Xbox May Be Developing a Controller to Rival the PS5 DualSense

Xbox May Be Developing a Controller to Rival the PS5 DualSense

Written by on | OpenCritic

If the PS5 DualSense controller is what most notably separates the Sony console from its competitors, Microsoft may be looking to close the gap and achieve something more like controller parity. 

A recent survey sent by Microsoft  (spotted by TechRadar) to select Xbox players asked several questions about the new-gen controllers, both on the Xbox side as well as even mentioning PlayStation by name, asking if respondents are "aware of" the features offered with the DualSense and which, if any, such features they;d like to see in a future Xbox controller.

The Xbox Series X|S controller was designed to be iterative, not revolutionary, which one could argue was the design decision at Sony with the PS5 DualSense. Its major additions are a slightly smaller form, textured triggers, a dedicated share button, and an improved D-Pad. These changes have been warmly welcomed by reviewers, but stacked beside the DualSense's rewrite of the PlayStation controller, it doesn't quite stack up.

The DualSense offers things like advanced haptics, adaptive triggers that can better simulate actions like driving through mud or pulling a bow string, and the return of legacy features like motion controls and the center touchpad.

If these features were to only be used by PlayStation's first-party studios, one might wonder if it's worth Xbox going through the trouble. After all, hardly anyone made special use of the touchpad on the PS4. But out of the gate, these new DualSense features appear to have been embraced by third-party studios, with games such as Fortnite and Assassin's Creed Valhalla using the features in various ways.

While Xbox continues to hang its hat on Game Pass, it may be the case that Sony soon revamps PS Now and plays catch-up to Xbox's 15 million-plus subscriber base, and if that's the case, Team Xbox may be hard-pressed not to try and match PlayStation in the controller space as well.

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