Sony’s New Patent Suggests PS6 Controller Could Ditch Buttons for Haptic Feedback

It looks like PlayStation is gearing up to fully embrace haptic feedback with its DualSense controller. A recent patent reveals a gaming controller that ditches physical buttons altogether, opting instead for haptic display surfaces that can be customized to suit individual preferences. Picture the modular design of some of the top PS5 controllers, but without any buttons and featuring a touchscreen interface.

However, it’s worth noting that Sony has a reputation for filing a variety of unconventional product patents, many of which never make it to market. This latest patent, filed in 2023 and granted on January 27, could be another example of that trend. Let’s dive into what Sony might be envisioning for the future of gaming controllers.

First highlighted by an outlet, the patent is titled “Devices and methods for a game controller.” The accompanying image depicts a standard PC controller shape, but without any physical inputs. Instead, it suggests that touchscreen displays could allow users to reposition face buttons (like X, Square, Circle, and Triangle) for enhanced comfort.

The patent’s description states, “Conventional controllers typically require a user to press buttons or control moveable elements to provide game controls… One of the drawbacks of existing designs may be the fixed configuration… There exists a desire for game controllers to allow for different configurations, and accommodate hand sizes without having to customize or manufacture controller size.”

This highlights the need for flexibility, and regarding touchscreen functionality, the patent notes:

“Input control sensors allow for input based on one or more of touch, tap, swipe, press, pinch and joystick inputs to one or more surfaces of the controller. Input can include a pretouch relative to the input surface, the pretouch including input approaching the input surface and input prior to engagement with a surface.”

On the topic of haptic feedback, the patent describes “Input reference elements may include one or more of a haptic or deformable surface element that a user can feel the location of elements. The haptic or deformable surface may adjust its configuration such that a user could feel the input control location.”

In essence, Sony’s innovative controller design would react to heat and touch, featuring adjustable input shapes and sizes. The patent makes a compelling case for how this type of gamepad could enhance the current market. However, as someone who reviews controllers, I’m not convinced this is the best solution to the challenges we face.

The Victrix Pro BFG has been my go-to controller for years, largely because its face elements can be swapped to meet my needs. We’re seeing more of this trend with devices like the Turtle Beach Stealth Pivot and the upcoming GameSir/Hyperkin X5 Alteron, all of which offer interchangeable faceplates. Personally, I would prefer next-gen controller designs like these over a touchscreen setup.

While haptic displays could cleverly simulate pressure sensations and look impressive, anyone who’s gamed on a touchscreen device knows it’s a vastly different experience compared to using physical buttons. It can be surprisingly challenging to locate your thumbs on a touchscreen when your focus is on the game. Having tactile, raised inputs on a controller provides a significant advantage in knowing where your thumbs are positioned.

That said, our brains are remarkably adaptable, so if Sony designs something that effectively guides your brain to recognize button locations, it could potentially work. My experience with the Azeron Cyborg II has shown me that our brains can learn new ways to interact with games, and the same could apply to Sony’s latest controller concept.

For now, though, we have no clear idea of how Sony intends to implement this technology. The brand has included a central touchscreen on PlayStation controllers since 2013, so they might be looking to expand on that, or they could simply be playing a game of product invention to keep competitors at bay.

We might be waiting a while for the PS6, especially with the current RAM pricing crisis and the rapid growth of AI production potentially causing delays.