Black Ops Cold War’s force feedback triggers are getting tiring

Black Ops: Cold War arrived. There are several platforms to play Call of Duty this year, but only the PlayStation 5 can literally give the game a next-gen feel with its controller. But is this new sense of realism the best option for a multiplayer shooter? My hands are not convinced.

All new gen consoles have pretty rugged specs, but there’s no denying that there’s something special about PlayStation 5’s DualSense controller. I spent some time last night trying to explain to someone. one on PlayStation 4 that it wasn’t just a basic DualShock rumble from the PlayStations of the past, but a new degree of haptic feedback that you really have to feel for yourself as you familiarize yourself with the controller.

And for the folks fortunate enough to score a PlayStation 5, today’s launch of Black Ops: Cold War will literally feel like a completely different experience than on any other platform. Whether this new feature feels like something next-level immersive or a total obstacle will likely depend on the mode played.

I think haptic feedback and adaptive triggers could be really great if you dive into Cold Warcampaign of. Assuming you are using the default controller settings with the L2 and R2 triggers to aim and shoot, Treyarch has added different levels of tension that you will feel when aiming and firing each weapon. You can reverse your controller scheme to use R1 and L1 instead, as some players prefer, but you won’t be able to experience the new tactile and only dynamic feedback when firing weapons.

In an interview with GameSpotTreyarch Chief Game Designer Tony Flame spoke about PlayStation 5’s single controller and how it works Black Ops: Cold War. “It has a new haptic feedback, so when you pull the trigger it shakes, every time a gun shoots there’s a little motor that shoots every time,” Flame said. “There’s a trigger sensitivity that represents trigger pressure on a real weapon. This has all been fixed in the game for each individual weapon. So that’s a lot to take in, but it’s pretty awesome, and it makes guns feel like they’ve never had before.

And it really is a unique experience. It may seem like a subtle difference between some weapons of the same size or class, but there is a very noticeable difference in feel between pulling a pistol and hoisting an RPG. The combination of haptic feedback and tension in the triggers really adds weight to something as heavy as a rocket launcher. I usually have a launcher equipped during multiplayer objective modes, and I remember saying, “man, this thing is getting heavy”, as I shot several enemy spy planes and attacked helicopters from the sky.

Unfortunately, I don’t think this feature is the most ideal for multiplayer sessions. The extra tension in the triggers can increase the time it takes to fire a shot. Even an extra millisecond can make or break a shootout. Fortunately, you can turn off the functionality of the sophisticated controller in the settings. I fought for my first matches of Cold War PS5 multiplayer, and while I did eventually get used to the added strain, my response time during shootouts improved so much after I turned the feature off.

You should also take fatigue into account. You need strong fingers to play long multiplayer sessions with the adaptive triggers turned on. I was only about an hour into my multiplayer session when I realized my fingers were already tired and I wouldn’t be able to play all night with my friends if I let the adaptive triggers keep pushing back.

I’m not here to rain the Sony show. Haptic feedback and adaptive triggers really something impressive, and I hope everyone who wants to try out the DualSense features will have the opportunity to experience it for themselves. But for me? My hands are aching, and I think I’ll stick to less immersive Call of Duty multiplayer for the foreseeable future.

More Call of Duty