New PlayStation Patents Reveal Fully Modular and Touch-Based Controllers
Sony patents show radical new PlayStation controller concepts, featuring swappable magnetic modules and buttonless touch surfaces.
Key Takeaways
- Sony was granted patents for two experimental PlayStation controller concepts: a buttonless touch design and a modular magnetic system.
- The buttonless surface uses optical, pressure, and heat sensors, allowing players to fully customize their input layout and control sizes.
- The modular design features magnetic grids for swappable sticks, buttons, dials, and a detachable touchscreen capable of displaying phone alerts.
Sony seems determined to rethink how we interact with video games from the ground up. Recent patent filings reveal that the company is experimenting with radical changes to the classic PlayStation controller design. From completely buttonless touch surfaces to customizable magnetic grids, these concepts are an intriguing look at potential hardware directions.
A PlayStation Controller With No Physical Buttons
Sony is definitely not shying away from the idea of letting physical things go, as physical game discs are not the only tangible feature on the chopping block. In a surfaced patent filed in 2023 and granted in January of this year, a PlayStation controller appears without any traditional physical buttons.
In place of standard inputs, a touch-sensitive surface allows players to personally customize their setup, deciding where controls go, how big they are, and what action each area performs. It feels akin to personalizing a smartphone home screen with widgets.
The surface relies on optical, pressure, and heat sensing to detect player input. That design offers a solid bid for accessibility and provides a great way for players to feel completely comfortable in their grip. After all, no single controller layout works perfectly for everyone.
While the concept sounds good on paper, it’s right off the heels of the impending end of physical PlayStation discs, drawing sneers from the community as another physical standard faces danger.
A Fully Modular PlayStation Controller
The buttonless controller isn’t the only PlayStation controller patent that recently came to light. Another, more recent filing shows a modular controller that would let players customize the hardware itself through swappable magnetic modules.
Filed last year and granted this year, the patent describes a controller where the familiar physical controls snap into a magnetic grid. Face buttons, analog sticks, triggers, and other inputs can all be repositioned to suit different play styles or accessibility needs.
Replacing the current DualSense touchpad is a detachable touchscreen module, while another optional module is a rotating dial that can be used for scrolling through menus or performing other in-game functions. Like the rest of the modules, both the touchscreen and rotating dial can be attached wherever the player prefers on the controller’s surface.
According to the patent, the touchscreen could even display phone calls and messages, with games automatically pausing while the player interacts with those notifications. For lack of a better analogy, it feels a bit like how an Apple Watch extends the experience of using an iPhone.
While both of these patents have been approved, there is no assurance or official announcement that either design will enter production. Sony files hundreds of patents every year, and an approved document is never a guarantee that a product will ever land in players’ hands.
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Sending some gaming news your way from a surfing paradise island. Loves creating content, and researching informative facts and useless trivia. A novice in the gaming industry but a veteran in communications and publication.
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