While the PS5’s DualSense controller was widely mocked for its chonky design back in 2020, it’s become something of a fan favourite in the intervening years, thanks to its ergonomic feel. The upgraded DualSense Edge took things further with its customisable design in 2022, but things could soon get a lot more interesting.
A new patent filing has revealed that Sony is working on a controller with no physical buttons. Instead of tactile controls, it could feature two touch-screen zones that can be mapped by the user, taking customisability to the next level. But are touchpads really a match for good old fashioned buttons? Because let’s be honest, the best game consoles are arguably only as good as their controller.
Farewell physical buttons? (Image credit: Future)
As spotted by Video Games Chronicle, Sony’s new patent describes how “often [conventional] controllers adhere to a similar control interface of having a directional pad on one side of the controller and buttons on the other side of the controller.”
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As for the solution, the patent suggests, “There exists a desire for game controllers to allow for different configurations, and accommodate hand sizes without having to customize or manufacture controller size.”
A screenshot from the patent filing (Image credit: Sony)
But as you might expect, the idea of replacing physical buttons with touchpads isn’t going down well with fans. “I don’t like it, at all. For the same reason I don’t like virtual buttons on a smartphone screen: you need to look at where your fingers are pressing,” one Redditor comments, while another adds, “That’s why I don’t game on a phone. I need tactile buttons.”
Of course, a patent is no guarantee of an idea ever seeing the light of day. Nor that it is designed to replace what came before it – this could easily be positioned specifically as an accessibility tool rather than a bonafide new controller. Time will tell, but one thing’s for sure – it’ll probably arrive before GTA 6.