GoKawiilForward-looking: Sony has patented a new PlayStation controller that, if nothing else, is ripe for innuendo: the buttons get harder, or softer, when you play with them. It actually sounds quite similar to the adaptive triggers on the PS5 DualSense controller, which use built-in motors to change physical resistance dynamically.
The patent, spotted by Cheat Happens, is titled Operation device, information processing apparatus, control method thereof, and program.
The device alters the stiffness of the buttons while a user is playing a game. That means, like the adaptive triggers, the resistance felt when pressing a button could alter based on what's happening on a screen.
There's also a section that mentions a "finger grab" effect, in which a button softens when a finger presses it down then hardens so the player feels like they're being grabbed, apparently.
Another use is for the buttons to soften so they can mold into the perfect shape of a user's finger, then harden to retain that shape.
Examples of how these buttons would be used include a button becoming harder when a player character touches hard ground or an object. And the finger grab effect might work pretty well if someone is grabbed by an enemy or moving through a swamp. One imagines such technology could be popular with adult-only games, too.
Sony has different ideas for how to create this feature. One is to use a magnetoviscoelastic elastomer that becomes softer or harder based on magnetic field strength. There's also a version that uses fluid-filled membranes.
It's worth remembering that companies patent many ideas, only a few of which ever make it into production. While taking one of the best features of the PS5 DualSense controller and expanding it for the PS6 version might sound appealing, there's no guarantee it will happen.
Sony has patented a number of unique controller designs over the years. In 2023, the company patented a controller that can change shape and temperature based on the game you're playing. It also patented one last year that used AI and a camera to predict button presses ahead of time, thereby reducing latency.