The PlayStation 5, Sony's next generation console, is on the horizon. And while Sony may be preserving all PS5-related announcements for 2020, it'd be impossible for the company to keep everything it's working on a secret. Case in point the abnormally-shaped PS5 dev kit that photos have already been shared of. It seems another interesting PS5 adjacent reveal has been made early as of Monday morning, too. The patents for the PS5 DualShock 5 controllers appear to have been published in Japan.
Before describing the new PS5 controllers as shown in the patent, it should be noted that while these images have come directly from Japan's patent office they aren't guaranteed to be official. Sony could have multiple designs for the PS5's controllers, significant changes could be made to the DualShock 5's in the coming months, or a mistake could have been made in this publication. As such, while it's definitely worth considering these new controllers seriously, it's best not to be absolutely confident that they'll be the PS5's final controllers.
As for the controller itself, PlayStation fans will be happy to hear that Sony doesn't appear to be reinventing the wheel. The most accurate way to describe the PS5's DualShock 5 is that it looks quite a bit like the PS4's DualShock 4. It features similar placement and design for its directional buttons, joysticks, and shape buttons. Even the controller's central touchpad, as well as its oblong Share and Option buttons appear near identical.
The controller does feature some interesting changes, however, the largest of which appear are a microphone installed within the controller and a switch to a USB-C port for charging and wired use. The new controller is also said to feature "adaptive triggers" which are designed to better measure levels of resistance and depth. These triggers will also be larger than on the DS4, in contrast to smaller joysticks. Unseen changes include improved haptic feedback and speaker quality. And finally, the DualShock 4's lightbar has been removed.
It may be some time before the DualShock 5 is seen in the wild. The controller sent out alongside PS5 dev kits is apparently nothing like this final product. Fans may end up waiting until Sony fully unveils to PS5 and starts allowing the press and fans to play some of the console's games. E3 2020 would be a safe estimate, though Sony could certainly end up showing off the console earlier or later than that. So long as fans get a chance to see it in action before the PS5's estimated holiday 2020 release, things should be going swimmingly.
PlayStation 5 will launch holiday 2020.
Source: Video Games Chronicle