PS5 & Xbox Series X: 8 Biggest Questions We STILL Have

3. Is The PS5's Haptic Feedback Just A Gimmick?

On the PS3 it was the SixAxis controller - a gyro-controller DualShock stand-in with squishy triggers that literally only a handful of titles used. Uncharted 1 saw Nate balance on beams by holding the controller still, and dragon-riding actioner Lair mapped your beast to the SixAxis too.

Lair would later remove its motion controls and Sony would swap out the SixAxis for the DualShock 3, ostensibly admitting this weird gimmick had no true utility.

Cut to the PS4 and its controller gimmick was the light bar - something that the all-new DualSense has also gotten rid of, choosing to place smaller LEDs on either side of the touch pad rather than on top.

Point being: We're hearing a lot about the "haptic feedback" of the DualSense - how it'll vibrate differently to simulate walking on snow vs gravel, or how some pressure-sensitive triggers will "fight" you when a weapon jams or a car is drifting.

It all sounds fun and enjoyable enough, but these are very much first-party implementations.

Any third-party dev can't risk making a PlayStation-only feature too important to the experience, lest they annoy the competition and dissuade sales. And let's not forget, the last time anyone toyed with "HD rumble" it was 1-2-Switch - a game whose utilisation certainly didn't inspire followups.