The PS5's DualSense is a surprising reinvention of the PlayStation controller

Sony's new dual sense PS 5 controller has made quite the impression on me to the point where I think it deserves its own video. So here's what's immediately awesome about the dual sense controller. [MUSIC] So when I unbox this thing and I got it in my hands for the first time, I couldn't obviously tell what it was like playing a game with it. I mean you can only do so much holding the thing, but then I started using the dual sensor with Astros play room. It's this sort of built in game on the PS5 and it does a really good job at introducing the dual sensors new functionality. Astro if you don't know is quickly becoming play station's flagship mascot, especially after his fantastic VR game Astro bot, rescue mission. Astro's playroom is this really cute mini platform adventure game that lets you unlock all these play station artifacts and easter eggs? It's super clever an it really serves as this perfect sort of sandbox demo for the dual senses new tricks. The only level I can really show of this game right now is called Cooling Springs. It's this beach resort world, and robot's spa. Almost right away you can feel the new vibration mechanics at play. Every step Astro takes sends a tiny haptic ping through the controller and clanks out of the speaker. You can feel each coin collected two as it sort of absorbs into Astro's body. There's this standard vibration that you're used to, but then there's the hyper focused feedback that seems to be location aware on the controller. I played a little bit with my dual sense touching this table top so you can hear the vibrations. Check it out. [SOUND] Then there's the resistance in the L2 and R2 buttons, something they're calling adaptive triggers, and that feels really good. Dual sense allows for tactile bumps and resistance when you play. So there's this feeling of travel when you zoom into this PlayStation artifact that I found in the game or the spring loaded pressure from this platform jumping portion of the level as well. Of course you have to keep in mind that Astro's play room was developed in house and while the vibration performance here is impressive, it's probably not guaranteed to be included in every single game. It will likely be up to developers to design that kind of interactivity, and we just don't know how that will play out just yet. That said, it's definitely a feature that makes this controller stand out by itself. So I'd be surprised if it doesn't catch on. It's not as dismissible as the sound coming from the onboard speaker, and it definitely adds something special to the experience, something you probably haven't felt before. The best way I can describe it is sort of like the really granular feedback effect you get from a mobile phone, or like the little taps when I move my cursor around, or even when I use the keyboard on my phone. It's that kind of precise feedback that the dual sends vibration reminds me of. [MUSIC] OK, So what else about this controller is new an interesting? It still has that speaker from the Dual Shock 4. So love it or hate it, it's still a thing. Though of course you could control the volume of it or mute it altogether. There's also a built in mic on the controller for the first time, which actually serves as a game mechanic. There's a little part here where I needed to blow on the mic to spin a windmill. It's kind of a party trick but, yeah, it works. The mic will also serve as a means for voice chat and voice to text, but I haven't tried those things just yet. There's also a mute button right above that opening and below the mic there's the classic headphone Jack. It's interesting, the PlayStation logo that's in the middle of this controller, it no longer has that round enclosure. And in just sort of holding it a bunch, I feel like that might be tougher to hit as opposed to that more pronounced one that we saw last Gen. But I guess we'll have to wait and see. The dual senses arguably Sony's most substantial departure from a controller design standpoint in generations. It's immediately different the second you pick it up and hold it in your hands. Overall the dual sense is a broader controller, right? It feels like the grips are longer and more pronounced, and even more chiseled compared to the Dual Shock 4. The shape buttons feel fine and the share an option buttons are also a tiny bit more pronounced than they were last Gen. My first reaction to the D pad is that it may be in the slightest bit feels a bit mushier than the DS 4 but not substantially different. And of course the analog sticks are the same, but they do have a bit more of a texturized feel. So, that's a welcome addition as well. And that's about it for my first impressions with the dual sense vibration haptic feedback, those are definitely the immediate highlights to take away here. I will be sure to have much more on this thing and the PS5 in general in the coming days. That's gonna do it for me right now. Stay safe everyone. As always, thanks for watching.