Forward-looking: The basic design of Sony's PlayStation controller has not changed imuch over the years, but it could in the future. A newly discovered Sony patent shows a controller with an unusual feature: no physical buttons, d-pad, or thumbsticks. Instead, it uses a customizable touchscreen.
Originally filed in February 2023, Sony's patent was issued last week (spotted by Insider Gaming).
While there are modular, customizable controllers available for users to create their preferred layouts, Sony's goes a step further. The majority of the top surface is made up of a large touchscreen instead of physical buttons.
The patent points out that current controllers aren't a one-size-fits-all solution. Some are too large or small for certain people; there are also accessibility issues and those who simply prefer alternative layouts.
Sony has registered a patent for an unusual gamepad without physical buttons.
– Gaming.Bo3.gg (@Gaming_bo3gg) January 30, 2026
It features a fully touch-sensitive surface that supports gestures such as taps and swipes, and it will be able to adapt to finger positions, dynamically changing the control zones. pic.twitter.com/XnQLO18WfZ
Sony's description states that not only would users be able to reposition the buttons, d-pad, and joystick, they could also resize or remove them. In addition to comfort reasons, this could benefit certain games that may use only one or two buttons.
Part of the patent describes a feature that recognizes the user holding the device, so their preferred layout appears on the screen automatically.
Being able to create a personalized layout for individual user preferences sounds appealing, but there are some obvious drawbacks. As those who've used controllers on a phone screen will know, the lack of realistic tactile response and accidental presses can be problematic.
Sony's controller could potentially mitigate the latter issue with the inclusion of heat and pressure sensors that detect the condition of the input surface. This could mean the device has varying sensitivity levels that can differentiate between a button press and a resting finger or thumb.
As with all patents, there's no guarantee that this controller will even become a real product. Even if it does, it seems highly unlikely that we're looking at the PlayStation 6 controller – few people are going to welcome the move to an all-digital controller. But perhaps Sony could offer it as an accessibility-focused extra?