PlayStation 5 DualSense triggers can lock up if guns jam in FPS games

The PS5's DualSense controller has programmable adaptive triggers, and developers are doing some creative things with them including locking them completely when your gun jams.

Outside of VR-based peripherals, the DualSense might be the most innovative controller ever made. The controller has special adaptive triggers that interact with the force feedback in a dynamic way, creating multitudes of possibilities for nuanced and instantaneous sensory input.

Examples include how the trigger with vibrate to reflect the tensile strength of a bowstring pull, or different levels of targeted vibration to simulate different terrains. Devs can literally program the triggers to react to gameplay as they see fit.

Devs can even program the triggers to lock up mid-game, which is exactly what Arkane is doing with Deathloop.

Guns can jam in the game, and when this happens on PS5, the DualSense controller will lock the triggers and prevent you from pulling them. It'll be a quick way to relay in-game mechanics in a fluid, sensory-driven way that extends to real life outside of simple rumbles or on-screen cues.

"I'm really excited by the adaptive triggers and the haptic feedback, both features that will bring some physicality in game experiences, and give important feedback," said Deathloop game director Dinga Bakaba.

"Deathloop being a first-person shooter, we do a lot of things to make weapons feel differently from one another. One I like is blocking the triggers when your weapon jams, to give to the player an immediate feedback even before the animation plays out, which prompts the player in a physical way that they have to unjam their gun."

Everyone's doing something different with the DualSense.

Another exciting use-case is how SIE Japan is revolutionizing feedback in Souls games with the new Demon's Souls remake. The team is using the DualSense to create specific vibrations for parries that give you a more visceral and immersive feel to the combat. This also extends to strikes and simple things like interacting with environments--rusty gates will create a different sensation than, say, breaking down a wooden door.

"With the DualSense wireless controller and the power of haptics, we can make the combat feel grittier, darker, and deadlier," said SIE Japan creative director Gavin Moore.

"Now you feel every blow as you strike down your enemies and cast each spell. You'll experience the force of a titanic boss' attack as you pull off a well-timed guard. Metal strikes metal when your foes block your attacks or you block theirs.

"That extra sensory feedback through the controller allows you to know your attack hit home and your perfectly-timed parry was a success, so you can react faster and more decisively."

"We can also turn the simple act of pulling a lever to open a gate into a sensory experience. This is something that rumble could never do. It could never replicate the feeling of metal striking metal or fire crackling in your hand as you conjure magic."

The Gran Turismo 7 devs at Polyphony Digital are focusing on creating immersive anti-lock braking in the game. The DualSense will provided much more nuanced feedback as you play, replicating the incremental feel of pressurized brake pedal presses as you race around corners at high speeds.

"I think the most effective use of the adaptive trigger is for representing the operation of the antilock brake system (ABS) while braking," said Polyphony Digital president Kazunori Yamauchi.

"A typical ABS releases brake pressure intermittently while the driver applies pressure to the pedal. The adaptive trigger is suited for recreating this pedal feel, and it will allow the player to accurately feel and understand the relationship between the braking force they want and the tire's grip.

"Compared to the rumble force feedback we had in the past, the special character of the haptic feedback is that it has a bigger range of frequencies it can produce."

DualSense PS5 controller features:

• 1560 mAh battery
• USB Type-C charging
• Adaptive triggers with improve actuators/haptic feedback
• Built-in Mic lets you chat without a headset
• New Create button
• Touchpad
• Lightbars on the sides of the touchpad
• Built-in speaker