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[Larxia]

Hello everyone.
I just bought a Dualsense to use on PC, mainly because I'm really tired of issues I have with the Xbox Series controller, like the face buttons not working properly depending on the angle you press them, or not triggering when you press them lightly.

The dualsense seems to work fine on games with native support (although it's really weird how Windows handles that, seeing the controller as an audio device etc...), but when it's for other regular games, the vibrations are absolutely terrible.

I seem to only have vibrations on the left side of the controller. I tried it on different games and it's always the same, if it's regular vibrations instead of haptics, it's only on the left side.
In Red Dead Redemption 2 however, I do have a smaller vibration ONLY on the right side in the menus, but all the other actions like firing, jumping etc, are on the left side.
I tested on emulators because they allow you to trigger the different motors to check them, and it seems like the big motor on the dualsense is only on the left side, and the small motor is on the right side, unlike older / xbox controllers which are on both, so I guess that explains this behaviour, but... that's pretty terrible I think.

I'm surprised I never heard about it before, I did a quick search now that I noticed this issue myself, and I could find a thread talking about it but that's it, it's really not talked about a lot.


This thread seems to be about the issue on ps5 itself so it's not related on PC, which shouldn't be anyway if the issue is really because the main motor is only on the left side of the controller.

I'm just really surprised that I didn't hear anything about this before, and I'm quite disappointed because I really don't see myself using this as my main controller if it acts like this in most games .
(and btw it's not an issue about my specific controller, I thought maybe so at first, but I asked a friend to test on the same games and it acts the same way.)

 

[poppabk]

I've got a dual sense heading my way at some point for my PC, hopefully this isn't a huge issue for me. Are you playing wired or wireless?

 

[Larxia]

I've got a dual sense heading my way at some point for my PC, hopefully this isn't a huge issue for me. Are you playing wired or wireless?

Wired. I tried wireless and it's the same thing.
Wireless doesn't support the native dualsense support so you have to use wired, but for other games it's the same wired or not.

For me it's really disturbing, it feels really wrong having the rumbles only on one side of the controller, it feels very unbalanced.

 

[poppabk]

Wired. I tried wireless and it's the same thing.
Wireless doesn't support the native dualsense support so you have to use wired, but for other games it's the same wired or not.

For me it's really disturbing, it feels really wrong having the rumbles only on one side of the controller, it feels very unbalanced.

I'm still using a wired 360 controller, so I will be very dissapointed if one of these new fancy expensive controllers is worse than that.

 

[Larxia]

I'm still using a wired 360 controller, so I will be very dissapointed if one of these new fancy expensive controllers is worse than that.

Wired 360 was amazing. If I could I would just keep using that honestly, but sadly mine is really faulty now after ~10 years old, so I had to move on and buy a Xbox Series controller. I wish I bought several back in the days.

I was already disappointed by the series controller too because while it's even more comfortable, the ergonomic are perfect, it's really really loud and it has several common issues. For example like I said the A B X Y buttons don't work perfectly if you tend to press them lightly, in Kingdom Hearts for example I have to hold the A button to fly, and my character often randomly falls because the input goes off even if I'm still pressing the button, you have to press it strong and at the right angle for it to work (and it's a common issue on all xbox controllers, apparently it might be even worse on elite controllers?). The sticks also start to make an annoying click spring noise after some point, randomly on some controllers. The led is also really annoying, super bright and on PC you can't turn it off or lower it, I had to put tape over it

The dualsense... It feels higher quality than the Xbox Series controller, the buttons work a lot better (though they are really harder to press! I guess it needs some getting used to), it's a lot heavier than Xbox though, but it's soooo much quieter, this is really enjoyable. The buttons, the d-pad, the sticks, everything is a lot more quiet than on Xbox (although the sticks do make a strange noise when you move them from the center, like if they were stuck and get unstuck? but it's the same on a friend's so I guess it's always like that).

But this vibration problem, it's quite the deal breaker, it feels really bad. I also really prefer the ergonomics and stick layout on Xbox, but after using Xbox controller for 10 years, that's probably expected.

 

[Roxkis_ii]

Hey OP, have you tired using Ds4Windows?

It basicly tricks your computer into thinking your using an Xbox controller.

 

[Larxia]

Hey OP, have you tired using Ds4Windows?

It basicly tricks your computer into thinking your using an Xbox controller.

I haven't yet because I was afraid to instal the drivers and possibly mess up everything with the native support and all.

But I saw this thread which seem to say the issue is there too:


My test on an emulator really confirmed this dual motor problem, the main one is located on the left, and the small one (which is used less often) is on the right side.

When I shoot in games with the Xbox controller, I feel the vibration evenly in both hands, but with the dualsense it's clearly located on the left side only. It's only some very rare minor vibrations that sometimes are on the right side, which makes sense I guess if the smaller motor is there.

 

[poppabk]

Wired 360 was amazing. If I could I would just keep using that honestly, but sadly mine is really faulty now after ~10 years old, so I had to move on and buy a Xbox Series controller. I wish I bought several back in the days.

Except for the dpad that might as well be a button that just registers a random direction press.

 

[Larxia]

Except for the dpad that might as well be a button that just registers a random direction press.

Indeed ahah, it was terrible. The one on the xbox series is actually quite amazing, it's super precise, but it's annoying loud, like a mechanical keyboard.

 

[AndrewRyan]

Also bought a dualsense on black friday as a dedicated PC controller but haven't noticed that issue. Also bought DualSenseX but based on my very brief experience don't really recommend it.

 

[Larxia]

Also bought a dualsense on black friday as a dedicated PC controller but haven't noticed that issue. Also bought DualSenseX but based on my very brief experience don't really recommend it.

Did you only playe games with native dualsense support and haptic feedbacks? Because there isn't this issue with haptic feedbacks, these are fine. It's when playing regular games with standard vibrations. I really thought it might be a problem with my controller but since my friend has the same issue and some threads talk about it, it must be a regular thing if that's how the motors are designed... But it's strange.

 

[midnightAI]

Did you only playe games with native dualsense support and haptic feedbacks? Because there isn't this issue with haptic feedbacks, these are fine. It's when playing regular games with standard vibrations. I really thought it might be a problem with my controller but since my friend has the same issue and some threads talk about it, it must be a regular thing if that's how the motors are designed... But it's strange.

It doesn't use regular motors with weights on them, it uses voice coil actuators which change vibration strength based on audio (that's why your PC shows it as an audio device) it's how they get fine grain control over how the vibrations work. Think of the controller as having stereo speakers inside that vibrate each side based on the audio that is played. You can actually hear the audio if you put the controller to your ears when vibrations are occuring.

 

[EverydayBeast]

Dualsense feels nice in the hands, there’s no flaws I like the easy to use joysticks, this is the biggest Sony controller maybe ever. We need a classic Sony logo back though and DualShock name.

 

[Larxia]

It doesn't use regular motors with weights on them, it uses voice coil actuators which change vibration strength based on audio (that's why your PC shows it as an audio device) it's how they get fine grain control over how the vibrations work. Think of the controller as having stereo speakers inside that vibrate each side based on the audio that is played. You can actually hear the audio if you put the controller to your ears when vibrations are occuring.

For haptic feedbacks yes, but is that the case for standard vibrations too? It just seemed like two regular motors to me.

 

[SlimeGooGoo]

.

 

[midnightAI]

For haptic feedbacks yes, but is that the case for standard vibrations too? It just seemed like two regular motors to me.

Pretty sure, yes, the only other motors in there are for the force feedback on the triggers, which uses worm screws to take the strain. It will simulate standard rumble by playing an audio file I would think. (Not 100% sure that's how it works as I've only played with the new HD rumble)

Depending on the age of the controller, have you updated the controller firmware?

 

[Three]

For haptic feedbacks yes, but is that the case for standard vibrations too? It just seemed like two regular motors to me.

The triggers are two regular motors with worm gears.
The vibrations are these

 

[AndrewRyan]

Did some further testing looking for this issue specifically with mixed results.

Nex Machina: Only feel feedback on the left side of controller.
Grid 2: Feel vibrations on both controller sides. Test by driving over track skirts on either side.

Probably need to test with a 360 controller as well to see the default behavior since tbh, not sure how they normally behave.

 

[Larxia]

Did some further testing looking for this issue specifically with mixed results.

Nex Machina: Only feel feedback on the left side of controller.
Grid 2: Feel vibrations on both controller sides. Test by driving over track skirts on either side.

Probably need to test with a 360 controller as well to see the default behavior since tbh, not sure how they normally behave.

If you have RDR2 I recommend trying it, you will see how only the big motor (left) activates during shooting, and only the small (right) in the weapon wheel, it's really noticeable the difference between both.

 

[-Zelda-]

Finished Alan Wake on PS5. Now playing Control on PS5.
EDIT: Wrong topic. My bad.

 

[SlimeGooGoo]

.

 

[midnightAI]

If you have RDR2 I recommend trying it, you will see how only the big motor (left) activates during shooting, and only the small (right) in the weapon wheel, it's really noticeable the difference between both.

What do you mean by big left motor and small right motor? The dualsense actuators are the same size, they are functionally identical, the Xbox has two different sized motors one for low frequency vibration and one for high frequency vibration (basically two different sized weights on the motors)

 

[Larxia]

What do you mean by big left motor and small right motor? The dualsense actuators are the same size, they are functionally identical, the Xbox has two different sized motors one for low frequency vibration and one for high frequency vibration (basically two different sized weights on the motors)

I don't know, maybe it's just emulating the xbox in a wrong way then, it just really feels like big on the left and small on the right. But even on emulators, like RPCS3, which aren't trying to emulate xbox as far as I know, have this issue, and you can clearly trigger the large and the small motors. I really don't get it.

 

[Three]

I don't know, maybe it's just emulating the xbox in a wrong way then, it just really feels like big on the left and small on the right. But even on emulators, like RPCS3, which aren't trying to emulate xbox as far as I know, have this issue, and you can clearly trigger the large and the small motors. I really don't get it.

What is your RDR2 setup like? Are you using steam and windows? Do you see audio channels for the dualsense voice coils (vibration) and speaker? It could just be outputing audio to different channels that you feel as vibration.

 

[Larxia]

What is your RDR2 setup like? Are you using steam and windows? Do you see audio channels for the dualsense voice coils (vibration) and speaker? It could just be outputing audio to different channels that you feel as vibration.

Yes Steam and Windows. I do see speakers and microphone devices for the dualsense in windows, which are required for haptics to work in games that support it. I'm not really sure what I could change.

 

[Larxia]

Any other thoughts on this? I assume there's no way to fix it?

 

[AndrewRyan]

Changed my mind on DualSenseX or DSX. It didn't meet my initial expectations but maybe they were too high. It's only $4 and can say it definitely adds fun to games like Borderlands 3 that don't support adaptive triggers (though there's a menu option). Guns feel so much better even if they don't quite match up to the actual fire-rate or running out of ammo.

 

[Three]

Any other thoughts on this? I assume there's no way to fix it?

So is your steam configuration set up correctly?

The only other thing I can think of is updating your controller firmware

https://controller.dl.playstation.net/controller/lang/gb/fwupdater.html

 

[Larxia]

So is your steam configuration set up correctly?

The only other thing I can think of is updating your controller firmware

https://controller.dl.playstation.net/controller/lang/gb/fwupdater.html

I mean I don't see any settings related to vibrations.
I did update the firmware but it doesn't seem to be related to that. It also acts like this in things outside of steam, like emulators, it's always acting like this in everything if it's standard vibrations instead of haptics.

 

[RoadHazard]

Yeah, there are no large and small motors like in old rumble controllers (and some current ones...), it's just two haptics actuators like on the Switch (but the ones in the DualSense are much more powerful). So this seems like a software thing to me, unless one of the actuators just isn't working properly.

 

[SlimeGooGoo]

.

 

[drotahorror]

Have you tried your DS5 on games that natively use it? For instance, Shadow of War works out the box (make sure DS5 configuration is turned off on steam

Your controller settings should look like this if you go into controller configuration in BPM, or Steam > View > Settings > Controller > General Controller Settings

In Shadow of War things seem to work fine., Rumble on both sides and even in middle I believe.

Nex Machina, RDR 2, and pretty much every other game you mentioned don't support DS4/DS5 natively and won't work unless Playstation Configuration Support is turned on or you're using 3rd party apps like DualSenseX or DS4Windows.

Love the DS5 and I use it 99% of the time on PC, but it flat out doesn't work in some games no matter what you do, for instance Need for Speed 2015 and I had major issues in Steep. Also Killing Floor 2 if I recall.

 

[Larxia]

Have you tried your DS5 on games that natively use it? For instance, Shadow of War works out the box (make sure DS5 configuration is turned off on steam

Your controller settings should look like this if you go into controller configuration in BPM, or Steam > View > Settings > Controller > General Controller Settings

In Shadow of War things seem to work fine., Rumble on both sides and even in middle I believe.

Nex Machina, RDR 2, and pretty much every other game you mentioned don't support DS4/DS5 natively and won't work unless Playstation Configuration Support is turned on or you're using 3rd party apps like DualSenseX or DS4Windows.

Love the DS5 and I use it 99% of the time on PC, but it flat out doesn't work in some games no matter what you do, for instance Need for Speed 2015 and I had major issues in Steep. Also Killing Floor 2 if I recall.

Yes, like I said the rumbles work fine when the games have haptic support, I tried it on Spider-Man and Sackboy and it works fine. The issue is for other games using standard vibration, it only rumbles on the left on those.

Buy a PC controller to play PC games

8BitDo

8BitDo is an innovative technology company founded in 2013 that specializes in gaming peripherals. Our vision is to use the latest technology and distinctive design to create a range of high-quality, high-performance, high-compatibility, high-portability and affordable game controllers for gamers.

www.8bitdo.com

I don't know if these 8bitDo controllers are actually good. Do they fix the issue Xbox controllers have where holding buttons won't work properly if you press it lightly?

 

[drotahorror]

Yes, like I said the rumbles work fine when the games have haptic support, I tried it on Spider-Man and Sackboy and it works fine. The issue is for other games using standard vibration, it only rumbles on the left on those.


I don't know if these 8bitDo controllers are actually good. Do they fix the issue Xbox controllers have where holding buttons won't work properly if you press it lightly?

I didn't mention games that support Dualsense functionality. More so games that support DS4/DS5 natively (D Input). I rarely play games with DS4/DS5 that aren't supported natively because I know there can be issues.

For any game I have issues with I use 8bitdo SN30 2. I'm not familiar with the xbox button issue, but the 8bitdo shits on xbox series controller that I also have. It also is picked up as a xbox controller in games that I mentioned earlier that DS4Windows and DualSenseX can't even fix (NFS 2015 for examaple).

I would use a different controller than a Playstation controller, if I could only choose 1 for PC.

 

[coffinbirth]

So many issues with DualSense on PC. Forced to use DS4Windows just emulate a 360 pad so it gets recognized half the time. Super annoying.

 

[Larxia]

Changed my mind on DualSenseX or DSX. It didn't meet my initial expectations but maybe they were too high. It's only $4 and can say it definitely adds fun to games like Borderlands 3 that don't support adaptive triggers (though there's a menu option). Guns feel so much better even if they don't quite match up to the actual fire-rate or running out of ammo.

Does DSX improve rumbles? Can it somehow turn them into more general haptics so it works on the whole controller rather than just one side?

 

[yamaci17]

its not weird that controller is seen ALSO (not exclusively) as a audio device. because Dualsense is indeed an audio device since it has a speaker and microphone, you can even get your audio coming out from it, if you configure it



https://controller.dl.playstation.net/controller/lang/en/fwupdater.html

try updating your firmware

whatever you do, this gamepad is not designed for older games that utilize regular rumble motors existed with xbox one / dualshock gamepads. after seeing the stark difference between the two, I simply got myself a dualshock. i only intend to use dualsense on native supported games. sony truly played a gamble here, playing non "haptic" games truly WORSE than dualshock

 

[Larxia]

its not weird that controller is seen ALSO (not exclusively) as a audio device. because Dualsense is indeed an audio device since it has a speaker and microphone, you can even get your audio coming out from it, if you configure it



https://controller.dl.playstation.net/controller/lang/en/fwupdater.html

try updating your firmware

whatever you do, this gamepad is not designed for older games that utilize regular rumble motors existed with xbox one / dualshock gamepads. after seeing the stark difference between the two, I simply got myself a dualshock. i only intend to use dualsense on native supported games. sony truly played a gamble here, playing non "haptic" games truly WORSE than dualshock

My firmware is up to date.
But indeed, the dualsense does feel really worse than xbox controller on games with regular rumble... I guess it means it can't be your main controller on PC then sadly.
I prefer the ergonomy of the xbox controller but I really like how more quiet the dualsense is, I just wish it worked fine with standard rumbles.

 

[Yoboman]

Have you tried mods for dualsense features?

 

[Larxia]

Have you tried mods for dualsense features?

What do you mean? Software like DSX? I don't know if it can fix this rumble issue.

 

[Yoboman]

What do you mean? Software like DSX? I don't know if it can fix this rumble issue.

Like actual game mods. Depending on the game there might be a mod that uses the dualsense vibration like a native game would

 

[AndrewRyan]

Does DSX improve rumbles? Can it somehow turn them into more general haptics so it works on the whole controller rather than just one side?

Don't think so since I don't see any settings for rumble. It just gives you full control over the adaptive triggers while connected over bluetooth. Dev says the upcoming version supports motion. It's pretty basic but the adaptive trigger feedback feels great to my caveman brain while shooting. Feels dumb while driving though.

 

[yamaci17]

My firmware is up to date.
But indeed, the dualsense does feel really worse than xbox controller on games with regular rumble... I guess it means it can't be your main controller on PC then sadly.
I prefer the ergonomy of the xbox controller but I really like how more quiet the dualsense is, I just wish it worked fine with standard rumbles.

dualshock is the middleground tbh

in the case of DSX, i dont like it, its a resource hog, have a bloated UI, is not concise and clear, its just a badly designed software overall. it automatically "fumbles" with hidhide itself without my consent or input, overall I dont like that app

im just happy with ds4windows, does everything I need, with minimal resources. someone up there said "half the time", well, it always works for me. just make sure to combine it with hidhide.

you dont even need to turn off ds4windows completely for NATIVE games, simply make a profile with "disable virtual controller" enabled, call it a Dualsense, add the game to the Hidhide exclusion list and you're good to go.

here's some valuable tips / tricks I gathered over the years that could be useful=

Assign SELECT/SHARE button to the LEFT TOUCHPAD click for Dualshock4/X360 emulation (reason: native dualsense envisions that you would click on Touchpad to enter the game menu. SHARE button on native dualsense vision is to record vids/pics. this button practically is dead and useless if you're playing a native Dualsense game).

but with my method, you can assign MULTI functional macros to the Share button across Dualsense, Dualshock and X360 profile, so that the SHARE button universally works for macros, and Touchpad click universally works to open menus.

This practically console-ifys the use of dualsense, you tap share and you record a pic, you hold it you record a vid, you double tap it, you record a replay. you can use Game Bar or Shadowplay, whichever you prefer. simply assign and create macros and it is a done deal.

With "disable virtual controller" enabled and DS4Windows open, YOU can get native Dualsense supports AND macros too. so that way, you will have a use for Share button in native dualsense games.

for other games, since we assigned "select" button function to Touchpad, you can keep using Share to record videos as you always do.

this is a new method i discovered recently so it may be use of use to you so I wanted to share

have a good day

 

[xMercy]

You might notice that the weight on the left side is ~4x times the weight of the right side.....

You guys should touch some screwdrivers and open stuff up, anything even a toaster would do....

 

[Larxia]

You might notice that the weight on the left side is ~4x times the weight of the right side.....

You guys should touch some screwdrivers and open stuff up, anything even a toaster would do....

I mean okay but it doesn't make it feel less terrible, it does confirm what I said earlier in the thread though, there are regular motors with the big one being on the left.
It's just that on older controllers or xbox, it really doesn't feel that unbalanced, you can feel it in the whole controller even when it comes from the left or the right. I'm just overall confused that no one seems really bothered by that since it's almost never mentionned, and several people even told me that it was my controller being faulty...

edit: Actually no I'm stupid, you probably just talked about the DS4. The Dualsense seems mostly identical on both sides here, so I'm not really sure... I guess it's just the emulation of the regular motors being bad.

 

[yamaci17]

I mean okay but it doesn't make it feel less terrible, it does confirm what I said earlier in the thread though, there are regular motors with the big one being on the left.
It's just that on older controllers or xbox, it really doesn't feel that unbalanced, you can feel it in the whole controller even when it comes from the left or the right. I'm just overall confused that no one seems really bothered by that since it's almost never mentionned, and several people even told me that it was my controller being faulty...

the problem you're having is similar to the problem you're having with Xbox gamepad. %95 of folks do not "get" affected by the unresponsive buttons somehow. otherwise it would be a widespread, super popular issue. you can clearly find A LOT of people having same problems, yet it does not seem that there is an outcry about it.

the exact reason why I've given up on xbox gamepads, quite literally i refunded 4 gamepads. 4 DAMN xbox 9th gen gamepads. every one of them exhibited the issue HEAVILY for me. quite literally, Im trying to enjoy the xbox gamepads that are designed to enjoy the Forza 4/5 to their maximum potential, thanks to the brilliant trigger vibrations. but what do you know? car keeps skipping gear shifts. i had enough , simply. playing god of war, and i keep failing to dodge at times, which literally kills or heavily damages the character.

then again, most people are not affected by it. maybe most of them pushes super hard and they never get affected by it. in my case, i really press buttons softly (hence why you and me both are also in search of "quiet" buttons. i also hate clicky loud controllers. yet most people do not mind, or even like it better that way, since most folks I guess DO mash their buttons. i simply dont like mashing, most of the time I can literally feel or actually SEE (if i actively look at it) i press buttons on their sides, softly and gently. it just happens, i do not have an active input over it, its just how my mind works, methinks

in the end, dualsense vibration thing is the same. funny thing is, if you can notice such odd issues with a certain gamepad or product, chances are you will get affected by similar "happens to the rare folk" type of problems such as this.

 

[Larxia]

the problem you're having is similar to the problem you're having with Xbox gamepad. %95 of folks do not "get" affected by the unresponsive buttons somehow. otherwise it would be a widespread, super popular issue. you can clearly find A LOT of people having same problems, yet it does not seem that there is an outcry about it.

the exact reason why I've given up on xbox gamepads, quite literally i refunded 4 gamepads. 4 DAMN xbox 9th gen gamepads. every one of them exhibited the issue HEAVILY for me. quite literally, Im trying to enjoy the xbox gamepads that are designed to enjoy the Forza 4/5 to their maximum potential, thanks to the brilliant trigger vibrations. but what do you know? car keeps skipping gear shifts. i had enough , simply. playing god of war, and i keep failing to dodge at times, which literally kills or heavily damages the character.

then again, most people are not affected by it. maybe most of them pushes super hard and they never get affected by it. in my case, i really press buttons softly (hence why you and me both are also in search of "quiet" buttons. i also hate clicky loud controllers. yet most people do not mind, or even like it better that way, since most folks I guess DO mash their buttons. i simply dont like mashing, most of the time I can literally feel or actually SEE (if i actively look at it) i press buttons on their sides, softly and gently. it just happens, i do not have an active input over it, its just how my mind works, methinks

in the end, dualsense vibration thing is the same. funny thing is, if you can notice such odd issues with a certain gamepad or product, chances are you will get affected by similar "happens to the rare folk" type of problems such as this.

Everything you described is exactly how I feel, and yes you are right, this happens to other topics as well, not just controllers. It's really frustrating when you can clearly see a problem but you feel alone because it's not really talked about, you know the problem exists but most people ignore it and will tell you you are wrong and it's a problem on your side, it happens with ton of things

I just really didn't expect this rumble issue for this controller.