Sony's new controller patent replaces buttons with touchscreen
Sony has filed a patent for a gaming controller that replaces traditional buttons and sticks with a customizable touchscreen. The design includes pressure and heat sensors to distinguish between intentional inputs and accidental touches.
Why it matters
This represents a potential shift in hardware design for future gaming consoles, focusing on accessibility and user customization.
Home News World Sports Entertainment Science Royal Trending Health Videos Technology Sony's new controller patent replaces buttons with touchscreen Sony’s touchscreen controller patent swaps sticks and buttons for a customizable screen
Sony's touchscreen controller patent has to answer one awkward question: how does a gamepad tell a resting thumb from a real button press? The filing's answer is a set of pressure and heat sensors built into the screen.
Sony filed the application in February 2023, and it has since been issued as a US patent. It describes a large touchscreen covering the area where the d-pad, sticks and face buttons normally sit.
Start with hand size. Sony argues that a fixed layout can be too small or too large for a player and that makers rarely sell different sizes because of the cost. A touchscreen would let one controller fit many hands.
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