Sony appears to be developing an interesting new accessibility and multiplayer feature for its future controllers, or even for thePlayStation 5. This isn’t the first DualShock 5-related leak so far, as Sony appears to be considering a number of different features to build on the already popular DualShock design. Haptic feedback, the rumble and movement of the controller in a player’s hands, is one focus in particular. But this new feature brings the idea of shared gameplay experiences to a different level.
A newly discovered patent registered with the United States Patent Office by Sony in 2018 was approved just recently on December 5. The patent is reportedly for the “Bifurcation of shared controls and passing controls in a video game.” That’s two different ideas that may not be immediately understandable based on their initial descriptions. It’s really quite simple, however. Sony wants to allow players to share theirDualShock 5controllers digitally, without having to swap or share controllers physically.
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The first example, the “bifurcation of shared controls,” can be imagined as multiple people pressing different buttons on the same controller. One player presses the triggers, another controls the joysticks, and so on. Except inSony’s patent, each player has their own controller already. They still only have access to their own specific buttons, but it doesn’t require everyone crowding around a single controller. This achieves the same effect digitally.
The second example does the same thing, but instead of sharing a controller Sony allows full control to simply be passed digitally. This could be used casually, like having a son or daughter pass control to their mom or dad to get them through atough level, or could be built into the design of a game so the controller gets rotated automatically. Again, it’s all digital, so each player would have their own controller. It just wouldn’t be in active use until control swapped to that player. It’ll be interesting to see a game try and use such a mechanic for fun, whether on the PS5 or otherwise.
Given that this patent is for a digital technology and not necessarily a physical feature, there’s nothing to insinuate that it’s necessarily a PS5-exclusive idea. Technically, it should be possible to implement right now on the PS4 withDualShock 4 controllers. It might require a hotfix for the controllers, however. Sony might want to pitch it as a PS5-exclusive feature for marketing reasons, of course. Digital “bifurcation of shared controls” straight out of the box.
Watch for more information about Sony’s plans for the PS5, DualShock 5 controllers, and new controller technologies through 2020.
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