Hundreds of PS5 users are reporting that the adaptive triggers on the DualSense controller are breaking or malfunctioning due to a displaced spring.
Some PlayStation 5 owners are reporting that the adaptive trigger feature on their DualSense controller is failing. The PS5 brings a number of new features and capabilities, but it has been an extreme struggle to find for those who are not money changers or professional basketball players. As more consoles slowly and continuously get into the hands of fans, feedback on the new features of the PlayStation 5 is coming.
One of the console’s best selling points is its new controller, DualSense. Along with a more comfortable shape and size and improved buttons, DualSense brings two great features. The first is the new tactile feedback system, similar to Nintendo’s HD Rumble, which allows for subtle and highly specific vibrations that can make the player feel the differences between walking on sand and walking on concrete. The other big selling point is adaptive triggers, which can be tighter or looser, depending on the context; for example, players can feel the bowstring tighten when pulling an arrow. The tension on the trigger can be quite strong, to the point that it is a real struggle to press the button. When the controller was revealed, some were concerned that the triggers might “break” – it now appears, at least in some cases, that it does.
Through Hot Hardware, hundreds of PS5 owners are reporting defective or broken triggers. Some users have reported a “snap”, in which the button loses all adaptive features. Others have reported that their trigger will be activated at the slightest touch of the controller. It is not known how widespread the problem is, but it is definitely more than a few isolated cases: a topic on the subject spanned 11 pages.
Since the console is just over a month old, all parts are still covered by the warranty, so replacing the controller shouldn’t be a problem. For more courageous users, the controller can be disassembled to replace the spring at home. The potential problem brings up comparisons with Nintendo’s infamous “Joy-Con drift”, a problem so widespread that nine countries are investigating it; Sony expects these cases to be more of an exception than a rule. The reports do not detail whether anyone was able to get feedback from their controller.
Adaptive triggers are literally a revolutionary feature that developers are just figuring out how to best implement. It would be a great pity if players lost those resources due to defective springs. It is still too early to say how widespread the problem is, partly because it is difficult to say how many PS5s are in the hands of people who really want to play them: the money changers have raised almost $ 60 million since launch, so the console’s sales figures they cannot be taken at face value. In any case, Sony probably expects this PlayStation 5 problem is solved before it becomes a drift-sized calamity.
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