A VR developer got the adaptive triggers feature of PSVR 2 Sense controllers working on PC.
David Heaney
PlayStation VR2 got official PC VR support last month as Sony released a SteamVR driver and PC adapter needed for most graphics cards. But on PC the headset is missing its standout features, including eye tracking, high dynamic range (HDR), and the adaptive triggers on the controllers.
Adaptive triggers let developers dynamically set the level of resistance of the triggers, making them easier or harder to squeeze depending on the virtual object the player is holding. It's a unique haptic effect not available on other VR controllers.
The developer of the VR game Cactus Cowboy - Desert Warfare worked with the developer of DSX, a paid tool that lets PlayStation controller owners access their device's full feature set on PC, including adaptive triggers, to add support for the PSVR 2 Sense controllers.
I tested the setup with closed beta versions of both the game and DSX to confirm it works. Currently it requires keeping DSX open alongside the game, but Cactus VR Studios plans to add native support in future, implementing the code to access the adaptive triggers directly into the game, no need to buy DSX.
Footage from Cactus VR Studios.
Cactus also plans to make this native code freely available to other developers so they too can add support for PSVR 2's adaptive triggers to their games. And they say they're even exploring getting PSVR 2 headset rumble working too.
With PlayStation VR2 currently only being used by 0.35% of SteamVR users it's unlikely we'll see widespread integration of adaptive triggers via Cactus VR Studios' code. But some enthusiastic VR developers will, and it should make a big difference to the haptic experience for their PSVR 2 users on PC.
