Call of Duty Vanguard is getting killer PS5 features Xbox Series X can't match

Activision has detailed how Call of Duty Vanguard will utilize the unique features of the PS5 DualSense controller. It's also been confirmed that the game’s storage footprint will be significantly smaller than previous installments in the juggernaut shooter series on next-gen consoles and PC. 

Vanguard’s DualSense features have been fully unveiled in a post on the PlayStation Blog. Developer Sledgehammer Games has explained that the tech-stuffed PS5 controller will “elevate the sense of immersion and bring an array of tactile experiences to different weapons in the game.” 

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In plain English, this means firing each weapon will feel different thanks to the DualSense adaptive triggers. The blog post reads: “Our goal in Call of Duty: Vanguard was to simulate the trigger weight of real-world weapons, and to give the player the opportunity to find the trigger pull that works for them in the game.”

As you'd expect, the DualSense features will be exclusive to Sony's latest gaming console. This could make the PS5 version of the game the definitive Call of Duty Vanguard experience on console, but we'll have to wait until we get our hands on the game next month before we can make that final judgment. 

There are several stages of trigger pull in Vanguard from the “take-up”, the distance a trigger travels once a player starts to press it. Then there’s the “break”, which is the point at which a shot is fired once enough pressure is applied. This is followed by the “over-travel” which is how far the trigger pulls after the breakpoint, and finally, the “trigger reset”, which stops automatic firing and resets the break. 

“It’s at the “break” stage that the DualSense controller’s adaptive triggers apply varying degrees of feedback to help create the feeling of weight on the trigger. This feedback is applied differently for different weapons, creating a more accurate sense of trigger weight for each,” the blog post continues. 

The gameplay experience will be further enhanced by the DualSense haptic feedback which can simulate enemy fire destroying your cover or an airplane performing a bombing run on your location. According to Sledgehammer, “you will feel the action happening around you pulse through your hands and traverse up your arms.” It all sounds very next-gen.  

Last year’s Call of Duty Black Ops Cold War also supported DualSense features, but it appears that Vanguard is taking things up a level. This isn’t the only area where Vanguard aims to improve upon its predecessor. It’s also been confirmed that the game will demand less storage space than recent Call of Duty titles. 

Call of Duty games have become infamous for demanding huge amounts of storage space. For example, Black Ops Cold War’s file size has ballooned to more than 200GB after a year of regular updates. When you consider that the PS5 only has a mere 667GB of useable storage space as standard, that’s almost a third of the console’s base hard drive required to play just one game.  

Thankfully, this looks to be a problem of the past. The official Call of Duty Twitter account posted that “new on-demand texture streaming tech [is] expected to save up to 30%-50%+ on next-gen console and PC.” This announcement has been warmly received by the Call of Duty community. Vanguard's smaller storage requirements will benefit players on both PS5 and Xbox Series X.

Call of Duty Vanguard is set to launch on November 5 on PS5, Xbox Series X and PC, with a version for last-gen consoles also releasing on that date. It’s set to compete in a crowded shooter market this winter with both Battlefield 2042 and Halo Infinite also launching before the end of the year. 

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