The PlayStation 5 has some impressive new features, and so does its new DualSense controller. The controller has gotten a lot of praise for its innovative features, but it still doesn't solve one of gaming's oldest multiplayer issues. However, if any controller can eventually solve this problem, it's the PS5's DualSense.
Early reviewers sang the DualSense's praises even before the PlayStation 5 had officially released. Between haptic feedback and the PS5 controller's new adaptive triggers, these new features work in a variety of ways to make the gaming experience even more immersive. Triggers can lock when a gun jams in Call of Duty, and players can feel the bot's movements in Astro's Playroom as it walks across glass. There's a lot to love about the PS5's controller, but the DualSense doesn't solve every problem.
After launch, the PS5 DualSense controller had at least one known issue: an annoying rest mode glitch that kept the PS5 controller from charging. Since then, Sony has fixed the issue with an update, so there isn't a whole lot for early adopters to complain about in regards to the DualSense controller. However, there's one thing that could've made the PS5's DualSense even better: an easier way to toggle inverted controls on and off.
Why Inverting Controls On PlayStation 5 Should Be Easier
It's one of those problems that's persisted throughout gaming for so long that it's surprising it hasn't been fixed yet. When playing with family and friends locally, there's no easy way to turn inverted controls on and off. Instead, players have to go to the menu, change the controller settings in-game, and then change it all back when they pass the controller to the next person. The PS5 controller, like every controller before it, doesn't really attempt to fix this multiplayer issue, likely due to the fact that most multiplayer gaming is done online these days.
While it's too late to put a new button on the controller that would easily toggle inverted controls on and off for sharing between local players of different control preferences, an easy pop-up option shouldn't be too difficult to release alongside an update to the PS5. A simple press of the PlayStation button, for instance, could have an invert controls option appear to make things a little smoother. A feature like the DualSense's new mic button would work even better. With one press or hold, controls are automatically inverted. Press or hold it again, and the controls are back to normal.
It's a quality-of-life improvement that should've been implemented years earlier on multiple different consoles. Since it hasn't happened with the PlayStation 5 and DualSense controller yet, maybe the issue will be fixed in the next generation, although that's an awfully long time to wait for a feature that should've released around a decade ago.