After seven years, Sony's successor to the PlayStation 4 — the PlayStation 5 — is here. From the moment it was unveiled, we knew that the PS5 would be different. Not only has Sony gone with a literally huge design that's divided gamers, but the company is betting big on a new feature in the DualSense controller to set the platform apart from the Xbox Series S/X.
The triggers on the DualSense are special. They don't just vibrate when you press them. They feel different depending on how light or hard your press them. In a game like the PS5's included Astro's Playroom, different surfaces have different haptics. Wood and metal feel different.
The triggers have different levels of sensitivity and you can feel it when you pull on them with different amounts of pressure. It's hard to describe, but the haptics make it so that you can feel the games in new ways. Of course, it'll be up to developers to add as much or little of these extra haptics to their games.
Take a magnifying glass or a macro camera (if your phone has one) to the inside of the PS5's plastic panels or the texture on the backside of the DualSense grips and you'll find thousands of circle, X, square, and triangle patterned on it. It's such a cool little detail. But one has to wonder if Sony could have shaved some cost not going this extra mile.
The PS5 and Xbox Series S are similar under the hood — both tout ray tracing and up to 8K resolution — but Sony might have the edge. With a striking design, a unique DualSense controller with next-level haptics, and more exclusives like Spider-Man: Miles Morales, the PS5 has just a little more going for it at launch. We'll have more on the PS5 as we play through more games, but damn it, the PS5 is a bold statement. It's pricey, but it feels more next-gen than an Xbox.
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