Sony Publishes An Official Linux Driver For PS5 DualSense Controllers

Sony has published a new "hid-playstation" Linux kernel driver for bringing up the PlayStation 5 DualSense controller and will also be used for supporting other PlayStation hardware on Linux. Phoronix reports: This new Linux kernel driver supports the PlayStation 5 "DualSense" game controller both in USB and Bluetooth modes. All key functionality along with LEDs, motion sensors, touchpad, battery, lightbar, and rumble are all supported by this official Sony Linux driver. The Linux kernel already has the existing "hid-sony" driver while this PlayStation 5 game controller comes with the hid-playstation driver. In announcing the new driver, they are planning to move some of the Sony Interactive Entertainment hardware support from the existing hid-sony to hid-playstation drivers. The hid-sony driver will continue to be maintained and used by broader Sony devices. This new driver follows the move from about a year ago of Sony "officially" maintaining the hid-sony Linux input driver.

This new driver comes in at just over 1,400 lines of code in its initial form catering to the PS5 controller. When transitioning support for older hardware to this new driver there is also a promise of unit test coverage and more. The new HID-PlayStation driver is currently under review and isn't yet queued up for mainlining but those wanting to try it out can find the 13 patches up for testing.

Microphone is not mentioned

[emj]

I really would like to have mic support via bluetooth as well.

Re:Microphone is not mentioned

[BeauHD Hangs Himself]

Vibrator also is not mentioned. When I was in elementary school, I went over to my girlfriend's house where she had an N64 with a rumble pak. She showed me this glitch in GoldenEye where you could make the rumble pak vibrate indefinitely. She rubbed the controller on her crotch and made noises which I thought was weird and told me it felt good and to try it myself. My parents asked how things were going with my girlfriend and I told them about this being so naive I didn't know what she was doing. Suffice it to say, we were forced to break up, her parents took the rumble pak out of the controller, and years later in high school, everyone joked about the outcome.

Re:

[Type44Q]

When i was 7 or 8, I had a Persian friend named Farshad. I went to his birthday party and his little sister wanted to eat my booger.

I let her.

Re:

[AmiMoJo]

Back in the day Sega released an actual vibrator peripheral for the PS2. It was called the "Trance Vibrator" an only worked with one game, Rez.

It had some moderate success with couples.

Hobson's Choice

[bitwraith]

Just enjoy having the a controller for both systems now, until Sony decides to make you choose between having a controller that works with Linux games and a controller that works with console games... after you buy the controller, no less.

I haven't bought a Sony machine since the OtherOS debacle forced me to remove Linux from my PS3 to regain half of the console functions. This development does not change my mind.

Re: Hobson's Choice

[Z00L00K]

They just see that they can sell more controllers this way. And it's on those they can make a profit.
The main playstation box isn't a profit generator, but the controllers are.

Re:

[tlhIngan]

In that case then they should release the driver for Windows first to sell more controllers playing on PC.

What it's really for is likely support for Android so you can use it with Android games - seeing as Android already has support for the PS4 controller and Xbox One/Xbox Series controllers already

Re:

[weilawei]

I bought an extra PS4 controller for use with Steam on Windows and Linux. Works great. I'm glad to see them actively courting Linux again, despite previous missteps and retractions.

I only boot into Windows if I have absolutely no other choice (say, because Destiny 2 on Steam is deliberately borked on Linux--even though you could run it just fine before on the Battle.net version). Performance and support-wise, Linux runs damn near every other game I have on Steam, without a hiccup.

Quake?

[hduff]

Does it play Quake?