PS5 DualSense And Switch Joy-Cons Share A Surprising Connection
The PlayStation 5's DualSense controller is one of the system's biggest selling points, offering a genuine next-gen feel in the palm of your hands. While it's sporting some shiny new innovative tricks, not all of its features are groundbreaking.
If you've already played a Nintendo Switch, the PS5's haptic feedback features might seem familiar. Apparently, there's a surprising reason for that.
As it turns out, the Switch's Joy-Cons and the DualSense kind of like blood relatives. In that sense, Nintendo's Joy-Con is the older sibling to Sony's DualSense. As pointed out by Reddit user AstralCarnival, both controllers feature technology developed by a company called Immersion. Seeing a company develop technology for rival gaming entities is certainly a far cry from console wars of the past. It's also in a way a reflection of a more cooperative era where there's less of a divide between brands than in previous decades.
According to Immersion CEO Ramzi Haidamus, features like haptic feedback have come in response to gaming technology peaking in certain areas. While graphics and audio fidelity have essentially plateaued, developers are turning to different aspects of the video game experience, such as tactile immersion. Such a strategy was echoed by PlayStation's Jim Ryan in an interview where he revealed how the PS5 could have been much pricier. In his conversation, Ryan expressed that he felt "the sensory aspect of gaming is one that perhaps has been overlooked in the nuclear arms race of horsepower."
Indeed, gaming technology has come a long way. Gamers who grew up in the '90s were amazed after first experiencing the sensations offered by the N64's rumble pak. An add-on that seems incredibly antiquated by today's standards, this innovative piece of technology offered gamers a chance to really feel what they were playing, and it blew away old-school gamers. Ever since, rumble features have not only become standard, but are now taking center stage.
As video game technology continues to evolve, how will the role of sensory immersion mature? Will Nintendo's next console respond to the growing popularity of haptic feedback and push the technology even further? And what happens when tactile technology peaks alongside graphics and audio?
It will be exciting to watch as rumble technology advances to new heights. Perhaps the generation after this will focus on an entirely new sense that is yet unexplored. Until then, the newest Xbox and PlayStation consoles have just arrived, giving gamers and developers plenty of time to explore the latest features.