This DIY solution enables DualSense adaptive triggers on PC wirelessly for under $10

With the DualSense controller (buy on Amazon), Sony introduced dynamic haptic feedback and adaptive triggers. In games that support it, this improves haptics with more refined and accurate vibration feedback. While this works wirelessly with the PS5, PC users have been forced to plug in their controllers in order to enjoy immersive haptics. Now, someone has cracked the code and created a DIY solution that costs less than $10.

A user named ‘awalol’ shared his DS5Dongle project on GitHub, which essentially uses a Raspberry Pi Pico to act as a wireless dongle impersonating a wired connection between a DualSense controller and a PC, and delivers all the functionality it would when connected to a PS5. The free-to-use firmware just needs to be transferred over to the Pico2W, and then pairing the DualSense controller via Bluetooth enables adaptive triggers. The pairing needs to be done only the first time, and subsequently, the controller will automatically connect when turned on.

The GitHub page includes simple instructions on how to achieve this. A couple of tweaks need to be made, however, like overclocking the Pico2W to somewhere around 1.2V 320 MHz. Of course, you would need to purchase the Raspberry Pi Pico 2W, which costs $5 to $7, if you don’t have one already.

In its current state, the four-channel audio bandwidth is not supported, so the audio from the controller may be choppy. A Reddit user named ‘SlaveKnightSoman’ shared a short video of the DIY device in use on PC with Days Gone, and the haptics seem to be working as on PS5, but of course, it’s hard to relay over video.