It's no big secret that PlayStation 5s DualSense controller is an impressive gamepad, one that not only provides a more immersive, haptic-oriented gaming experience, but also allows more room for control schemes. For example Housemarque's latest Sarosas Return before using DualSense's adaptive triggers to essentially create a new button, in a way not possible with other controllers. In short, it's a unique device and easily one of the biggest perks of the PS5. However, it is far from perfect.
Aside from all-too-common complaints like stickiness, cost, and overall longevity, the DualSense doesn't lend itself easily to the PC environment. Unlike the Xbox controller, which more or less has full feature parity on PC, the DualSense feels a bit more compromised. For example, the aforementioned adaptive triggers are often not supported by the PC versions of cross-platform games, and other controller features, such as the headphone jack and advanced haptics, are only supported via a wired connection. Not only is this disappointing, but it also makes DualSense a significantly worse choice for PC gamers, as Xbox Series X|S and Xbox One controllers are often notably cheaper and without compromises, while being easier to connect and supported by more games. DualSense still has a long way to go on PC, but a Steam app called DSX is making progress in the meantime.
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PS5's DualSense Now Has Wireless Haptics and Audio Support on PC (sort of)
The DSX Steam app recently received a major update, with its most significant change tweaking the aforementioned DualSense feature suite. The patch notes read: “Add Virtual DualSense with audio support, allowing games to send native DualSense audio and haptics via DSX over Bluetooth or USB.” To reiterate, DualSense audio and haptics have previously only been available to PC users who choose to connect their DualSense via USB. This may seem like a minor problem, but for regular use it can be quite frustrating. This is doubly true for those who use their PC in a living room setup, a demographic that will likely only grow if Valve's Steam Machine is successful.
DSX simply enables audio and haptics to be sent to DualSense via a wireless connection. It won't add haptics or audio support for games that don't already have it.
Guess the games from the emojis.
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Guess the games from the emojis.
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DSX also provides a more complex and customizable DualSense experience overall. With it, you can adjust the DualSense's LED lights, dead zones, gyro controls and more. Of course, you can achieve many of these goals with other apps (DS4Windows, for example), but DSX strives to be both more comprehensive and more user-friendly, aiming to promote a deep, console-like experience for PC users who prefer DualSense. But the program has a glaring caveat.
If you want full DualSense functionality on PC, you have to pay
The biggest catch with DSX is its price, which is $8 on Steam. It's not a huge amount, but it's still frustrating to have to pay for features that Sony should have included themselves. DSX is ultimately another example of independent developers picking up the slack of a large corporation.
Sony improving DualSense support on PC would not only be consumer friendly, but also a smart business decision. After all, if someone is going to play on PC, why not sell them a fully functional DualSense controller to pair with it? Otherwise, it just creates an opening for other, more compatible controllers in the PC market. And with so many Sony games on PC, it just makes sense. But for now, DSX is arguably PC users' most complete resource for DualSense support.
