Fortnite Adds Gyro Controls to PS5, PS4 and PC, Adds New Flick Stick Feature

Fortnite has introduced support for gyroscope-based aiming and motion controls for PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, and PC gamers, with the arrival of the latest 19.30 update. Gamers will now be able to turn their controller to look around in the popular battle royale on PS5, PS4 and PC, bringing the experience on par with Android users and Nintendo Switch users. Epic Games is also adding support for a new flick stick feature for controllers which will allow gamers to quickly look in a specific direction with a single movement. Meanwhile, players will be able to jump into a game quicker with the latest update that takes them directly to the lobby.

The new gyro controls for PS5, PS4 and PC will give Fortnite gamers more precision than stick aiming, developer Epic Games explains. Users can simply turn the controller to move the camera. Gyro controls in Active Mode will have two settings for combat and building. Active Mode (Combat) gives users the option to use the controls in Scope Only, Scope or Aiming, Always, or Scope, Aiming, Harvesting. Meanwhile, Active Mode (Building) lets users enable the new gyro controls for editing, building and editing, or disable the feature completely. However, Epic Games explains that enabling gyro aiming disables aim assist, and gyro controls will not work on services like GeForce Now.

Experienced gyro players can also take advantage of Fortnite's new flick stick controls, a feature that has been added to the Touch and Motion tab as well. Flick stick controls allow users to quickly orient themselves in a specific direction with a flick of the thumbstick. This means that gamers who are taking fire can now use flick stick to quickly reorient themelves and use gyro controls to aim faster, which could be critical for a Victory Royale. The new controls were developed in collaboration with input specialist and flick stick creator Julian “Jibb” Smart, according to Epic Games.

As previously mentioned, gyro controls are now available on PS5, PS4, and PC, and work on both DualShock 4 and Dualsense controllers. Nintendo Switch users can use the Joy-Con or Pro controller, while Android users can use their smartphone's gyroscope for built-in controls. Fortnite has also optimised the game loading experience, and now takes gamers directly to the game lobby, where they can jump into a game faster. Previously, gamers could select Creative and Save the World modes on startup, but these have now been moved to the Discover section, which users can tap on to switch modes, according to Epic Games.