Haptic Feedback
It should probably come as no surprise that alongside making use of the DualSense’s adaptive triggers, Housemarque also ensured that the haptic motors inside the controller were also put to good use in Returnal, too.
Haptic feedback is essentially a far more accurate and precise-feeling type of vibration over the usual motors you’d find at work in a DualShock 4 or Xbox controller. It’s the same tech that Nintendo uses in its Joy-Con to make it feel like there are multiple, individual balls rattling around inside the controller with distinct strong ‘taps’, or how you felt you were shaking around a bunch of Astro’s robo friends in the PS5 tech demo, Astro’s Playroom.
In Returnal, the PS5’s haptic feedback feature is used in a number of subtle ways. It tinkles with the pattering of rain, and bumps and buzzes with elongated notes as you feel Selene’s ship crash-landing in the opening cinematic. It enhances the immersion of the game without distracting you from what’s going on on-screen.
You’re just feeling what’s happening on-screen, and it really does add to the experience, just as feeling Astro’s pitter pattering footsteps on sand did in Astro’s Playroom. It really has to be experienced to be truly appreciated, but if you were looking for another showcase of the DualSense’s capabilities, Returnal is most certainly it.
