PS5 could support ‘split controller gameplay’

A Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE) patent may hint at new PlayStation 5 features related to the console’s controller.

Filed in May 2018 and published in December 2019, the patent (via LetsGoDigital) describes ways in which single-player titles could be turned into multiplayer experiences by splitting game controls between multiple users.

“Split controller gameplay” would divide the functionality of a DualShock controller so that, for example, one player controls movements via the analogue sticks, another controls certain actions using the face buttons, while another controls shooting with the triggers.

UPDATE 07/04: Sony has officially unveiled PS5‘s DualSense controller, which it calls “a radical departure” from its previous DualShock pads.

ORIGINAL STORY CONTINUES:

The feature could support up to four players locally or online via the cloud, with a primary user designating how the controls are split between participants.

The patent also describes how users could pass complete control of a game from one player to another in order to play through a title together, in what could be an evolution of PS4’s existing Share Play feature.

Sony recently announced a holiday 2020 launch date for PlayStation 5 and went into detail on the PS5 controller, which is set to feature haptic feedback, “adaptive” triggers and more.

A Sony patent uncovered in November revealed images of what could be the PlayStation 5 controller, while other patents have hinted at DualShock 5’s potential inclusion of biometric sensors.