Sony has yet to officially reveal the PlayStation 5's controller, what is presumed to be the DualShock 5. PS5 dev kit photos have shown that the controller may be slightly beefier than the DualShock 4, but will be generally the same controller design that Sony has used since the days of the PS1. However, the PS5 controller will apparently be introducing some rather major new features, if a recently discovered Sony patent is to be believed.
The patent was first discovered by Reddit user rattlesnake_906 yesterday and is now making waves online. The PS5 controller patent seems to confirm that the DualShock 5 will have back buttons, as previously rumored, in addition to a built-in microphone. The microphone is perhaps the most interesting takeaway from the patent, as it will supposedly allow for voice commands and even headset-less party chat.
Combine these new features with a larger touchpad, and it seems like the PS5 controller could be making some exciting changes. However, it should be noted that just because Sony has filed a patent for this controller, it doesn't mean that any of this will be used in the final design. Patents don't always translate to consumer products, but since the PS5 dev kit photos do seem to corroborate the patent, we wouldn't be surprised if all of this did make it to the final DualShock 5 design.
The DualShock 5 having back buttons and a microphone could open the door for brand new gameplay opportunities that weren't necessarily possible on previous Sony consoles. With the DS and 3DS, Nintendo figured out quite a few clever ways to incorporate a microphone in gameplay, for example, and it would be interesting to see if developers will be just as creative with the DualShock 5 microphone.
More traditional gamers may be worried about the PS5 controller being too gimmicky, but they shouldn't stress too much. The DualShock 4 has its fair share of gimmicks as well, including the touchpad, but the vast majority of games have simply used traditional control schemes.
In any case, we likely won't know any definitive details about the PS5 controller until Sony itself decides to share more information. There's a PS5 reveal event rumored for February, so answers may come sooner rather than later.
Photo by Ugur Akdemir on Unsplash