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Sony obtained a US patent for a game controller that features a touchscreen display, allowing players to decide where buttons and controls should be placed. The patent, filed in February 2023 and issued recently, describes “designs and methods for a game controller.” The device would replace the traditional button layout with a large touchscreen covering most of the controller’s top surface.
Players could customize the position of the D-Pad, analog sticks, and action buttons according to their preferences, accessibility requirements, or the specific game they’re playing. The touchscreen would also let users resize buttons or remove certain controls entirely. For example, someone playing a simple platform game could create one large jump button across the screen. If a game only needs a D-Pad or left stick, players could remove the unused control and make the active one bigger.
The patent explains that most controllers follow a standard design with a directional pad on one side and buttons on the other. This fixed setup has several limitations.
“A fixed layout may be too small, or too large, for a user,” the patent states.
“Similarly, a fixed layout may not be comfortable to a user.”
The document notes that manufacturers rarely change controller layouts or sizes to keep costs down, meaning button configurations don’t fit all hand sizes. The fixed placement of controls also limits what games can do, since physical buttons take up space and adding more controls makes controllers larger. Sony’s patent mentions the touchscreen would include pressure and heat sensors to “detect condition of the input surface.”
While the patent doesn’t clarify how sensitive these sensors would be, they might be able to tell the difference between a resting thumb and an intentional press. Getting a patent doesn’t mean Sony will actually make this controller. Companies often patent ideas that never turn into real products.
