Sony filed a patent for a new PlayStation controller, and it looks like it could compete with Microsoft's premium Xbox controller
- Sony has filed a patent for a new PlayStation controller with the World Intellectual Property Organization.
- While a separate patent for the PlayStation 5 controller surfaced in November, Sony's latest design adds two new buttons to the design of the DualShock 4.
- The patent images don't guarantee that Sony will move forward with a premium controller for the PlayStation, but it does show that the company is considering a second version of the PlayStation controller as it prepares to launch the PlayStation 5.
- Microsoft currently ships two versions of the Xbox One controller, a $70 standard version, and a $180 version called the Xbox Elite, and Sony's new design could create two price points for PlayStation controllers too.
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A patent for a new PlayStation controller has surfaced just a few weeks after a separate filing revealed the design of Sony's PlayStation 5 controller.
The latest patent shows a controller that's close in design to the PlayStation 4's DualShock 4 controller, but with a pair of extra buttons on the bottom of the controller. Last week Sony revealed a $30 attachment that adds a pair of programmable buttons on the rear of the DualShock 4, and it's likely that this new controller offers the same functionality as a built-in feature.
The latest design also shows a USB Micro-B charger that matches the existing DualShock 4, suggesting that this new controller could work with the PlayStation 4. Sony previously confirmed that the PlayStation 5 controller uses a USB-C charging port, which appeared in patent images for a different Sony controller in November.
Sony says the PlayStation 5 controller's haptic feedback will offer more sophisticated "rumble" effects than the PS4 controller. Game designers will be able to adjust the sensitivity of the haptic motors and the controller's triggers to match the action in-game, so the feeling of firing different guns or handling the wheel of a car will feel distinct.
Sony's latest controller patent could be a more expensive version of the DualShock 4 built to compete with Microsoft's Xbox Elite controller series. The Xbox Elite controller retails for $180 and offers a premium build with customizable paddle buttons, a rubberized grip, and analog sticks with adjustable tension. Third-party companies like Scuf Gaming make premium controllers with similar features and price tags for the PlayStation 4. Standard PlayStation 4 and Xbox controllers retail for $60.
The patent images don't guarantee that Sony will move forward with a premium controller for the PlayStation, but it does show that the company is considering a second version of the PlayStation controller as it prepares to launch the PlayStation 5.
Microsoft has already promised that Xbox One-compatible controllers will continue to work with the Xbox Series X when it launches next year. Sony has not specified whether PlayStation 4 devices will work with the PlayStation 5.
Both next-generation consoles are set for release during the 2020 holiday season, but exact release dates are still pending. Microsoft showed off the design of Xbox Series X with a special reveal at The Game Awards in December, but Sony has yet to show off the final look of the PlayStation 5.
Here's a closer look at the patent images for Sony's new PlayStation controller:
