PS5 DualSense Unboxing Video Confirms PC Support and Neat Surface Texture

Tsing

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Image: Sony



Something we’ve been wondering is whether Sony’s new PlayStation 5 controller, the DualSense, can work out of the box with PCs for fighters and other games that might benefit from its unique directional pad. A new unboxing video by YouTuber Austin Evans has confirmed that this is indeed possible.



During one point in the video, Evans tests the DualSense with a Surface Laptop Go and found that Windows was able to recognize the device with a wired connection. The buttons are clearly registering in the Windows Controller properties menu, which suggests that heightened support should be coming via Steam’s controller settings or portable programs like...
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I cannot lie, that texture on the controller is really cool. I did not expect to even care about it but the photo made me smile seeing all those face buttons imprinted on the plastic. Really like when designers kinda pay homage with tiny details like that.
 
The DualShock 4 has always been PnP on Windows 10, so it isn't a surprise that the DualSense also works out-of-the-box on a PC.
 
The only thing I don’t like about DS on windows:

Ok two things really.

First was that Bluetooth is finicky as to what BT adapters it would pair with on the PC.

The second isn’t really Sony’s fault though: almost everything on the PC with controller support assumes a 360 controller. Some are even hard coded for that controller only and required DS4Windows to remap and emulate. All the control configurations tend mention ABXY instead of Circle/Square/Triangle/Cross
 
Brian_B said:
The only thing I don’t like about DS on windows:

Ok two things really.

First was that Bluetooth is finicky as to what BT adapters it would pair with on the PC.

The second isn’t really Sony’s fault though: almost everything on the PC with controller support assumes a 360 controller. Some are even hard coded for that controller only and required DS4Windows to remap and emulate. All the control configurations tend mention ABXY instead of Circle/Square/Triangle/Cross
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The issue is Microsoft deprecated DirectInput, and that is what the DS4 uses for input. The idea of XInput superseding DirectInput was to standardize controller input and make it a constant for game developers. Unfortunately Microsoft's decision to dictate input design worked and we're still suffering from it to this day with artificial limits on how many buttons and axes a controller can have. They just overly complicated the landscape now with the need for numerous programs running in the background if you want to run any kind of serious simulation setup.

Games that came out during the 7th console generation are generally tied to XInput and the Xbox 360 controller, which in those cases you need to trick the game into thinking you are using one. Thankfully there are games coming out that support the DS4 natively, but some developers are still being lazy and using the prepackaged XInput code to map controller input. Unfortunately you do need to use DS4Windows if you want to use the controller with Bluetooth as it has issues as you mentioned.
 
Apparently the haptics on the controller are sound-based, so what is the first thing people on PC do with it?

Have it play Doom, of course! At Doom's gate being played through the DualSense's haptics, using a cardboard box as an amplifier.

 
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