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Steam adds PS5 controller support

Steam adds PS5 controller support

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Available via the Steam Input API

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Image of a PlayStation DualSense controller in front of an original PlayStation 5.
Photo by Vjeran Pavic / The Verge

Valve has officially announced that the PS5’s DualSense controller is now supported in Steam. Games using the Steam Input API can now recognize the controller and display the correct button prompts. They’ll also be able to access the DualSense’s LED, trackpad, rumble, and gyro features, though there’s no mention of support for its adaptive triggers. The functionality is currently available in Steam’s public beta client, with plans for a full release “after further testing.”

Steam has been gradually rolling out support for the DualSense over the past couple of weeks. It started by adding support for the controller itself, before adding and refining compatibility with advanced features like its trackpad, rumble, and gyro. Notably absent from Valve’s official announcement is any mention of the DualSense’s adaptive triggers, which allow it to offer a variable amount of trigger resistance with some truly excellent results.

A full release is planned “after further testing”

Thanks to the update, games that use the Steam Input API should now work with the PS5 controller with no work required from individual game developers. The DualSense is among over 200 controllers that are supported by the API, which also includes race wheels and dance pads in addition to more traditional controllers like the Nintendo Switch Pro Controller and the PS4’s DualShock 4.

According to Valve, the amount of players who use controllers to play PC games rather than a mouse and keyboard has more than doubled in the past two years, with bigger increases coming from those using PlayStation controllers. 

For now, if you want to try out the functionality for yourself, you’ll have to opt into the Steam client beta. The controller can be connected via Bluetooth or with a USB-C cable.