Sony patents a fully customisable PlayStation controller ditching buttons altogether

Sony has quietly patented a PlayStation controller that does away with physical buttons entirely, replacing them with a full touchscreen interface you can rearrange to your liking, as first spotted by VGC.

The patent describes a controller topped by a large touch-sensitive surface, covering the area where the D-pad, analogue sticks and face buttons would normally live. Instead of a fixed layout, players could shift inputs around the screen, resize them, or remove them altogether, depending on what they’re playing.

In theory, that means a single giant jump button for a platformer, a blown-up D-pad for retro games, or stripping things right back for simpler titles. Sony frames it as a way to better suit different hand sizes, play styles and accessibility needs, an increasingly big deal as controllers try to be one-size-fits-all (and often aren’t).

The filing doesn’t mince words about existing designs either, pointing out that traditional controllers rarely change layout because it’s cheaper not to. The result? They can feel awkward, cramped or uncomfortable depending on who’s holding them and don't cater to everyone.

Touch controls, of course, have form when it comes to causing accidental inputs, something anyone who remembers 1990s experiments like the Turbo Touch 360 will be painfully aware of. Sony seems keen to avoid that particular mistake. The patent mentions pressure and heat sensors built into the touchscreen, designed to tell the difference between a thumb resting and an intentional press.

There’s also mention of user recognition, meaning the controller could automatically load your preferred layout the moment you pick it up, no faffing with menus required.

As ever, a patent is not a product. Companies file these things all the time, and plenty never see the light of day. Still, as VGC notes, it’s a telling glimpse at how Sony is thinking about the future of PlayStation hardware, and a reminder that the DualSense might not be the final form of the controller just yet.

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