A Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE) patent has revealed images of what could be the PlayStation 5’s controller.
The images, which were published on the Japanese patent office website today, are attributed to the PlayStation manufacturer and match a description of the PS5’s prototype pad in a Wired article, in which Sony’s next-gen controller is described as “an awful lot like the PS4‘s DualShock 4.”
The patent specifically highlights a microphone, but comparison images posted online show that there are many subtle design changes between the pictured controller and the DualShock 4.
The controller pictured in the patent features larger triggers, slightly smaller sticks, a USB port and no light bar.
The prototype PS5 controller currently being sent to developers is described as “an unlabelled matte-black doohickey” that looks very similar to PS4’s DualShock 4, but Sony has confirmed some significant additions.
One major improvement added to PS5’s controller is “adaptive triggers,” which SIE says can offer varying levels of resistance to make game mechanics such as shooting a bow and arrow—the tension increasing as you pull the arrow back—feel more realistic.
The PS5 controller, which will switch to USBC for charging, also includes haptic feedback, with highly programmable voice-coil actuators located in the left and right grips of the pad.
Combined with an improved speaker on the controller, the haptics can enable “astonishing effects,” claims Wired.
In a series of short demos the publication described in October, a character ran through a platform level featuring a number of different surfaces, which Wired said gave distinct and tactile experiences.
“Sand felt slow and sloggy; mud felt slow and soggy. On ice, a high-frequency response made the thumbsticks really feel like my character was gliding. Jumping into a pool, I got a sense of the resistance of the water; on a wooden bridge, a bouncy sensation.”
Next, a version of Gran Turismo Sport ported over to a PS5 devkit enabled the player to ‘feel’ the difference between dirt and track surfaces.
“Doing the same thing on the same track using a DualShock 4 on a PS4, that sensation disappeared entirely,” the article said.
The PS5 controller’s larger-capacity battery and haptics motors make it a bit heavier than the DualShock 4, it’s claimed. However, product manager Toshi Aoki said the final version will come in a bit lighter than the current Xbox controller “with batteries in it.”
In the same article Sony confirmed that PlayStation 5’s ray-tracing technology will be hardware-accelerated, and that the console will feature a “completely revamped” user interface and allow configurable game installs.
So far SIE has confirmed several PS5 hardware details, with system architect Mark Cerny revealing that the console will be disc-based and support 8K graphics.
PS5 will also be backwards compatible with PS4 games and support the current PlayStation VR headset, although another recently published patent may hint at SIE’s plans for a next-gen PS VR headset. The console’s scheduled to launch holiday 2020.
