Touch Screen from Sony?

According to a patent application continuation filed in

2017 and published recently, Sony may have tentative

plans to build out a touchscreen-equipped PlayStation

Controller.

Whether the value added from having a touchscreen

right on the controller will be worth the added cost is not

yet clear.

Right now, PlayStation controllers have a touch-enabled

center button that allows users to navigate through

menus and other activities with a touch-based interface.

The center button also lets gamers access more information,

such as game stats, when clicked.

This patent application also leaves us wondering what

type of content might be displayed on the touchscreen.

As you can imagine, controller content could include in-

game information that is usually shown on a heads-up

display on the main screen.

However, it’s far more likely that a touchscreen-equipped

PlayStation controller would offer a new interface for console-

based information and actions, such as sharing a video

broadcast or dealing with incoming invites and friend

Requests.

Interestingly, Nintendo’s own experiment with a touchscreen-

enabled controller failed miserably. Remember the Wii U?

Nintendo eventually corrected the mistake with the launch

of the Switch, which has found its place among casual

gamers as a sort of hybrid console and sold more than 20

million units since launch.