DIRT 5’s DualSense Haptic Feedback Update Is Out Now on PS5, and It’s a Marked Improvement

In case you missed it, DIRT 5 has just received a beefy update today, bringing with it some free content for Playgrounds mode, new Trophies to earn, and new courses. For those with some cash to burn, there’s also a premium DLC named the Super Size Pack, which adds a whole bunch of new career events and vehicles. However, the highlight of this update for PlayStation 5 users is undoubtedly the overhauled implementation of the DualSense controller’s unique features — haptic feedback and adaptive triggers.

We’ve installed the new game update and taken it for a test drive on various different types of terrain. Before this latest patch, the triggers had some decent resistance depending on what was happening to your vehicle, but the haptic feedback was seriously lacking. Regardless of the weather, the surface of the course, what the car was doing — you’d always get the same strong rumble. It felt almost as though Codemasters simply hadn’t bothered, and was using a similar rumble solution on PS5 as it was for the PS4 version of DIRT 5.

However, with the new update installed, the haptics are noticeably better. You’ll notice a different “feel” on, say, a dirt track vs. ice; the developer has put a lot more effort into replicating the surface beneath your wheels. You also feel bumps and crashes in the relevant spots on the pad, and even the clunk of a gear change can be felt through the more nuanced feedback. It’s far better than it was before. For comparison’s sake, we’d say that WRC 9’s solution still feels more subtle and overall better than DIRT 5’s, but Codemasters has closed the gap considerably.

The adaptive triggers feel more or less the same as they did previously, but they were pretty decent beforehand anyway. Elsewhere, Codies says 3D audio has been given some TLC as well, and hearing the engines roar around you when you’re in the middle of the pack is a great effect.

Anyway, the update is available right now on PS5, and it’s worth firing it up again to check out the improvements. Have you sampled DIRT 5’s new haptic feedback on PS5? Tell us what you think in the comments section below.