Sony patents DualShock-style controller for mobile devices

After confirming in May that the company was looking to bring a first batch of first-party games to mobile during the current financial year, Sony has unveiled a patent for a new controller designed to accommodate mobile touchscreen devices.

Resembling a number of third-party mobile phone controllers, the unnamed controller is described (via VGC) as having a left and right “grip portions” and has been likened to a “stretch DualShock” in reference to its similarity to the classic PlayStation controller. 

Similar to the Razer Kishi, we would expect that the two controller grips would enclose the Playstation controllers by way of an adjustable strap along the back of the device, with the controller making use of the phone’s USB-C socket. However, the patent also mentions a screen tilt function, which isn’t obvious from the illustration.

“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 Sony boss Jim Ryan earlier this year. “PlayStation has a huge catalogue of diverse first-party IP that can transition to smartphone gaming and complement our AAA games or live service games. We are exploring the mobile market with some wonderful PlayStation franchises, so please stay tuned.”