When it comes to immersive controllers, most gamers think of Nintendo first. After all, they had the Wii, and motion controls remain a key part of the Nintendo Switch and Switch 2. But even if PlayStation and Xbox have largely given up on motion controls, the PS5 does have its own way to immerse players. DualSense controllers offer haptic feedback and adaptive triggers that can, in theory, really add another layer to gaming. But they’re often underutilized, particularly in third-party games.
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That’s where a newly announced PS5 console exclusive comes in. First unveiled during the June State of Play, Bancho the Chef has big plans for the DualSense. The game is confirmed for PC and PS5 as its “two main platforms,” and I’m starting to see why it opted for a State of Play reveal. In a recent dev deep dive, developer Mintrocket shared how its hybrid adventure game and cooking sim will make full use of DualSense capabilities in a way I’ve rarely seen. And it’s honestly something that far more games should be doing, particularly those with cooking, fishing, and other hands-on mechanics.
Many Games Sleep on the DualSense Controller’s Full Potential, But Not This One
I’ll be honest, I often forget the full potential of what a DualSense controller can do. Many games fail to make good use of its haptic feedback, but especially ignore the adaptive triggers. In fact, when a game does lean into these features, it often comes as a surprise. I still remember my delight when I cooked my first dish in Genshin Impact on PS5. Of course, there are some games that do a great job of showing off the DualSense. First-party hits like Astro Bot, for instance, are almost a “how to” for the controller. But even 6 years after the PS5 DualSense hit the market, we rarely see games take full advantage of its potential.
Mintrocket is going to change that with Bancho the Chef. In a recent update about the recently announced game, the developers confirmed that they picked the PS5 as the primary console for a reason. Specifically, the game “will make extensive use of the DualSense controller’s haptic feedback and adaptive triggers.” Though the exact details of what this will look like are yet to come, Mintrocket wants to let players “feel the tactile sensation of real cooking techniques.” If the team pulls it off, that could make Bancho the Chef the most immersive cooking sim we’ve seen since Cooking Mama.
Though we got a quick look at some of the core mechanics in the State of Play reveal, Mintrocket’s recent Dev Dive gave us a closer look. During a more in-depth look at Bancho the Chef, fans got to see a bit more of the game in action. That includes both the cooking mechanics and ingredient collecting. You can check that out in the Dev Dive video below, which I’ve set to start right at the Bancho the Chef segment:
As you can see, the game blends adventure and cooking sim gameplay. And during those cooking scenes, we’ll get a first-person view of various techniques. Bancho the Chef will bring in adaptive triggers and haptic feedback to bring these techniques to life. The trailer shows actions like chopping food, using a blowtorch, and fishing. All of these could really be brought to life with the DualSense’s haptic feedback and adaptive triggers, if they’re leveraged correctly.
For now, Bancho the Chef lists PS5 as its only console platform, though the game will also be coming to Steam. Outside of bringing the game to Switch 2 and using Joy-Con controls, this sounds like the best way to truly level up the cooking sim and bring players right into the kitchen. I look forward to seeing what they do with this.
What’s your favorite example of solid DualSense controller optimization? Leave a comment below and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!
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Courtesy of Shueisha
