In the lead-up to the release of the PlayStation 5 in 2020, one of the biggest highlights of the console was the DualSense controller. The DualShock range of controllers had served PlayStation well for many generations, but for the future, something new was needed. The DualSense's name gives a hint as to the company's intentions with the controller. By stimulating the senses, the controller allows for more immersive gaming. The PS5 is still relatively young and, consequently, there have not been many titles that have taken full advantage of the DualSense controller just yet. However, Dirt 5 is a good example of the controller's potential.
Dirt 5 is a high-speed racing game that was developed by Codemasters and released on PC, PS4, and Xbox One in 2020. The game received ports for the PS5 and Xbox Series X/S, and they were anything but shoddy. With the PS5, Codemasters decided to touch up the 3D audio, allowing players to realistically hear the roar of engines as they speed past. However, the most impressive improvement can be found with the DualSense features that have been implemented. Both haptic feedback and adaptive triggers have been woven in masterfully, and together they help players feel like they are in the driver's seat as they swerve sideways around corners.
Feel the Rubber Hit the Road
The DualShock controllers, which have been around since 1997, earned their name from the fact that they provide vibration feedback through the two vibration motors they house. While this is effective at providing some rumble, it cannot give more precise sensations.
Things changed with the DualSense controller, which instead offers haptic feedback capable of giving more varied sensations. Players can experience this, for example, in Astro's Playroom, where the controller offers a different tactile sensation depending on whether Astro Bot is running on sand, skating on ice, or marching on metal platforms. The haptics are so precise that they can even emulate the feeling of rain pitter-pattering on Astro Bot's umbrella when it rains.
Dirt 5 oozes attitude. Players are treated to commentators who make witty banter and pass funny quips, cars can be customized to a ridiculous degree, and the game never takes itself too seriously. It is a simcade racer, meaning that it embraces an arcade-y feeling when it comes to racing, and players can expect to drift around corners and hit barriers without totaling their vehicle. However, there are enough sim elements to ensure that a good deal of accuracy and skill is necessary, especially on the harder difficulty levels. For players looking to enhance the sim feeling of the game, there is an option to drive using manual transmission.
In Dirt 5, haptic feedback is used to its fullest to enhance the racing experience. Players can feel the roughness of different road surfaces in their hands, from the smoothness of tarmac to the roughness of a gravelly dirt rally. Once again, the preciseness of the controller is put to good use, and players will also feel the sensation of the road change depending on the speed they are going. Getting knocked by other cars or hitting a barrier will give the controller a jolt, adding yet another layer of realism.
The result is that Dirt 5 drives players to take road surfaces into account more carefully because they have a considerable effect on how races feel. In addition to providing a more immersive racing experience, the haptic feedback is also useful to players, as it can alert them to how much grip their wheels have on the road, which will help players decide whether they need to speed up or tap the breaks.
Put the Pedal to the Metal
One of the more unique aspects of the DualSense controller are the adaptive triggers. They work using a force feedback system that offers different levels of resistance depending on what the player is doing in the game. The most common way games have been implementing adaptive triggers is with weapons. Commonly, when players fire a gun, the R2 trigger will offer a little resistance, letting players know that they have let off a shot. Alternatively, the R2 trigger will provide resistance to mimic the tension of a bowstring being pulled back in games such as Ghost of Tsushima and Horizon Forbidden West.
Though it is always nice when games implement adaptive triggers in this fashion, it has already gotten quite repetitive and it would be nice to see a little more creativity from developers regarding the use of adaptive triggers. A touch of this was seen with the PS5 upgrade of Asobo Studio's A Plague Tale: Innocence where players can feel the tip-tap of Amicia's footsteps when they press R2 to make her run.
Dirt 5 assigns the triggers to the car pedals. Intuitively, by default, the right trigger controls the gas and the left trigger controls the brakes. The triggers offer resistance when pressed, mimicking the kind of resistance that pedals in a car would provide. Not only is this immersive, but it also provides useful information to players.
For instance, players can feel the intensity at which they are applying the brakes, they can feel the clunk of the gears changing, and they can sense when they have accelerated their car to its limits. When players are driving over rough terrain, the triggers will also rattle a little for a bit of added realism. Although subtle, the adaptive triggers go a long to making players feel like they are truly rebellious racers.
Fortunately, Dirt 5 was the PlayStation Plus game for January, so many gamers may find that they have quite the gem in their library without even realizing it. For players who want a gaming experience that will expose them to what the DualSense controller is capable of, it is hard to go wrong with Dirt 5.
Dirt 5 is available now on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.