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The Xbox Series X is a great console, but there are some PS5 features that I really miss every time I boot up Microsoft’s little power tower. Some are underage, I’ll admit, and it would be nice to have. Others, however, feel almost essential – and would only serve to enhance the Xbox Series X experience as a whole.
I would never want the two boxes to be homogeneous, of course – not only would this innovation stifle, but it would also make owning two consoles virtually useless – but when a competitor comes up with a feature that works so well you immediately notice when it is gone, that’s when a company should also consider implementing it.
It might seem lazy to steal ideas from a rival, but this type of practice happens all the time – whether it’s during a console generation or after. Microsoft quickly added a headphone jack to its Xbox One controller after the feature was so well received on the PS4’s DualShock 4 pad, and the Xbox Wireless Controller for the X and S series now includes a share button.
The Xbox Series X has some great features of course, like Quick Resume for example, and I’ll focus on the features of the Xbox Series X that I’d like to see on PS5 in a follow-up post. But for now, here are five PS5 features I wish I had seen on Xbox Series X.
1. Adaptive triggers
Perhaps the most surprising success story of the PS5 is the adaptive triggers of the DualSense controller. I’m completely in love with them, to the point where I found myself leaning in to buy third-party PS5 games on Xbox Series X just for feel how they were used.
When Sony first announced how DualSense triggers would change resistance to mimic the feel of pulling a drawstring on a bow, or mimic the rebound when firing a gun, I was initially skeptical. But once I experienced it for myself in games like Astro’s Playroom, still my personal next-gen highlight so far, it became clear that adaptive triggers were a revelation rather than a gimmick.
Now, while I still prefer the Xbox Series X controller as a whole – partly due to the unbalanced analog layout and superior trigger shape – the fact that Sony’s pad comes to life and helps add an extra dimension to the gameplay really makes me want it on the Microsoft console.
Microsoft is clearly aware of the positive feedback the DualSense controller is receiving from gamers as well. A recent Xbox Series X poll asked owners if they would like to see similar features on the Xbox controller, to which I wholeheartedly answered yes. While I would be surprised if Microsoft made such a drastic overhaul to its gamepad anytime soon, weird things have happened.
2. Universal system settings for games
Now that’s weird, especially since the Xbox 360 had essentially the same functionality. PS5 allows you to select a number of system defaults that are applied, universally, to games. This includes the default switch to performance or resolution mode in games that support it; your preferred difficulty level; if you want to reverse the controls; and whether you want the subtitles to be on or off.
The time this can potentially save over a console build cannot be underestimated. I would always choose performance mode over resolution, so knowing that all the PS5 games I play automatically default to my preferred setting makes sense. I no longer have to dig through a menu to check, and for those who play backwards, that’s a blessing.
As I mentioned above, the Xbox 360 had a similar setting, so why can’t it be downgraded to Xbox Series X? Fingers crossed Microsoft remembers why it was so good in the first place.
3. Mute the TV when using headphones
I can’t underestimate how much this stupidly simple PS5 feature I miss when playing on Xbox Series X. In fact, I’ve been pining since Sony introduced it to PS4.
Every time you plug headphones into the DualSense controller, the PS5 recognizes them and automatically mutes the TV. It does this even when you connect wireless headphones. It keeps you from playing a game with TV audio still playing in the background, which honestly happens more than I would like to admit.
On Xbox Series X, when you plug a headset into the controller, nothing happens. The TV is not automatically muted, which means you have to take your remote control and turn down your TV volume manually. It’s an extra, unnecessary step that I have to take over and over again, and I can’t stress how happy I would be if the Xbox copied this seemingly basic functionality from PS5. Make it happen, Microsoft.
4. Haptic feedback
While I’m not as desperate to see haptic feedback as adaptive triggers, it’s clear that haptics is the future. The subtle effects developers can create are far superior to the older spin motors found in the Xbox Series X pad, and it’s hard to see Microsoft sticking to the traditional rumble in the future.
Even Nintendo has gone for a haptic return to Nintendo Switch, because the Joy-Con and Nintendo Switch Pro controller include it. The implementation is pretty disappointing compared to how it’s implemented in DualSense, however, but it’s still capable of delivering some amazing moments, like how it can simulate the feeling of moving balls around inside the controller when playing 1-2-Switch.
Again, I doubt Microsoft will add haptic feedback anytime soon, but I’d be surprised if it wasn’t included in the next Xbox controller.
Now that the Xbox Series X supports dynamic backgrounds (finally!), It’s time for Microsoft to bring some more life and personality to the user experience. Why not add some music while you’re on the dash, then? The PS4 has put this to good use over the last generation, as countless custom themes included classic tracks that really helped take things to the next level.
To be fair, I’m not a big fan of the dark music on the PS5’s home screen, but that gets undone by the fact that any game you hover over plays its own music track, which is a very good idea. On Xbox Series X, you will only hear the muffled sound that occurs when you move through the menus. As silly as it sounds, the Xbox Series X UI feels rather soulless in comparison.
Wouldn’t it be great if you could buy a dynamic Halo theme that played “A Walk in the Woods” every time you flip through menus or change your settings? I would personally love it and hope Microsoft will consider adding the option for Home Screen Music in the future.
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