Due to its impressive haptic feedback features, critics and fans alike have lauded the PS5 DualSense as one of the best controllers Sony has produced - but does it work on PS4?
After all, the PS4 still has a lot of great games to enjoy, and if you're don't want to move your PS4 games over to the PS5 until the SSD upgrade release, using the DualSense may give you the best of both worlds.
Well, let's get ready to rumble. Or not.
Does the DualSense haptic feedback work on the PS4?
According to Sony's own FAQs, the DualSense controller is not compatible with the PS4. However, a workaround using Remote Play does allow you to connect the PS5 controller to the PS4.
Even with this workaround, you won't enjoy all the DualSense's features and benefits, as its haptic feedback and adaptive trigger functionality was designed specifically for the PS5 and PS5-compatible games.
If you are hoping to get the benefits of adaptive triggers, or other subtle feedback from the dual actuators? Sorry, the DualSense on the PS4 just isn't going to work.
READ MORE: How much longer will the PS4 last?
What is Haptic Feedback?
Haptic feedback is, in essence, the way the controller feels while you are playing a game.
One feature of the DualSense, is that the gamepad can change the way the trigger buttons feel, depending on the in-game situation. This is called adaptive trigger support. For example, a sports game may increase the resistance in the sprint trigger as your players become fatigued. Or when a gun jams, the trigger might be blocked. While still early in the life cycle of this console, it undoubtedly has the potential to transform the way playing a game feels.
The PS4 DualShock controller does contain small motors which can vibrate. This creates the "rumble" which has been with us since the days of the N64. While this is a form of haptic feedback, it is far less nuanced than the DualSense controller offers. As exciting as the DualSense is, the big question is whether this more precise sort of haptic feedback works with a PS4.
Do PS4 Games Support Haptic Feedback?
Officially, no. But that's not the whole story.
If you picked up a PS4 game off the shelf and downloaded it onto your PS5, it would not include haptic feedback. However, if the PS4 game comes with a free PS5 upgrade, there is a chance these games may support haptic feedback.
For example, if you bought Spider-Man: Miles Morales on PS4 to then upgrade to PS5, or No Man's Sky, then these 'PS4' games would technically support haptic feedback via their PS5 upgrades.
However, an April firmware update for the PS5 did include a DualSense controller update that further enhanced the rumble features of PS4 games with the DualSense.
READ MORE:Call of Duty: Warzone PS5 upgrade release date
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