It’s been a long time since Sony made any major changes to its PlayStation DualShock controllers. However, DualShockers have spotted a new controller patent filed by the company that hints at some interesting changes. As per the report, Sony could be thinking of equipping its DualShock Controller with a touchscreen, which might replace the current touch-enabled control pad. The patent simply hints towards the addition of new hardware but if implemented, the interactive touchscreen could be used in a myriad of ways like showing a mini-map, in-game stats, or the current inventory.
The patent filing for the new controller was first discovered by the Redditor AlphaFoxWarfare. It reads, “A controller for interfacing wirelessly with a computing device is provided, including the following: a housing defined by a main body, a first extension extending from a first end of the main body, and a second extension extending from a second end of the main body, the first extension and the second extension for holding by a first hand and a second hand of a user, respectively; a touchscreen defined along the top surface of the main body between the first extension and the second extension; a first set of buttons disposed on the top surface of the main body proximate to the first extension and on a first side of the touchscreen; and a second set of buttons disposed on the top surface of the main body proximate to the second extension and on a second side of the touchscreen.”
This is not the first time a company is trying something like this as other companies like Nintendo and Sega did the same on their respective controllers in the past. The Nintendo Wii U and the Sega Dreamcast both featured a touchscreen but neither turned out to be successful. Maybe Sony will be able to pull it off but it seems unlikely since the company has already announced that it’s working on a PlayStation 4 successor. President of Sony, Kenichro Yoshida, confirmed the same saying, “At this point, what I can say is it’s necessary to have a next-generation hardware.”
Microsoft is not far behind as the Xbox division head, Phil Spencer said back at E3 2018 that the company is already working on its next-generation console. The device is tipped to be codenamed ‘Scarlett’ and is also tipped to launch in 2020. AMD has also hinted that it is working on processors for the next generation gaming console and is working with both Sony and Microsoft on new products.