Here it is, ladies and gentlemen, the official controller design for the Playstation 5. Sony is dropping the DualShock name from their next controller and rebranding it the DualSense to emphasize the way the controller engages your senses.
Gone are the colored face buttons, which is sure to surprise many players (and will definitely make tutorials more complicated). The two-toned DualSense maintains the DualShock 4's extended grips and donut-shaped thumbsticks. While it looks similar, there's a lot of new tech on the inside.
Sony's focus for this new controller is haptic feedback. They haven't gone into much detail here, but the DualSense will be able to simulate a variety of different physical sensations. It's an evolution of the rumble pack that's undoubtedly the biggest leap in technology between the last generation of controllers and the next.
Another feature, which we've heard Sony discuss before, is the new adaptive triggers. The DualSense will be able to increase or decrease the resistance in each of the triggers to better simulate whatever action your character is performing. For example, pulling back the string of a bow and arrow (Horizon 2 anyone?) could require extra force, while releasing the string will cause the trigger to instantly snap back into place.
The share button has been rebranded as the create button. The blog post didn't go into detail about what new features would be available, but players can expect to have plenty of built-in streaming and recording capabilities.
The lightbar has been moved from the top of the controller to either side of the touchpad (yes, it still has a touchpad) so that players can see the game integrations better. Hopefully the new lightbar won't be as bright as the DS4 lightbar now that the light is directed up at your eyes rather than forward towards the TV.
Sony also detailed a built-in microphone array they're adding to the DualSense. They explain that the built-in mic will be great for having a quick chat with friends, but that headsets are still recommended for longer conversations. It's likely the microphone will be used for game integration, similar to the microphone on the 3DS.
Impressions around here are pretty mixed about the DualSense. While the new features sound great (except for that built-in mic, which we find suspect), the two-tone design is definitely divisive. Getting rid of the colored face buttons was an interesting choice. We'll reserve further judgment until we can get the controller in our hands.