Sony dropped a banger of an update on the PS5 this week, which includes highly requested features (by me) like Dolby Atmos-support, compatibility for high-capacity SSDs (up to 8TB!) and the option to turn off the loud beep it makes every time you wake the console up. Anyone that’s ever tried to sneak downstairs for some late night gaming while their house was asleep will be thanking daddy Sony for that one, surely. Best of all is an update I never expected: th🅠e ability to use two controllers at the same time, to play the same game.
The new feature, called assist controller, wi🎃ll allow you to control your PS5 with two DualSenses as if you were using one controller. In a post on the , Hideaki Nishino, senior vice president of platform experience at Sony said, “this feature introduces a new way for you to enjoy games collaboratively with others or help a friend or child navigate a particularly challenging section of a game.”
These are fantastic use-cases that I can see lots of people taking advantage of. One of my earliest gaming memories is beating the original Diablo with a friend. We both worked together, him clicking on skill and me hitting the number keys to drink potions when our health got low. I would have loved to play PS5 games like this as a little kid, and I can see parents getting a lot of use out of it too. Instead of plugging in a dummy controller to trick your toddler into thinking he’s playing the game, you can actually let them play and subtly take control when thꦗey get stuc♒k.
I imagine it has utility as an accessibility tool too, not just for people that struggle with difficult games, but for disabled players as well. It’s no substitute for actual accessibility options and controllers, but when all else fails, at least this is something that people who can’t physically use a controller the way it's intended can utilize.
But there’s a third use case that immediately came to mind when I saw this feature, one that even Sony might not have considered. For those of us that can’t sit quietly and watch someone else's game peacefully, there’s a particularly diabolical way you can use an assist controller to get in on the action without taking control away from the actual player. With an assist controller and some subtle movements, I can become the ultimate backseat gamer.
I’m not afraid to admit that I’m an annoying person to play games with, or rather, around. If you walk past a collectible without noticing it, I’m going to say something. If you’re losing a boss fight over and over, I’m going to give you some tips. If you get stuck trying to jump at a ledge that’s a foot too tall to get climb over and oveꦕr, eventually, I’m going to tell you you have to push the boxes on the other end of the room against the wall and climb over it. For the🎐 love of God, please stop trying to jump it.
As my fellow backseat gamers can attest, sometimes it isn’t the adv😼ice that’s frustrating for the other person, but rather the inability to communicate our directions clearly. Telling someone to “go back” or “turn your camera left” can leave them feeling lost or stupid if they still don’t see what it is you’re seeing. If you’re missing a parry over and over, I can’t really tell you how to time it right other than to🐷 say you’re pressing the button early or late. Of course, it would just be easier to take the controller and do it myself, but then you’re not really playing the game, I am.
With an assist controller, I can finally be a silent observer while subtly influencing how others play the game. No more back and forth over missed secrets, I’ll just slowly point the camera where I want you to look. If you can’t hit the parry, I’ll do it for you, and you’ll never know it was me. I can walk you over to the box you need to push, or move you to the button you have to look directly at to interact with, or choose the dialogue option that gets you out of the endless loop you're stuck in because you’re not really reading any of it. This update will finally give me what I’ve always unknowingly wanted: the power to backseat from the front seat.