Sony patent reveals controller with totally bizarre feature

A leaked patent has revealed that Sony could have a new deformable gaming controller in the works with two squeezable and twistable balls.

Sony PlayStation controllers have come a long way since the 1997 gamepad that started it all. Yet even with the DualSense, DualSense Edge, and PSVR2 Sense controllers under its belt, it appears the tech giant may have a new controller up its sleeve.

A patent for a brand-new Sony gaming controller has been shared online by well-known tech leaker xleaks7.

Posted on X/Twitter, the 15-page patent reveals that on July 2, 2024, Sony patented the existence of a “multi unit deformable controller” consisting of two spheres that can be attached to the ends of a hollow tube.

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As originally reported by NerdStash, the patent lays out that each sphere will have its own dot or grid pattern projected into its inner workings.

As each sphere is squeezed or twisted, a camera sensor will capture the change in these patterns and register them as input signals.

These input signals will then be mapped to input signals to a “computer simulation” or other computer program, likely meaning that of a PlayStation game or piece of software.

Just like how the press of one of the DualSense buttons will make characters walk or jump a squeeze or twist of the spheres could do the same. According to the leaked patent, distorting the balls could be mapped to the cursor direction, shooting a weapon.

As with any patent, the Sony controller may never become a reality. Just last year, Sony filed a patent for a new controller that could alter its temperature that has since never been released, or announced.

It’s not unheard of for tech giants to have multiple patents in their back catalog that never come to fruition. Regardless, the deformable controller could be an exciting shake-up to Sony’s current controller repertoire — especially if it won’t get drift.