Sony patent: PlayStation controller with detachable touchscreen

Sony Interactive Entertainment filed a patent for a modular PlayStation controller that replaces the DualSense touchpad with a detachable touchscreen and includes a rotating dial. The application was published recently and describes a controller designed to let users move and reconfigure components.

The filing shows a touchscreen located where the DualSense touchpad sits. The touchscreen interface is described as a way for players to access menus, settings, messages and notifications from the controller itself. The design also includes a rotating member, described as a dial, intended to select icons or control features by rotation.

Several drawings and notes in the application show components that can detach and be repositioned on the controller body. Magnetic attachment is listed as a means to secure those parts, allowing users to attach components in different locations and orientations.

The patent application indicates the controller could be compatible with multiple devices, stating it could function with a traditional console gamepad layout and as part of a handheld system.

“The user input device includes a graphical user interface configured to present selectable icons to control or navigate features of the video game system and a rotating member that rotates relative to an axis that intersects the controller body such that at least one or more of the selectable icons is selected or one or more of the features is controlled or navigated,” the application states.

Patents do not guarantee a product will be made or sold. Sony has not confirmed plans to produce or ship this specific controller, and the filing does not include a release timeline or commercial details.