Sony recently announced that the PS5 will be making its way to stores in Holiday 2020. After revealing the design for the PS5, the PS5 received mixed reception from the community. There was nothing much said about the PS5 controller, the Dualshock 5, at the announcement. However, it seems we finally have some information about the upcoming controller.

In a recent patent filed by Sony (credits to Respawn First for finding the patent) , some interesting details have surfaced regarding the upcoming controller. First of all is the built-in mic hinting at a possible voice assistant. This is evident from the statement, “depicts an example of a scene in which the controller is operated in a state in which the controller is placed on a desk”. The most notable feature is the presence of “ring-type chassis”. The patent mentions, “The controller 10 may have a ring type chassis 40. With this shape, all the four kinds of operation methods described above can be realized.”

As far as the four kinds of operation methods are concerned, the patent mentions “First, it is desirable that a user can operate the controller only with one hand (“1 hand play”). Second, it is desirable that, in a case where, for example, the controller is placed on a floor, or the like, a user can operate the controller without gripping the controller (“free hand play”). Third, it is desirable that, for example, even a child can easily grasp or release the controller (“easy to grasp/release”). Fourth, it is desired that the operability does not change irrespective of that a user is a right-handed person or a left-handed person (“both-handed”)”.

Finally, we have information about the lightbar and modular nature. One drawing is about “depicting an example in which a light-emitting section is disposed at a predetermined position on an external surface of a chassis.” While the other one hints at rubber triggers and “rubber surface having two grip regions” which can be mounted on the chassis. Although the drawings have been mentioned about throughout the patent, the drawings itself haven’t been uploaded. So it is difficult to make out something out of all this. However, the introduction of the controller reads as follows.

“Proposed is a controller which can suppress an amount of protrusion of an operation member from an external surface of a chassis while operability of the operation member is maintained. A controller including a chassis, and an operation member which is slidable along an extension direction of the chassis with a predetermined position as a reference, and is rotatable in a circumferential direction of the chassis with the predetermined position as the reference, and at least a part of which is fitted into a recess section provided in an external surface of the chassis.”