play. Adaptive triggers and haptic will play a role in a number of activities and events throughout the course of the game, such as flying a hippogriff or broomstick or riding in the high-speed minecarts at Gringotts. Other confirmed implementations include crushing up ingredients for potions and handling rambunctious and ornery mandrakes, with plenty more uses likely to become clear once the game launches.
DualSense haptics being isolated to the right side of the controller, left-handed exclusion aside, is also an ingenious move. While there are plenty of spells that probably won't be in Hogwarts Legacy, the many that will be made available to players can be powerful, instrumental tools, and this importance will be conveyed through the emulation of actually holding a magical wand in one hand. If Hogwarts Legacy can add a setting to flip this function, thereby including left-handed players, it would be even better and a bigger step forward.
What Hogwarts Legacy On PS5 Can Mean For Haptics In Gaming
Many games companies, while not completely overlooking haptics as an important feature, tend to keep it in the background while prioritizing other aspects of game design like combat mechanics, graphical fidelity, and sound design. These are all important features, as they serve to make games not only entertaining and gratifying, but also immersive. Haptics, however, can enhance feelings of immersion to a great degree, perhaps as much as realistic graphics and sound, if utilized properly. In the case of PS5 games like Kena: Bridge of Spirits, DualSense haptics can even help the player in-game, offering useful hints and other gameplay aids.
Hogwarts Legacy can serve as another leap forward for haptics on the PS5 and beyond. PlayStation 5 games like Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart, Death Stranding Director's Cut, and Horizon Forbidden West use the DualSense in unique, satisfying ways, but the tech of the controller can be pushed even further. Astro's Playroom, which is included with all PS5 consoles, demonstrates the capabilities of these haptics as not simply a gimmick or an isolated, cool feature, but as a key element of the overall gaming experience, present throughout the entirety of a game rather than just combat or other high-energy moments. Hogwarts Legacy will have unique classes, exploration, and traversal, all of which can benefit from the immersion and satisfaction that advanced haptics provide.
The DualSense represents a big leap forward in haptics for mainstream, mass-produced gaming devices, but it is still relatively early in its life. It may be worth comparing the DualSense's haptics to the many innovations of the DualShock 4, the controller for the PS4; the PS4's controller introduced the touchpad and integrated speaker, but these elements were not used to their full potential until the end of the PS4's time as Sony's leading console, and top-selling first-party games like God of War neglected to implement the touchpad functionality at all. However, the touchpad began to see more interesting and practical uses with games like Ghost of Tsushima and Spider-Man: Miles Morales, where it was used for quick actions like pulling up menus or whistling for a horse. Games like The Medium are enhanced by the PS5's DualSense, but there is still more that it can do, and the ive, active, and diverse approach to haptics promised through Hogwarts Legacy might inspire other developers to place a higher emphasis on this corner of game design in future titles.
Source: PlayStation