new Sony controller patent unearthed

[Marees]

Sony has patented a controller with buttons that harden when you play with it​

Sony Interactive Entertainment has published an intriguing patent for a new type of controller whose buttons can alter their resistance and tactile feel - becoming harder or softer - to adapt to what's being shown on screen. Sony initially filed the patent application with the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), the United Nations' patents agency, in November 2024. It was officially published in May this year, as uncovered by Cheat Happens.

According to the patent, the controller would adapt - either based on gameplay or personal preferences - by changing the hardness and resistance of the underlying mechanisms that respond to each button press. This is achieved using a magneto-viscoelastic elastomer, a material capable of hardening and softening based on inputs from attached magnets.

Said magnets can be controlled by the game, creating a magnetic field that varies in strength based on the action on screen. Sony's designs also indicate potentially utilising fluid-filled membranes to achieve a similar effect.

Elsewhere in the patent, there's a look at a different design that allows the player's finger to "sink" into the button itself, and for the button to harden around it. This could perhaps be used to simulate being grabbed by an enemy, or getting stuck in mud, though the usage isn't entirely clear from the language.


https://www.eurogamer.net/sony-controller-soft-hard-buttons-patent

 

[MavericK]

Sounds cool, my only question would be about longevity.

 

[Flogger23m]

Sounds cool, my only question would be about longevity.

Probably not good if it is Sony exclusive. That means only a handful of games will support it, as I assume most developers won't bother supporting something that requires a specific piece of hardware.

 

[kram182]

that harden when you play with it​

 

[MavericK]

Probably not good if it is Sony exclusive. That means only a handful of games will support it, as I assume most developers won't bother supporting something that requires a specific piece of hardware.

I was thinking more in terms of physical longevity, as having a "squishy" part doesn't seem like it would last very long. But you make a good point as well.

 

[HeadRusch]

Haptics add immersion, but $200 controllers with "MY BUTTONS ARE TOO HARD" sounds like the kind of technology I don't want to try, so I won't ultimately miss having it. An expensive, unreliable POS controller for sure........and yet, I'd like to know moar.

 

[sleepeeg3]

Cornstarch + water

 

[LukeTbk]

do sound nice but expensive, that could be where to put money on too, the monitor-controller side of things.

 

[M76]

Are they sure it was a button?

 

[vegeta535]

Yea no to these gimmick. PS5 controllers are already $70. For that price it is insane they don't havr hall effect sticks in them. It took about 4 years before my launch PS5 got stick drift.

 

[d3athf1sh]

Yea no to these gimmick. PS5 controllers are already $70. For that price it is insane they don't havr hall effect sticks in them. It took about 4 years before my launch PS5 got stick drift.

i thought we were all pc guys around here? i was going to reccomend this> https://www.8bitdo.com/pro2-wired-controller-for-xbox/ for PC play if you like the symetrical thumbstick design of the playstation controller. i used PS3 controllers for years with one of those programs to trick the computer into seeing it as an xbox controller till these came along last year. even bought a backup i liked it so much. officially licensed by xbox and hall effect sticks and triggers. can't ask for much more..? something i'd been searching for for years.. an xbox controller with PS style thumbsticks. f**king unicorn.

edit: oh and they were only $40

 

[El_Capitan]

View attachment 809575

Wait until they make a joystick that hardens the more you play with it...

 

[LurkerLito]

Wait until they make a joystick that hardens the more you play with it...

People usually care more about impotence with age. I wonder if Sony has a little blue repair kit to fix stiffness problem you'll have to buy every time you want to play when it's old.

 

[Marees]

People usually care more about impotence with age. I wonder if Sony has a little blue repair kit to fix stiffness problem you'll have to buy every time you want to play when it's old.

I liked the old atari joysticks. broken many of them because of becoming too excited when playing the game. for example trying to make extreme turns in racing game then you push the joysticks to the extreme (to make up for your lack of skills of slowing down & turning in advance)