This month Sony received a patent for what looks like a new design for a Playstation controller featuring two new buttons. With every new console that Sony releases they find some way to improve the design of the DualShock controller. These improvements have historically ranged from the rumble feature to the touchpad on the current Playstation 4 controller.
The PlayStation 4 released in November of 2013. With the new system came a completely redesigned controller that Sony designated the DualShock 4. The controller improved the buttons and analog sticks for greater comfort and use and created the integrated touchpad. This touchpad has been used in all manner of games, but tends to mostly be used now for navigating in game maps.
The patent for the new controller was discovered on the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) website (via Polygon). By looking at the new design, the new controller is mostly similar to the DualShock 4 that players are used to. The biggest differences seem to be the that there is no longer a home button anywhere on the controller and there now seems to be two large buttons on the underside of the controller. It also seems as if these new buttons will be programmable so that players can customize which actions these buttons will perform.
The assumption is that this new controller design will be for the PlayStation 5 when it releases during the holidays of 2020. A year out from the release of such a major console, a lot of details about the PlayStation 5 remain unclear, which has made fans even more excited for updates on the device. The system will be incorporating an SSD in order to allow the system to run faster and more efficiently, and Sony has stated that the system will ray-tracing which will allow more realistic visuals. With these new features it would make sense for Sony to redesign the controller as well.
At this point, however, it's still unclear whether the patent is actually for the PlayStation 5. It would make a lot of sense for this to be the new PlayStation 5 controller design, but at the same time this could just as easily be a Call of Duty Modern Warfare or whatever the first big PlayStation 5 multiplayer game ends up being. Further focus on customization is an interesting route for Sony as well, and could point towards more accessible designs for peripherals for the PlayStation 5.
Source: World Intellectual Property Organization (via Polygon)
