The technology I am going to talk about is the haptic triggers in the PS5 controller. I learned about this technology from the official press release that Sony released talking about the new controller which is named DualSense. The DualSense had a new technology implemented in the triggers that allowed them to give feedback based on how developers set them. This allows a whole new avenue of immersing the user into the world of the game by using the triggers. A good example of this is a bow. In real life, a bow gets harder to pull back as you pull it back. It builds tension in order to launch the arrow once you let go of the string. Another good example of this would be the action of picking up something heavy in-game. The trigger can become harder to hold down the longer the item is held as a way to mimic the fatigue someone feels when they hold a heavy object for an extended period of time.

To replicate this, the new haptic triggers become harder to push down and push back against your strength thus giving you a much better connection of what is happening on screen. Developers have the option of customizing how the triggers give the feedback as well. Some of the options include the amount of resistance that is given, putting multiple commands into one trigger that can be executed via different amounts of pressure on the trigger, and the way the trigger responds can be customized whether it is just by becoming harder to push down or by actually pushing back against the user. Just from the small experience, I have from using this controller, I am at the Confirmation stage when it comes to this product. I think it was a smart decision to include this into the controllers as it sets them apart from the competition in a unique way. It should be a staple to include this in all future iterations.

I would categorize myself as an early majority for the haptic triggers. The reason why is because I was not excited about them when they were first announced. I thought they were going to be ordinary triggers with a special name attached. Eventually, people started to get hands-on demo with the controllers which many pointed out the triggers being the most outstanding part of the DualSense. At this point was when I began to rethink my stand on the new triggers. Once the console was released and the general public got their hands on the product, I was on board with the idea. I would say this places me in the Early Majority rather than the Late Majority. The Late Majority would be the group that adopts the idea a few months after the public release.

An innovation that I was in a different adoption group for, while also staying in the same area as the DualSense, is the Wii U controller. I would fall into the Laggards group for this innovation. I never understood the appeal of it. I felt that the tabletesque controller was too big and a waste of resources as most developers would ignore it which is what happens.

References

Woodward, J. (2020, April 8). Sony reveals the Dualsense controller for PS5. PC Guide. https://www.pcguide.com/news/sony-reveals-the-dualsense-controller-for-ps5/.