Last of Us 2 Director Explains Why Its Haptics Suddenly Feel Better

Earlier this week, The Last of Us 2 received a free PS5 performance patch which allows owners of the next-gen console to run the game at 60 frames per second. Alongside a new PS5 patch, the game’s co-director also confirmed that players might notice a change in the haptics when playing the game with a DualSense controller.Kurt Margenau explained in a Twitter thread today, detailing the new changes made to the DualSense following a software update released in April. Margenau explains that he gave feedback to the DualSense team to help “improve timing, intensity, and ‘texture'” of haptics” when using the controller to play backward compatible titles to help provide a more authentic feel showcased in its predecessor, the DualShock 4.

The DualShock 4 includes two different-sized rotating weights, whereas the DualSense includes two weights that can move forward and backward. Margenau explains how the DualSense is “almost like a speaker,” as it can produce frequency and amplitude at an “extremely high fidelity and low latency.”

As many of you are jumping back into TLOU2 on PS5, you may notice the haptics feel better. This is actually thanks to a firmware update to the DualSense controller back in April. THREAD: pic.twitter.com/zle0XQwDw6

— Kurt Margenau (@kurtmargenau) May 21, 2023

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So, the DualSense firmware would have to allow the controller to receive “old signals,” that would spin up the motor to produce a higher latency and, in turn, emulate the feeling in a new controller by using a completely different mechanical method, such as the “rumbly feeling” that comes with a rotating motor, according to Margenau.

Essentially, all this means is that all the work done to improve the DualSense’s haptics in The Last of Us Part II was done solely from inside the controller without Naughty Dog having to alter the game code.

The new firmware update expands on the features already supported in The Last of Us Part II. As GamesRadar reported in November, the game supported the DualSense’s flagship feature, noting that the game’s combat allows PS5 owners to “feel the tension” when using the controller’s adaptive triggers, such as firing a gun.

Taylor is the Associate Tech Editor at IGN. You can follow her on Twitter @TayNixster.