Japanese Patent Shows What Could Be The PS5's DualShock5

Staff Reporter, Tech Times 19 November 2019, 10:11 am

PS5 Controller Patent Sketch — (Photo : Japaneses Patent Office)

We finally might have our first peek into the PlayStation 5's supposed DualShock 5 controller.

First reported by VGC, Sony Interactive Entertainment applied for new patents for the said upcoming controller. The design sketches were published on the Japanese Patent Office's page, but there is no mention of the name of the new controller (which is rumored to be the DualShock 5). While we have seen pictures of the PlayStation 5 development kit, we had no idea of what the controllers looked like up until now.

According to the design sketch, the supposed DualShock 5 has much more angled and rounded grips, quite similar to the ones found in the Xbox One and Nintendo Switch Pro. Sony seems to have also removed the Light Bar and further expanded the size of the touchpad.

The Light Bar is notably used by the PlayStation 4's camera for tracking, especially for VR titles that require the use of the DualShock 4. Its removal might be seen as Sony's move to release a dedicated VR controller for its PSVR system finally. Currently, it relies on both the DualShock 4 and last generation PlayStation Move controllers.

The charging port has also been switched from micro-USB to USB type C, and has been moved from the top of the controller to the bottom.

An Evolution of the DualShock

According to Wired's exclusive interview with Sony Interactive Entertainment CEO Jim Ryan, the next-generation successor to the DualShock 4 controller will offer gamers a much more immersive experience. The highlight of the new controllers are the new "adaptive triggers" whose resistance can be adjusted depending on how game developers would program it. This results in much more "tactile experiences," such as where moving through sand "felt slow and soggy." It also has much more refined haptic feedback, which is an upgrade to the rumble motor the DualShock series has been equipped with these past decades. These feedback motors are supposedly similar to the ones found in the Nintendo Switch's Joycons. The controller also boasts of an improved speaker, which, combined with new haptic motors, offers gamers an unparallel experience never before seen on any PlayStation console.

A Brief History on the DualShock

The first dualshock was the first controller from sony to feature vibration feedback. It was an evolution on the first Dual Analog controller for the Playstation, which was released 2 years after the console's debut. The first DualShock launched in North America in 1998. The DualShock 2 was released alongside the Playstation 2, which was almost exactly the same as the first dual shock.

The Playstation 3 launched with the Sixaxis controller. This controller lacked the vibration motor found in the earlier DualShocks due to a lawsuit with Immersion, who owned several patents relating to the haptic technology. In March 2007, the lawsuit was settled, which eventually paved the way for Sony to release the DualShock 3, an upgraded version of the Sixaxis controller with haptic technology once again integrated.

The PlayStation 4 launched with the DualShock 4, the first in the controller line to have a different body design, as well as removing the iconic Start/Select buttons and adding in the Options/Share buttons.