It looks like Sony could be planning to release a new PlayStation controller for use with mobile devices. Originally reported by VGC, a patent for a Dualshock-style design was recently filed by Sony Interactive Entertainment’s Japanese division. The patent describes the hardware, similar to the Backbone One, that would fit onto either side of your mobile device, using the screen of your phone as a display in the middle.
It’s interesting to see that the design is based on the PlayStation 4’s Dualshock, rather than the more recent DualSense controller, designed for the PlayStation 5. According to the patent, the two grips are connected by “a shaft portion that can be tilted by the user,” and that detects the tilting direction and amount of tilting force, likely to accommodate the gyroscopic features used in some mobile games and apps.
Given the recent introduction of Xbox’s Cloud Gaming service across all regions, it’s not entirely surprising that Sony would want to get in on the action with hardware of their own that could be used to stream Xbox games. That said, it’s also possible that Sony is getting ready to launch their own mobile titles since Sony Head Jim Ryan has already confirmed that he wants PlayStation to be enjoyed by an “almost limitless audience” and that he would like to bring Uncharted, God of War and other Sony exclusive franchises to mobile platforms.
“We have been thinking about how players enjoy our content and have had some early success with experimenting with mobile games and apps to provide more choice to gamers,” said Ryan in a recent interview, “Mobile is just one of the areas we are exploring to reach millions of gamers beyond our platforms.”
At the time of writing, Sony had not commented on the patent.
