Sony has published a new and official kernel driver for Linux that brings support for the company’s new PlayStation 5 DualSense controller to the platform. The new game controller that came with the launch of the PlayStation 5 recently received improved support on PC via Steam with a recent update that added support for rumble over Bluetooth and the use of external haptic feedback even when rumble is in use.
Sony has also released a recent update for the PlayStation 5 that included a firmware update for the DualSense controller, requiring users to connect their controllers to their consoles via USB cable. The company did not specify what the updated firmware will be changing or introducing so it could just be stability improvements or minor background updates. Unfortunately, the update won’t be able to fix a problem users have been experiencing with the DualSense controller. PS5 players have recently been reporting that their DualSense controller adaptive triggers are breaking.
Phoronix reports that the new kernel driver, called “hid-playstation,” supports the PS5 DualSense controller in both USB and Bluetooth modes and also supports most of the controller’s functionalities including the use of its LEDs, motion sensors, touchpad, battery, lightbar, and rumble. Unfortunately, the DualSense controller’s adaptive triggers and VCM based haptic feedback are yet to be supported in this new kernel driver due to the “large amount of data” and “complex data structures” that the features require. It’s unclear whether support for the two features will arrive at a later date.
The release of the new “hid-playstation” Linux kernel driver also signifies Sony’s move to separate the kernel drivers for its PlayStation-related hardware from its Sony Interactive Entertainment division and its other Sony-branded devices as the company also plans to continue supporting its existing “hid-sony” kernel driver. Sony also promised unit test coverage when support for older PlayStation hardware is moved from the old kernel driver to the new one. Notably, the new “hid-playstation” kernel driver is still under review so hasn’t been mainlined yet but those interested in testing it out can already download the kernel driver’s respective patches.
It’s pretty interesting how quickly support for the DualSense controller on other platforms such as Windows and Linux have ramped up so soon after the release of the PS5. It might have been easier to add support for the DualSense controller to PC this time around because some of the functionalities of the new controller work similarly with the already supported DualShock 4. It’ll be interesting to see if developers will end up utilizing some of the unique features of the DualSense, such as the adaptive triggers and haptic feedback, for their games on PC.
Source: Phoronix