DualSense teardown exposes the gears behind Sony's 'adaptive triggers'

One of the PS5’s most intriguing features is its controller’s capability to make you feel various in-game scenarios with its adaptive triggers. Now, TronicsFix has pulled a DualSense controller apart to give us a look at how its adaptive triggers work and at the device’s other inner components. The teardown video shows how the trigger system uses several gears to change its resistance, allowing it to simulate different sensations such as the feeling of drawing a bow or of using a jammed weapon.

Aside from giving us a glimpse of the complex trigger mechanism, the teardown also compares the controller to DualShock 4. The video shows that DualSense has a bigger battery compared to its predecessor, most likely to be able to support its more advanced haptics. DualSense’s haptic motors, motherboard and chips are larger, as well, which doesn’t come as a surprise given the controller’s more immersive haptic feedback. Its buttons have a dual cushioning system not found in previous controllers. The PlayStation team used the same analog sticks found in the DualShock 4, though, and as TronicsFix notes, that means they could also be susceptible to drift issues.

The DualSense’s adaptive triggers and advanced haptic feedback can provide a deeper feeling of immersion its predecessors weren’t capable of. In a recent interview, Sony Interactive Entertainment CEO Jim Ryan said haptick feedback, along with other technologies like 3D Audio, could take “immersiveness to the next level” in the hands of great game developers.