Uploaded November 2021 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
The first 1,000 people to use this link will get a 1 month free trial of Skillshare: https://skl.sh/writingongames11211
Support the show on Patreon - patreon.com/writingongames
Podcast - http://anchor.fm/writingongamescast
Second Channel - youtube.com/channel/UC1xxfS_HILi09yaELQdmV1A
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The current generation of consoles—marked by the release of the PS5 and Xbox Series X in 2020—is less about what games you're playing, and more to do with how you play them. In PlayStation's case, it's all about the tech—the SSD, 3D Audio and the like—all designed to get you more deeply invested in any given experience. The true game changer, however, has ended up being none other than the controller, the DualSense. One year post release, let's examine some of the games released on the system (including Returnal, Ratchet and Clank, and even Death Stranding) to see how developers have utilised the haptic feedback and adaptive triggers of the DualSense, what could be improved, and if the tech's potential to shift our view of entire genres of game will be realised in the future.
0:00 - Intro and Context
5:00 - Astro's Playroom
8:12 - Returnal
12:30 - Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart
15:12 - Re-releases and Ghost of Tsushima
20:50 - Death Stranding Director's Cut
25:16 - Third parties
26:22 - Demon's Souls Remake
27:49 - Spider-Man Miles Morales
30:09 - Hell Let Loose
32:24 - Conclusions
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For disclosure, Sony sent me a PS5 at launch back in November 2020. They then decided to send me two further DualSense controllers a few months later and a Pulse3D headset a few weeks ago. My policy with anything like this, whether it's hardware or a review code, remains the same—I do not feel in any way entitled to it, nor do I care if a company decides not to send me anything else in the future if they dislike my coverage. I don't let that cloud my judgment of something I'm covering. If my honesty covering something results in losing future access to a company's releases, so be it.
With that said, Sony had zero influence in this video—this is not an ad. I just figured that given the high price and disappointing scarcity of some of this gear, you should absolutely bear in mind that I did not have to pay for it.
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Text intro by Isaac Holland - twitter.com/drazgames
This video is sponsored by Skillshare
#astrobot
The first 1,000 people to use this link will get a 1 month free trial of Skillshare: https://skl.sh/writingongames11211
Support the show on Patreon - patreon.com/writingongames
Podcast - http://anchor.fm/writingongamescast
Second Channel - youtube.com/channel/UC1xxfS_HILi09yaELQdmV1A
---
The current generation of consoles—marked by the release of the PS5 and Xbox Series X in 2020—is less about what games you're playing, and more to do with how you play them. In PlayStation's case, it's all about the tech—the SSD, 3D Audio and the like—all designed to get you more deeply invested in any given experience. The true game changer, however, has ended up being none other than the controller, the DualSense. One year post release, let's examine some of the games released on the system (including Returnal, Ratchet and Clank, and even Death Stranding) to see how developers have utilised the haptic feedback and adaptive triggers of the DualSense, what could be improved, and if the tech's potential to shift our view of entire genres of game will be realised in the future.
0:00 - Intro and Context
5:00 - Astro's Playroom
8:12 - Returnal
12:30 - Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart
15:12 - Re-releases and Ghost of Tsushima
20:50 - Death Stranding Director's Cut
25:16 - Third parties
26:22 - Demon's Souls Remake
27:49 - Spider-Man Miles Morales
30:09 - Hell Let Loose
32:24 - Conclusions
---
For disclosure, Sony sent me a PS5 at launch back in November 2020. They then decided to send me two further DualSense controllers a few months later and a Pulse3D headset a few weeks ago. My policy with anything like this, whether it's hardware or a review code, remains the same—I do not feel in any way entitled to it, nor do I care if a company decides not to send me anything else in the future if they dislike my coverage. I don't let that cloud my judgment of something I'm covering. If my honesty covering something results in losing future access to a company's releases, so be it.
With that said, Sony had zero influence in this video—this is not an ad. I just figured that given the high price and disappointing scarcity of some of this gear, you should absolutely bear in mind that I did not have to pay for it.
---
Text intro by Isaac Holland - twitter.com/drazgames
This video is sponsored by Skillshare
#astrobot
