Coming bundled free with the PlayStation 5, Astro's Playroom is a fun introduction to how the next generation of consoles are going to play. It's a romp packed with nostalgia for fans of the brand to revel in. Using the delightful little character first used to market the PSVR, the game sees bot Astro take on an adventure completely of its own. Behind the scenes though, what Playroom is really showcasing, is the incredible potential of the DualSense controller.
A quick note to say we're currently only allowed to discuss one stage of Astro's Playroom, and the context of the DualSense working within the game in general, but even with these limitations, you get a pretty full understanding of just how huge the technology at work could be for the future of video games.
I've been trying to find ways to describe how the DualSense's haptic feedback actually feels, and the best simile I can think of, is that it's like surround sound audio for your hands. It's weird to describe but stick with me. When you initiate a button press to select an option, the controller bursts with vibrations that spread out from a fixed central point, rippling through your palms. As Astro moves around on his tiny robotic pincer-like legs, small pin-prick vibrations match his steps on-screen, making it feel like he's tippy-tapping around inside your DualSense.
The actions pair expertly with the controller's in-built microphone, which mimics and often compliments the sounds on screen. Wind howls in time with gusting pulses. Pulling loose wires (which often open up new sections) also marries the fusion of touch and sound to create what feels like palpable tension.
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While Astro doesn't make much use of the R1 and L1 bumpers, it does demo the sizeable capacity of the shoulder buttons. Much has been made about them locking in place when a weapon jams to physically stop players from being able to fire them, but it's the nuances that set the mind racing. The triggers actively fight back and strain under the pressure of being squeezed. Most notably in a segment where you don a spring suit (which is almost exactly what it sounds like) and it genuinely feels like a coiled spring is ready to loose itself just under the controller's faceplate.
The one thing I'm not so sold on is the motion sensing. Undeniably, it's come on leaps and bounds since the last generational efforts, and I've no doubt it would even give Wii Sports (still somehow the gold standard for motion controls despite being nearly a decade and a half old) a run for its money. It can though feel a little bit too precise and fiddly, but as a mere showcase of the technology, I'm willing to give it a pass. If it can be used in an ingenious way, then fair play to it, I'll judge its merits case-by-case.
After a few hours gleefully experiencing what the controller can do in Astro's Playroom, I walk away awed and excited. The next-generation of gaming now doesn't feel like it's in the frame rates or the teraflops or complicated numbers and processing powers; it's in our hands. More so than it's ever been. The DualSense caters to that illusive last bastion of tangible senses that video games have tried but never quite succeeded to woo - touch. If the PlayStation 6 can nail down the simulated senses of smell and taste, we'll be five for five in a truly enrapturing gaming experience. Actually, on second thoughts, maybe we don't need to go that far. I'd rather not know what the inside of Kratos' loincloth smells like. Although...
Featured Image Credit: SonyTopics: PlayStation 5