The PS4 and the Dualshock 4 have a few great features. However, very few games make use of features like the touchpad. There are other properties that are also rarely used. Some fans even believe that the features of the PS5 could suffer the same fate.
The Dualshock 4 is the official controller of the PlayStation 4 and has some cool functions. On reddit, players are currently discussing the functions of the PlayStation 4 and the features of the PlayStation 5.
Many fans agree that especially two features of the PlayStation 4 are used far too rarely. We will introduce you to the two features that players miss in many games.
Rarely used on PS4: the touchpad of the Dualshock 4
The touchpad was one of the newest features that the PS4 controller received from the Dualshock 3 to the Dualshock 4. Nowadays, you can even play games like CoD Mobile with the controller. The special thing about the touchpad: It responds to touches by fingers or by pressing the pad.
The touchpad is rarely used correctly: However, very few games really or sensibly use the feature. Our colleagues from GamePro explain that Days Gone had a few cool possibilities: Depending on where you pressed the touchpad, the inventory, map, or abilities opened up.
In most games, however, the touchpad is simply “simplified”: Most of the time, it only opens the menus or the minimap, but the actual touch feature often plays no significant role.
By the way, one player had his PS4 controller break. He came up with something particularly creative to honor his broken controller properly:
The motion sensor of the Dualshock 4
The motion sensor is another feature of the Dualshock 4 that is rarely used. This sensor detects how you hold the controller, whether you tilt or move it.
Few exclusive titles like Concrete Genie utilize the motion sensor: Here, you paint artworks on the walls of the player city using the movements of the controller.
What function do players wish for? This is related to a function that many players wish for on reddit: the so-called gyro aiming. This involves the ability to aim particularly accurately in combination with the thumbstick and sensor.
- For example, User InsanityEx writes about gyro aiming: “Gyro support for shooters would be fantastic! Thanks to gyro, I’ve really enjoyed shooters on the Switch, and that’s something I hope developers will support on the PS5. Many people might say it’s a gimmick, but there’s a reason why many Switch owners demand this in games.”
- And another user writes: “Damn right. The only game I know on PS4 that uses gyro aiming is Paladins. That’s already a reason why I play regularly. I aim in this game much better than in any other FPS on PS4.”
Switch uses Sony’s Dualshock features: Some also take the Switch as an example: In Breath of the Wild, you could aim with the bow using the motion sensor. In Horizon Zero Dawn, this was not possible on the PlayStation 4. Many wonder why Sony does not use the existing features.
Players hope: Sony implements features on the PS5 as well
Many hope that Sony will actively use the old features and the new features on the PS5. Many mention Days Gone or The Last of Us Part II as examples, where a few features were used. But those are games that come at the very end of the generation. For example, reddittomarcato writes:
I wholeheartedly agree. The thought that it took until Days Gone and TLOU2, both end-of-cycle games, to implement touchpad menus and shake in a fun, easy way is insane. Hopefully, they are looking at these first-party publishers for ideas for the PS5.
reddittomarcato, Source: reddit.com
What players fear: There are also fears. Because if the features are hardly used by Sony’s own developers, then other developers will have no interest either.
The thread starter Loldimorti 1 explains in his post: “I want Sony to double down on all these functions and the new features they added with the PS5. If after one or two years not even first-party games support these [features], why would third-party developers bother?”
Besides the Dualshock 4, the PS5 Dualsense controller offers many exciting functions like adaptive triggers or again a touchpad.
Not only is the Dualshock 4 a good controller for the PlayStation 4. In our article, we present the best PS4 controllers of 2020 and explain which controllers are worth it for which players. Of course, the Dualshock 4 is included.
