Sony Patents PlayStation Controller That Can Alter Button Hardness in Real-Time - News
by William D'Angelo , posted on 17 June 2026 / 2,500 Views
Sony has patented a new PlayStation controller that has the ability to change the hardness of buttons in real-time.
The buttons would be made of magnetoviscoelastic elastomer that can soften or harden based on magnetic field strength. Other methods like fluid-filled membranes are also mentioned as a way to achieve the same goal.
The goal for Sony is to enhanced sense of realism and adaptability by changing the tactile feel of buttons.
"The operating device can dynamically change the hardness of the contact part in response to external control commands," reads the patent. "Therefore, by sending control commands to the operating device, the information processing device can change the hardness of the contact section in real time according to the processing content it is executing."
While Sony has patented this idea and ways to execute it, this does not guarantee it will become available in future versions of the PlayStation controller.
Thanks, Cheat Happens.
A life-long and avid gamer, William D'Angelo was first introduced to VGChartz in 2007. After years of supporting the site, he was brought on in 2010 as a junior analyst, working his way up to lead analyst in 2012 and taking over the hardware estimates in 2017. He has expanded his involvement in the gaming community by producing content on his own YouTube channel and Twitch channel. You can follow the author on Bluesky.
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I'm all for it. Even though the dualsense is a bit underutilised by third parties the added Feedback is one of the highlights of the generation. I'd rather an extra $10 go towards this versus pushing a few extra pixels that we won't notice
Sounds interesting. I would love to see the application. I didn't understand how impactful haptics could be until the DualSense and its definitely a value add.
Just give us back buttons and better battery life!
You already have the the best controller by miles!
I mean, you don't use digusting offset sticks with inferior access to buttons, your D-pad is the best, adaptive triggers are fun in some games, you have heptic vibration, touchpad and microphone are okish little gimmicks, you have Gyro, price is ok... Just give us back buttons and better battery.
The Xbox layout is far superior.
Obviously that's a matter of opinion. But, it seems to be a significant majority opinion.
And the battery life of the DualSense is terrible. Also, this is a significant majority opinion.
But, yeah, some of the other stuff is good. The dual sense is a good controller, overall.
Offset layout is objectively inferior, they have very poor access to Dpad commands. You need to move your thumb away from the analog stick, and that sucks for DMC, Souls, Monster Hunter.... any game that requires quick access to D-pad and makes good use of clawgrip ( and other types of "index on d-pad" grips) to press D-pad buttons with the index.
Offset sucks. As an user of clawgrip, the Xbox layout feels absolutely terrible! It's serious limiting factor. I feel that, without a doubt, I can't play "100%"with this type of controller. It's not just a mere "opinion" based on "bias." The way I play simply doesn't work with such inferior layout of offset sticks.
Okay. But, you're in the minority.
Hard Pass
I already turn the speaker and triggers off the second I assign a new controller...
Don't need more crap I'm never going to use
Same here, these gimmicks are not immersive, but raher take you out of immersion. For me at least.
How would you know if they are if you turn them off? ;-)
Part of the idea of innovation in game consoles is how users interact with them. Just shoving a more powerful GPU in a box and selling it for twice the price of your previous machine is easy (and lackluster) but doesn't warrant people to upgrade so console makers have to innovate to appeal. To create something new and different.
Nintendo and Sony has done this over the years, from media formats to analogue sticks to rumble to motion controls to haptic and audio feedback.
It was a game changer in games like returnal and metro.
Returnal and GT7 for me.... i can't play without it now
I just wish they'd make an official controller that swapped the positions of the D-pad and left-stick. The DualShock 4 was a massive improvement over previous PS controllers, and the DualSense is even better, but I still prefer offset sticks. There are third-party controllers for PS5 with offset sticks, but they lack most of the features the DualSense has.
I would say PlayStation will never use offset sticks but they changed the shape of the controller from DualShock 4 onward and also added concave sticks for the first time for PlayStation since DualAnalog and DualSense is also concave.
If PlayStation does use offset sticks, I feel it will be a DualSense Edge upgrade or Edge version of the PS6 controller.
Hey, if I had to pay Sony a premium just for the option to swap the positions D-pad and left stick, I'd do it.
Why would anyone want offset sticks unless your hands are offset somehow
Because when I grab a Xbox controller, my left and right thumbs naturally fall on left stick and the face buttons, respectively. On a PS controller, my left thumb naturally falls on the D-pad, though my right thumb still falls onto the face buttons. While my right thumb is going to be going back and forth, it'll mostly be using face buttons instead of adjusting the camera with right stick, so having face buttons in the dominant position makes sense. But my left thumb will almost never be using D-pad in most games outside of maybe navigating menus. I have to continually crane my left thumb down to place it on left stick, which is what I'll continually be using on that side of the controller because that's how I move my character. I eventually start to get cramps in my left hand because of that.
Inline sticks are an artifact from way back when the original PS1 controller was basically a modified SNES controller, and when they added sticks they put both underneath the D-pad and face buttons instead of having left stick put in the D-pad's place, because few PS1 games required dual analog and therefore most needed to focus on the likelihood that a lot of people are still using the D-pad for movement because they have an OG controller. That basic layout carried over to all future PS controllers.
Sony hating brainwashed bitches are in full force here!
Fucking pathetic of these inbred POS maggots, don't you have something better to do? Oh wait you don't, that why y'all are lifeless cunts
They say the more complex something grows, the easier it is for it to break down.
I know of another joystick controller that can also alter hardness.....ok im done here lol
patent? lol
Remember the analog buttons on DualShock 2? They were not used in the vast majority of titles.
Also, the word button is doing heavy lifting paired between alter and hardness. I'll see myself out.
Shove an NES and controller in front me, and watch me do the same.
No thanks.
No thanks, it would probably take the controller price way too high.
i doubt it will even cost as much as a Steam Controller.
Hopefully Sony makes Dualsense controllers BC with PS6 and then I think this would be less of a worry.
Their concern in the past was that they want devs to properly utilise the features but the truth is multiplat will always make devs accomodate a regular controller anyway. Anyone with a PS6 will be playing single player games with its controller so devs are still incentivised to use them and show off new features
That would be a wise move! Stick with dual sense and sell PS6 with no controller to cut $50 from the final price.
