Sony’s recently revealed DualSense controller from its upcoming PlayStation 5 console sounds like it might have some unique features beyond what has already been mentioned. On the most recent episode of the Play, Watch, Listen podcast, hosts Alanah Pearce, Austin Wintory, Mike Bithell, and Troy Baker discussed some potentially groundbreaking capabilities for the new PS5 controller.

The DualSense controller was announced in April as a significant step up from the PS4’s DualShock 4. Sony’s Vice President of Platform Planning and Management, Hideaki Nishino, noted that the new design presents an opportunity to innovate on how players feel and experience a game with the accessory.

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Bithell, the game designer and developer behind Thomas Was Alone, remarked during a discussion with music composer Wintory that he is “gonna love what they’re doing with the controller on PS5.” Wintory was going over how the sound of weather, specifically rain, would be handled in the new Unreal Engine 5. Sound effects of this sort are typically captured via a process known as foley, where sound designers record actual rainfall and then convert the audio into a file that can be integrated into a game’s environment. With Unreal Engine 5, Wintory notes that sounds like raindrops can be isolated a single ‘event’ and scaled up or down as needed.

ps5 dualsense

Continuing the discussion, Bithell adds that the demos he has seen of the DualSense controller pertain explicitly to the haptic feedback felt by raindrops, implying that the device will allow users to feel when it is raining. Additionally, it could convey the exposure to a number of different weather-related events and connect the feedback to the sound effects, giving players a completely new way of experiencing a game’s world and environment.

While haptic feedback has been on the docket for video game innovation for some time, it hasn’t really seen much exploration beyond the minor rumbling available on current controllers. Bithell’s revelation also indicates that Sony isn’t just showing this tech to high-end developers, but also to smaller and independent designers.

The DualSense controller is the first piece of hardware for the PS5 that has been shown and all indications point to a summer reveal for the console itself. Godfall from Counterplay Games has already been announced as the first PS5 launch title and several other high-profile franchises are expected to appear on the system when it debuts.

The PlayStation 5, along with its DualSense controller, is currently slated for a holiday 2020 release.

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Source: Eggplante!