- A patent filed by Sony has revealed designs for a “buttonless” controller
- I would use touch screens instead of traditional buttons, the d-pad and more
- Elements can be resized and moved at will.
Sony has patented a controller design that looks like it would completely eliminate buttons, as well as the d-pad and joysticks.
The patent (spotted by Insider Gaming) was filed on January 27, 2026 and is now available for public viewing. It details a “buttonless” controller which, as the URL hints at, could be an early concept for a possible PlayStation 6 controller rather than something for the PS5. Take it with a pinch of salt, naturally, as patents often do not lead to a fully realized product.
The patent images show a controller with two large touch screens, located where the d-pad, face buttons and joysticks would be. The touchscreens are located on the left and right of the panel, with a central “button” dividing them.
The patent also shows that the usual physical features of a controller are now elements that can be interacted with on the touch screen. Players could assign button, d-pad and stick elements, as well as move and resize them according to their preferences. An image shows that the elements could even overlap.
The Background section of the patent offers an idea of how such a product could be beneficial to the end user, from an accessibility point of view.
“One of the drawbacks of existing designs [of controllers] “May be the fixed configuration,” it reads. “As an example, a fixed layout may be too small or too large for a user. Similarly, a fixed layout may not be comfortable for the user.”
He goes on to state that: “There is a desire for gaming controllers to allow for different configurations and accommodate hand sizes without having to customize or manufacture the size of the controller.”
We’ve certainly seen evidence of this on PlayStation itself. The PlayStation Access controller, for example, is an accessibility-based device that is highly modular and allows for a variety of layouts and configurations.
Contemporary controllers are also adopting more advanced features, such as interchangeable joystick designs and additional remappable buttons. Models like the Victrix Pro BFG Reloaded and the Razer Raiju V3 Pro come to mind here.
It remains to be seen if Sony will do anything with this buttonless controller patent. But it’s certainly an interesting idea that, if one can get past the loss of physicality that comes with touchscreens, could be useful for creating accessibility-based button layouts without the need for custom hardware configurations.
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