The PS5’s DualSense controller can now be used on a PC, albeit with drawbacks.
The PlayStation 5 DualSense controller can now be used on Steam, but many of its signature features are not yet compatible.
The DualSense has been getting rave reviews both from the press and early adopters of the PS5. It’s one of the defining features of the system, setting it apart from the competition. The integration of the haptic feedback with many of the PS5 launch titles in particular, suggests the great potential.
Here is some good news for PC players too. You can now use the controller on Steam… although, for now, it will be missing that defining haptic feedback.
Valve noted the compatibility in the patch notes for the Steam Client Beta. This means that users who opt into the beta can now use the controller as an input device. However, that’s about all they can do for now. It’s noted that “advanced features such as rumble, trackpad, and gyro are not yet supported.”
That “yet” is doing some heavy lifting though. It suggests that PC players will likely be able to use those features in the future. The question is will the integration be as fully-fledged and transferable from the PS5 without much developer input? If so, that would be a great feature for PC players.
Elsewhere in the update, it’s noted that a small change which “fixed the Xbox Series X controller showing up as 2 separate controllers.” This is all great news. Now, those lucky enough to have a next-gen console and a gaming PC can get double duty out of their new controllers.