The optimum control scheme for playing video games has been in contention since they first exploded in popularity on both the PC and home console markets. Naturally, console players used the controllers packaged with their console, while PC players used mouse and keyboard. However, with more PC players using controllers to play video games than ever, the lines between the two control schemes may be beginning to blur.
Most modern AAA games release on both PC and console platforms, and so the control schemes for these titles have already been optimized for the limited number of inputs on a controller. This has meant that more and more PC players use third-party controllers, which will have already been mapped to the control scheme found on the console version.
PC exclusive games, however, aren't always designed to map perfectly to a controller, which means PC players who use controllers often have to keep a keyboard or mouse at hand to navigate menus or switch out weapons or spells. Now a patent has been filed for a controller that could solve this some of this issue for PC controller users. The patent describes a controller with a scroll wheel built into the back of one of the grips so that it can be used with both of the player’s hands still comfortably on the peripheral. The placement of the scroll wheel is similar to the placement of the extra paddles on the back of the Xbox Elite controllers.
The patent was filed by a company called QTech Innovations, so it is unlikely that this feature will turn up on any first-party controllers for the PlayStation or Xbox. However, there is already a healthy market for third party controllers for PC gaming. Though the controller in the patent application is clearly based on the PlayStation DualShock 4, this is likely just a recognizable controller used as a prototype model. If a real product were to be manufactured, it would need to be distinct from PlayStation DualShock designs.
PC and console gaming aren't as different today as they were in the 80s and 90s. Console gaming in those decades was defined primarily by its side-scrollers and platformers, which gave rise to iconic video game mascots like Mario and Sonic, whereas PC gamers had iconic point-and-click adventures like The Secret of Monkey Island. The games for each platform were designed with that platform's specific control scheme in mind. Today, however, most AAA games will have both PC and console releases with control schemes primarily designed around a controller's more limited options.
This patent may only be useful for PC players who prefer using a controller to a mouse and keyboard. Many PC-exclusive games are still designed with the presumption that the player will be using a mouse and keyboard. The scroll wheel on a mouse is one of the most difficult inputs to remap comfortably onto a controller, but this patent could remove that issue.