Xbox Wants To Know If You Like The PS5's Controller Features

The touchpad offers gameplay possibilities.

But I would rather Microsoft invest in software to enable custom voice commands by way of any headset microphone. The way Bethesda integrated Kinect's software into Skyrim is just the tip of the iceberg.

As normal as Siri and Alexa have become even among people who are not tech-savvy, Xbox games should all have the option of multiplying command options beyond the handheld controller with voice commands to equip items, use items, access menus, navigate menus, use skills, etc. There is potential for Xbox gamers to have as many quick control options while using an Xbox controller as PC gamers have while using a keyboard.

I haven't used a ps5 controller, and it sounds really cool and everything, but it will probably just be another gimmick that's abandoned after a year or two. Just like the ps4 touchpad that was only used for the first few first party games.
Maybe I'm totally wrong on this, especially since I haven't even tried it, but it doesn't really excite me in any way.

I'd take the haptics. My headphones have haptics and I don't know that I could use another headset without them.

Gyro would be fantastic, the rest of the DualSense features I could do without and I really dislike the internal microphone.

So basically a Switch Pro controller but with a better dpad would be perfect.

I think HD rumble is a logical thing to implement. It's not a revolution but a nice improvement. The adaptive triggers are cool but I have concerns about their longevity. What I really want to see if MS support the Reverb G2 on the Series X. It's not very profitable, but it would be way cooler than a new iteration of the Xbox gamepad. Sony is taking a break from VR until 2022, MS could win some converts in the meantime if they got Half Life Alyx on Series X.

I'm not really that fussed, I know people on the Internet make out like it's the second coming but I'm always skeptical (fanboys).. Everyone I know in person who is normal lol have said what I expected.. Its pretty neat for a while but often just end up turning them off for alot of games

Pretty much what I expect.. Fun but just another gimmick..

I could take it or leave if xbox release something similar

Seems that it is a bit fragile, there are allready DS controllers with triggers which don't work anymore. I am happy with my Elite V2.

I have a XSX and PS5, but I definitely favor the XSX. That said, I love the DualSense on Astro’s. I would buy games that implemented that controller in any meaningful way on my PS5 (CoD guns isn’t going to cut it).

The Xbox controller is perfect the way it is.

We don’t need gimmicky stuff to ruin it. I have always hated the feel of the PS controller.

I can’t say I’ve experienced a single use of the touchpad on the PS4 controller that has convinced me it’s worth having. Most games just use it as an extra button.

Gyro on the Switch on the other hand is fantastic for shooters and it’s disappointing Microsoft didn’t add that to the controller for Series consoles. I waited for Doom Eternal on the Switch because I find the gyro aiming so much better than just regular analogue sticks on their own.

My two favorite things about my PS4 controllers: the touch pad for games with inventories and the small speaker. It was annoying to me at first, but while playing a game like MLB The Show, the controller allows some close-audio to come through at your hands. Is it needed? Heck no. Is it cool? Yah a little bit! I'll admit!

Gyro is the only feature that I really think is missing, and it’s not unique to the dual sense. Once you get used to the gyros they do make a huge difference.

Haptics maybe depending on if future games take advantage of it, then it might make designing work around for a lack thereof harder such as Mario Odyssey with the Switch lite had a moon finding work around.

The simplest straightforward design change would be to add 2 paddles or back buttons to the basic Xbox controller. I recently had to switch to the next-gen basic controller after my Elite 1 controller's stick had problems. All the tactile additions are great. But clicking the thumbsticks is not half as good as using the paddles and probably shortens the longevity before stick drift.

At least, there could be an option somewhere between a $60 basic controller and a $190 Elite 2. I might try a PowerA controller just for a cheaper option with paddles.

I like the way it is, Seems like a gimmick to me.. The Series X controler is perfection..

I'd say the X controller would be better with than without but I reckon it'll be difficult for Xbox owners to openly admit to wanting something of Sony's.
Feels a bit like saying a car without air conditioning is better than with because 'I just wouldn't turn it on', but having the option would always be better. Bit of cutting one's nose to spite their face?

Reading the comments and still wandering how the hell xbox still haven't got gyro 😂 HD rumble and haptic feedback are nice features to have and let's developers do new things and play around, also there are settings to turn them off 👍

Only thing I don't like is the touch pad which I think is unnecessary and just gets used 90% of the time as an extra button (usually to bring up the map)

@Jslade Try it if you can. Astro’s Playroom had me convinced that Sony are really on to something.

@Hypnotoad107

Same here, if game developers actually utilize it like Astros it will be a great feature.

Still prefer the Elite 2 over anything else but for the first time I prefer the stock PS controller over the stock Xbox controller.

GYROS GYROS GYROS GYROS GYROS

Oh, and Gyros, too.

It's 2021, Microsoft, you're the only controller without gyros since 2013! And your own soon to be internal studio of Bethesda is one of the best companies at putting Nintendo's gyros to use.

I expected Series controllers would finally implement gyro aiming, and we could finally get that standard in all games going forward, but sadly that was not to be the case.

Track pad remains silly. "HD Rumble" is cool. I think Series controllers already upgraded the rumble packs, but again, Nintendo and Sony both have enhanced feedback now and it would be nice for that to be universal.

The haptic triggers....they're cool, I like them, they can be fatiguing at times, though, and I can't see many non-first-party games using them much, though AC: Valhalla apparently has a patch that implements them nicely.

@Kefka2589 You're just not playing PSVR enough. You have to use DS4 for PSVR because it needs the light, which Dual Sense doesn't have.

EDIT: OTOH I hate seeing XBox have a "PS Controller -> DUAL SHOCK" or "SIXAXS ->DUAL SHOCK 3" moment of selling a console, then selling the "real" controller later. Then again.............."The Duke -> S Controller"

@Kefka2589 I personally really like it and definitely prefer it to without, but as you said you can just turn it off like you did.
Why tell everyone else who likes it that they're wrong and it shouldn't even be an option for them because you don't like it?
Wouldn't the Series X controller be better if half the owners of it preferred it on while the other half turned it off?
The purpose of the questionnaire is to see if users would want it.
I actually think they are asking the wrong people. On this site the general opinion seems to be half the people who have/had a PS5 like it while half don't while the rest say they don't want it without actually using the Dual Sense.
I think they'd do better asking Dual Sense owners if they prefer it or not.
I don't have the X yet, but I'd love it if they brought out a new controller with some additional features by the time I get round to getting one and be disappointed if they didn't because Xbox owners said they didn't want it. Maybe they do it with default setting for all options off to keep hardcore happy?

Edit: Actually your comment about you'd be happy they removed the rumble completely is interesting. Wasn't that the sixaxis on the PS3. That was oddly awful without the rumble and it took taking it out for everyone to complain and realise it was actually worse without.

@Kefka2589 Rumble is more meaningful than most realize. Not so much about immersion as feedback, the same way a clicky keyboard is easier to type accurately on. Visual+audio+tactile feedback if positive hits, damage received, unstable terrain, rhythm (the subtle controller pulse to the rhythm in music games or platformers that rely on the music for transitions etc).... You react to Rumble feedback more than you might realize. Your brain reacts subconsciously to the tactile feedback.

@StonyKL It comes at a cost, so it's reasonable to see if xbox owners really want to pay more for those things. Technically the haptic triggers were an xbox innovation to begin with. X1 added trigger feedback independent from the controller rumble. It was subtle and everyone forgets it, but our xb controllers have had trigger rumble for 7 years now and Sony didn't. Now Sony took it further with dynamic haptics.

But xbox inexplicably hasn't added the danged gyros that really transform console shooters from meh to cool. Play doom 2016 on xbox, them play on switch. Instantly better on switch even if it looks far worse. With Halo and gears as 2/3 of their tentpoles you'd think they'd have added gyros to launch.

I have a PS5 and think DualSense is pretty ok. It does remind me of the hype around "HD Rumble" on the Switch though, one of those things that sounds much cooler than it inevitably ends up being because devs get bored with it and don't bother to keep it interesting. I filled out the survey as well and would love to see similar features on the Xbox, if for no other reason than to have parity in cross-console releases. My favorite rumble to date is still the amazing work being done by both Forza teams. DualSense still has nothing on that in my opinion.

@Kefka2589 A PowerA controller? Okay... Well... It's okay to like that kind of freaky stuff if that's your thing, I guess........

I couldn't care less about the DS feature set and hope XB doesn't worry about it.

They can keep the $69.99 pricetag too.

@StonyKL The survey would probably be best with a question near the beginning asking what consoles people own, then at the end, asking if you would like advanced haptics in the controller. That way they can compare results from people that have used both vs people that haven’t.

The speaker adds a nice level of immersion to the games that use it. Picking up a audio file and having it play back on the controller speaker is pretty cool.

@Kefka2589
Preach brother! Rumble/haptics is the first thing I switch off in games so I don't care. It only irritates me most of the time and drains the battery.

Not really. Maybe the better vibration but none of the other stuff. Less moving parts means less problems.

@NEStalgia Fair enough about the cost point. I just assume they will always charge the same amount anyway. Xbox controller is pretty much the same as PS5 without the "features" plus £20 to buy the charge kit that already comes with the Dual sense - so to some extent controllers will always be over priced.
Gyros is actually something I don't like. Mainly because I'm not very skilled with it - but like my earlier point, I wouldn't want it removed because so many people like you do like it. I just need to get better with it.

@Hypnotoad107 - yes that would be a better option

I certainly wouldn't go out of my way to buy another controller with these features, they are really nice in Astro Bot but nothing special in all of the other games I tried, in fact the triggers were actually quite annoying in Borderlands 3 as was how the rumble was used. My issue is that I just don't feel it'll be utilised that well in most games, similar to HD rumble on Switch where I can only remember its use in 1-2 Switch and making lock picking super easy in Skyrim.

At the end of the day all of these features such as the speaker, gyro aiming and fancy rumble are all things that stick in my mind for a very small number of games I've played. Whilst in the overwhelming majority of games I've played which either never had them or didn't really utilise them, I've never missed not having these features

I don't want anything hampering my direct inputs. "Muh immersion tho!" means nothing if I have to choose between that and extra delay on my inputs as the joypad fights back.

Honestly I’m not that bothered. I’ve played Astro Bot and it was pretty cool but the pad isn’t the game changer it’s made out to be imo. Also I know someone who’s trigger snapped after a couple of weeks, which I believe could be a wider problem.

The series X pad is comfortable and does the job perfectly well I’m happy with it.

I own a PS5 and admit I was blown away with the Astro demo.
Then I played regular games and thought it was more of a hindrance than a revolutionary new feature set, especially in multiplayer games, you're actually at a disadvantage unless you disable them.
Could be a nice feature for an Elite v3 controller maybe, since developers could always patch in adaptive trigger settings and motion as an option, but then that would be rather niche and not worth the effort.

@StonyKL Good point about the battery. Series X controller is still $10 cheaper than Dual Sense and Switch Pro....but lacks the "HD rumble" and built in battery of both.

I actually despise the built in batteries, and it's a big reason I didn't buy the Elite V2, which I forgot about. It makes each controller a ticking time bomb to disposability, and requires plugging in and running wired at increasingly frequent intervals when running low, while XBox's AAs let me just toss in a fresh set, accumulate some drained batteries and throw them all on the charger every 6+ weeks.

Powering all the motors, gyros and everything else would probably require the voltage of lithium and mandate internal batteries. Much as I'd love gyros, I actually love that they still stick with AA batteries.

But....if it could standardize gyro aiming in the industry, I suppose it's worth it. Using 2-axis aiming is just a terrible compromise. Shooters were designed on the mouse, for the mouse, and, really, all around the mouse. Cramming them on sticks always meant compromising the game (every last stick aimed game has some sort of aim assist, snapping, and/or reduced enemy density as workarounds for the inherent limitations of sticks.) Gyro goes part way to bringing the free- directional aiming rather than aiming on a "grid", and the ability to "snap" to targets like was originally intended on a mouse. Not perfect but a good compromise and better than the track pad things on the Steam controller.

Splatoon remains the lone example of a competitive console shooter with no aim assist or limitation, that relies totally on free aiming. That being said there are some high level players that manage to do it with gyros off. But it's a steeper hill if you just can't get the hang of gyros.

@blinx01 I haven't found it to be a specific hinderance, but I've found it can be fatiguing. The trigger actively fights against you while swinging around in Miles for example. It's kinda cool feeling the rope tension at first. After a while it just means a sore trigger finger, though. It's very useful on Sackboy, though with things like pulling those "root" sponges from the ground, you can feel the tension release when the last, larger item pulls out which helps get the timing to keep moving or not fall off. It can have good uses, but few games will really employ that.

What I'd have actually preferred is haptic STICKS, not triggers. If you've ever used a PC flight stick like the old MS Sidewinders with Flight Sim back in the day, that is revolutionary - feeling the yoke of the plane actually pull tension like....the yoke of the actual plane.... We're lacking a 90's revolution and praising a half-step with triggers over a decade later.

Of course nobody can build an analogue that lasts at all today let alone with motors.....how did they ever manage in the 90's with those flight sticks?

@NEStalgia Yeah battery on Series X at least gives you the option but its crazy they still charge you the £20 on the controller and then ask for the £20 afterwards. As long as the price is £20 cheaper for a controller then I'm fine with it.

I can't stand the AA batteries option. Used to run out on the 360 controller then have to either pay £10 for 4 batteries in corner store or wait days for delivery so inevitably paid an extra £20 for the charger kit anyway (after a few £10 battery purchases). My PS controller I just plug in when I've finished playing and it has never run out ever. I will never understand the argument the other way, however still think giving a choice is the best option.

Everything seems to be a gimmick with Sony controllers besides the new triggers, but I haven't used them yet so I can't comment on if I like that or not. All I know is how throughout the entirety of the PS4's existence the touchpad never managed to do anything particularly useful, and the light bar was useless outside of some PSVR games. The controller speaker can be kinda neat but it's also really gimmicky where I can easily live without it and not feel like I am missing out on anything.

As for the batteries the AA batteries is one of my favorite things about the Xbox controller. It allows me to use rechargeable AA's and swap them out when I need to. I get better battery life and never need to worry about my controller dying out on me, nor do I ever have to think about plugging it in. I hate how so many controllers have built-in batteries these days making me have to remember to plug them in all the time.

@StonyKL I don't think they really expect most people are using disposable AA batteries...... Eneloops have been a thing since before 360 launched..... They're great. Lithium ion packs make everything disposable within a few years, and with PS, I have to charge every day. With Nintendo I don't, but inevitably it's mid-game I need to and then I have to run the controller wired to keep playing while it charges. XBox? I just grab a new pair of batteries, from my charged bin, throw the others in my "needs to be recharged" bin and keep going as if nothing happened.

I have an 8-battery charger (well, 2 4 battery chargers.) I just accumulate some and then charge up 8 at a time. Use the same pool of batteries for flashlights, remotes, scales, random other objects that take them. I've been using the same AA batteries since the mid-00's...only a few have worn out and that was actually due to a shorted remote with a bad capacitor that kept deep discharging them when I didn't realize it.

DS5 ran out during Sackboy the other day. Had to drag the wire across the couch to play connected. XB controller ran out the other day. I reached over, swapped the batteries and kept going. I'd left my one Elite v1 unused for probably a year. If it were Li-Poly it probably would be dead or hold a noticibly lesser charge now. The Eneloops? Kept going another 15 hours before swapping them out. Nobody will convince me that a Li-Poly soldered to the board will ever be more convenient than that.

Not really a knock on the PS controllers, in that, with all the motors and such they're powering, they actually couldn't use AA's, it's not an option, it needs higher voltage. Switch, however....they don't have an excuse. And Elite V2.

Yes Certainly we Like and we want PS5's Controller ( DualSense ) Features For Xbox Controller