However, I still continued to look, unsuccessfully, for a way to play PS4 games in a similar way, but only having 1 PS4 controller proved to, understandably, be a problem.
Unsuccessfully, that is, until I heard about the Titan 2 from Console Tuner. The device in this review was received on loan from Barrie Ellis at OneSwitch.org.uk. Barrie can also supply the unit already pre-configured, though I opted for the basic Titan 2.
This is a multi-console converter capable of supporting pretty much anything you throw at it, useful for numerous applications. But let's see just how straightforward it is to use with a PS4 first of all.
The section this cardboard element is a part of is the top of the box which can be lifted up and away to reveal, first, a quick setup leaflet.
Underneath this, you' find a coiled USB cable. Part of this can be easily lifted away, but the end that connects into a console or PC is more difficult to extricate. Holding the box with one hand, carefully lift the cable at the point closest to the currently sealed connector. Lifting this upwards and towards the connector should leaver it free.
There is a protective pad in the box as well which, when lifted out, reveals the Titan 2 underneath. Find the semi-circular imprint in the plastic holder in the box and put a finger between it and the adaptor. Push against the adaptor and move your finger upward to lift it free.
Once that's all set up though, plugging the Titan 2 into the console via the aforementioned Micro USB port, plugging in a PS4 controller and the second controller of choice into the two front USB ports should have you up and running in no time.
At first, I understood that both controllers my sighted CoPilot and I were using were both passing data through, with surprisingly solid results. God Of War showed absolutely no issues when throwing around and retrieving the leviathon axe, jumping over gaps, or kicking chests to obtain much needed items. Given that haptics are an important part of enjoying games as an experience, personally at least, it was great to find out that the converter accepted this data and appeared at least, to handle it with no problem.
Whilst I thought, initially, that the device passed haptic data to two controllers out of the box, it turns out this isn't the case. In fact, it took me a little while before I realised how easy it was to resolve the lack of dual haptic data.
My first thought was to try and find instructions online about using the adaptor to see if I'd missed anything. It turns out that you can find the online instructions for basic usage of the converter/adaptor here. The instructions are all fairly self-explanitory, including how to connect the device up to a PS4 correctly by changing the communication protocol (as described above), in addition to a key that provides fairly easy to understand information on what the various elements of the device do.
After asking an individual familiar with the Titan 2, I was informed that within the GTuner software there was a checkbox for allowing force feedback ("FFB") on any of the selection of inputs including the aforementioned A and B USB ports. Turning this option on was surprisingly fully accessible, though it did involve hitting tab numerous times until I located it. Fortunately NVDA (my screen reader of choice) worked far better than I expected with this, certainly a lesson that other companies can learn from in terms of ease-of-use.
This change, it turns out, worked spectacularly well and afterwards myself and my sighted CoPilot were able to experience the haptics of the games without issue simultaneously, regardless of which way the controllers were inserted in the USB ports.
Once complete, I fired up Killer Instinct and was soon playing on a PS4 controller, no additional frustration needed on my part. The game felt as smooth as I would've expected with the only issue I had being with the relative unfamiliarity of the controller in terms of execution of inputs within the game itself, something which, had I been playing the game constantly, I would've grown used to.
Gears Of War 4 worked similarly well and, though I wouldn't see myself switching to the PS4 controller whilst using the PC port on a permanent basis, I could certainly see myself doing so if, say, I didn't have an Xbox controller to hand.
If you're looking for a way to play through games with a second player and either don't have two controllers for the same system or are not working with an Xbox One OS compatible system, this converter will certainly help if you are willing to invest in it.