The DualShock 4 is one of the most fully featured controllers on any gaming platform. In addition to the standard controller layout. There's a built-in speaker, capacitive clickable touchpad, motion and gyro sensor, and a light bar that can be used in conjunction with the PlayStation Camera for position tracking, and gives visual feedback and player identification.

Despite being jam-packed with features, half of these tools go unutilized by most PS4 games, particularly those from third parties. One would assume it'd be to maintain feature parity with the Xbox One versions of these games, who's controller isn't nearly as decked out. But when the Nintendo Switch versions of Doom and Fortnite support gyro aiming, yet the PS4 versions don't. That's a problem. Sony's first party games are a bit better at this. But even then you have some baffling exceptions. Like why does Days Gone use gyro aiming, yet Horizon doesn't?

So that brings us to DualSense, the PlayStation 5's new controller. With the additions of Advanced haptics, Adaptive triggers, built-in mic. Along with improvements to the Touchpad, speaker, and lightbar. Do you think Sony should try and push developers to make better use of these features, at least in areas where they make sense? The touchpad for example, is actually a great addition to a controller, bringing smartphone like gestures to a console environment, which when done right, is very useful and intuitive. Yet even when it'd make sense, such as navigating a map, most devs don't bother doing anything with it outside of using it as a button. Same with the gyro sensor. It's 2020, and we're STILL forced to use dual analog sticks to aim in shooters, when gyro has long since been proven as the superior aiming option?

I get it, not everything needs gimmicks shoe-horned in where they aren't needed. But Sony should be encouraging the use of these features in practical and useful ways. That's not to say they should force developers, but make sure that it'd be a no brainer to implement these features. I always feel that each new gaming generation, should not only consider improvements to graphics, performance, design, etc. But also to controls and inputs. As great as the standard controller is, there's still always ways to make it better, and that includes new inputs and features.

Yes, but we know, third parties are not that motivated to these features.

Yes, but unfortunately third-parties probably won't care enough. I do think exclusives (whether they are first-party or not) should really push for the features.

No. Look back at Wii, Kinect, Move, and the PS4 touchpad. If a dev wasn’t interested in using it then usually we’d get some generic functionality that might as well not have been there at all. If a dev is motivated to use features then the results can be great. If they aren’t motivated then don’t bother.

I mean, the whole issue with adaptive controls, who really cares for this ?

No, Sony's own first-party barely made use of the features on the Dualshock 4, let alone 3rd party. Keep the gimmick features optional.

Sony supporting the features at a system level would be a nice start. It is beyond mind blowing, that we went this entire generation, and the touch pad still has no function in the Home Screen or the Internet Browser. If they don't utilize the Touch Pad and Microphone in the DualSense for Browsing and Searching, that will be an even bigger failure.

It would be nice to see more 1st and 3rd parties take advantage of next gen input features. There were some great examples sprinkled throughout the generation. Tomb Raider did an awesome job using voice to switch weapons, Infamous used the Touchpad for soaking up energy and the Gyro for Painting, Killzone Shadow Fall used gestures to add additional inputs, and Days Gone used gesture as a quick access to high use menu screens. Hopefully we will see stuff like this be more common on PS5.

At a base level, there is almost no reason games should not rip off the Days Gone gestures to jump directly into a specific menu, instead of having to go through multiple screens, or button presses. If some sort of loose standard could be set next gen, where pressing the touch pad brings up the full menu, while swiping up always goes to the map, swiping left always goes to character menu, right to weapons, and down to inventory, that would be a very nice quality of life upgrade.

I also agree that gyro streering, and gyro aiming should be a standard for all Shooting and Racing games next generation.

Innovation in Input is what I want to see with each generation. That is why Eye Toy, Move, Kinect, and VR have been my highlights of the previous generations. New generations should offer both improvements on tried and true fomulas, and new ways to play, that were not possiible with previous hardware.

No, because of look at Nintendo systems like Wii/DS/Wii U/3DS. when 3rd parties did use them it felt tacked on most the time. Few games were built around it. Most games just slapped something in that didn't fit or could have worked better without it. Then we had games like Lair for PS3 that was such a disaster it killed Factor 5. Having the tools there but letting developers freely explore it or ignore it if they wish is the best option.

Let devs have freedom to make a good game, which is a no from me.

I think devs will do whatever they want. And they should have the freedom to do so, as well. However, I think we're going to see a lot of devs take advantage of the new Dual Sense. Mainly because this isn't anything extra the player has to do. Not motion or touchpad gimmicks. It's just normal gaming enhanced. And I think once players feel the adaptive triggers and much more refined rumble in exclusive games, they'll ask for them to be in multiplat games, too. If they aren't already there.