This is as close to native DualSense support in Windows as it gets
While Valve has been adding support for the PlayStation 5’s DualSense controller, another party had been working on their own solution. That being DS4Windows, which is an application that brought PlayStation 4 DualShock 4 support to the PC. A couple of days ago, I reached out regarding DualSense support and was told that it was being worked on. Today, an updated version of DS4Windows was released, and I decided to give it some hands-on.
Update – If you’ve already installed the Steam beta client, you’ll need to make sure you’ve disabled both the PlayStation Configuration Support and Xbox Configuration Support options. If you don’t, DS4Windows may not work correctly.
With this new update, DS4Windows supports the DualSense controller in Windows, and brings Trackpad, LED, and Rumble support. LED settings can be adjusted, such as the color of the light pad for the DualSense controller, button mappings, and games that support will take advantage of the controller.
In the video below, I’ve not only installed DS4Window so that you can see the install process. But I also fired up several games so that you can see the DualSense in action.
While the Steam update for DualSense support was good, this DS4Windows update is amazing. I say this as this adds support for all PC games. Meaning games from Battle.net, Epic Games Store, GOG, Bethesda’s launcher, and even Steam without installing the beta client. For now, the light bar and rumble support are only available via USB. A future update will add Bluetooth support for DS4Windows.
To download the DS4Windows application, head over to Github and grab DS4Windows version 2.1.17. For those wondering why this latest update is not on the DS4Windows website, another person took over the development. You’ll have to head over to the Github distro I linked to download the update.
The only things missing are the Haptic Feedback and Adaptive Triggers, which may not make it to the PC. These are features that would need to be programmed in-game, and without proper support from Sony, it may not happen. But let’s keep our fingers crossed, yet in case.
