Potential PlayStation 5 Controller Patent Sure Is a Controller


We’re currently in this weird limbo when it comes to the next-generation of video game hardware. We know the Xbox Scarlett and PlayStation 5 consoles are coming next holiday. And we sort of know about certain specs and features of these fancy new boxes. But we still have know idea what those boxes even look like yet. It’s a golden opportunity for fake leaks and renders and feverish fan imagination for what will ultimately be two futuristic rectangles.


You know what also probably won’t change that much? The controllers. Consider how relatively stagnant video game controller designs have been for the past two decades. However, a new Sony patent does potentially tease some changes that are coming to the PlayStation 5 controller.


When talking about the PS5 controller, Sony has already alluded to new features such as USB-C connection and upgraded haptic feedback that sounds a lot like HD rumble on the Nintendo Switch. This pictured controller patent, taken from the Japanese patent office and reported by VGC, seems to confirm the USB-C port at least.



However, some have spotted even more changes on this hypothetical controller. The triggers look bigger, perhaps to accommodate the higher-quality vibration. It ditches the PS4 light bar, making us question how PlayStation VR backwards compatibility would work. There’s a built-in microphone. The analog sticks look smaller or maybe that’s an optical illusion caused by the bigger controller.


We’re sure to see the actual PlayStation 5 in a matter of months, and with that reveal coming so soon, we wouldn’t be surprised if the real controller looks pretty similar to this patent. In the meantime, here’s everything else we think we know about PlayStation 5 vs. Xbox Scarlett.