Sony has patented another new PlayStation controller. The design is a little different than the design described in the patent that was uncovered in November. As a result, some believe the company might offer a premium version of the controller when it launches the PS5 next year.
Microsoft already offers a premium version of the Xbox controller called the Xbox Elite, so Sony could be considering a similar move.
New PlayStation controller described
The patent for the new PlayStation controller was filed with the World Intellectual Property Organization and spotted by Business Insider. The controller in the patent is very similar to the design of the DualShock 4 controller, which comes with the PS4. However, it includes an extra set of buttons on the bottom.
It’s believed that the extra buttons are programmable in a way similar to the $30 attachment Sony unveiled for the PS4 controller recently. If that turns out to be the case, the new PlayStation controller would be a premium version because it would combine the features of the standard controller with those of the $30 attachment.
The new PlayStation controller also features a USB Micro-B charger that looks the same as what’s on the DualShock 4 controller. However, Sony has said before that the PS5 controller will use a USB-C charging cable, and a USB-C port was shown on images for another patent for a different PlayStation controller in November.
Previous PS5 controller patent
Video Games Chronicle uncovered the November patent application for the other PlayStation controller in Japan, although an error message now appears when attempting to pull up the link to it. The fact that the controller in the November patent has a USB-C port indicates that it was designed for the PS5 instead of the PS4, like the controller in the newer patent.
Sony has also revealed some tidbits about the PS5 controller, which will support haptic feedback that can be adjusted by game developers to make doing different things inside games feel very different. The patent shows that the controller will also eliminate the colored light bar that’s on top of the PS4 controller. The light bar looked nice, but it also drained the controller’s battery, shortening playing time.
