According to a patent application spotted by PatentScope (opens in new tab), and as reported by our sister-site Creative Bloq (opens in new tab), Sony has developed an analog stick design that’s collapsible. The patent filing states, “A controller, thumbstick, or system comprising a thumbstick body, a thumbstick shaft coupled to the thumbstick body wherein the thumbstick shaft is configured to retract into the thumbstick body and wherein the thumbstick body and the thumbstick shaft is freely rotatable together around a pivot center within the controller body.” To us, this seems like a PS5 DualSense controller that can have sticks shrunk down to the size of PS Vita sticks. While the sticks on the PS Vita weren’t bad, and were a dramatic improvement over the PSP or Nintendo 3DS, it really couldn’t compare to the larger analog sticks found on a PS4 or Xbox One controller. And remember, this is only a patent application. It’s Sony essentially telling patent regulators that it was the first to invent something new. It’s up to regulatory agencies to grant Sony the patent, which can take upwards of a year. Of all the verbiage detailed in Sony’s patent application, the use of non-Newtonian fluid caught our attention. A non-Newtonian fluid is a material that can sit solid, but take on a more liquid form when pressure is applied. According to Sony, this fluid can be manipulated to apply different pressures during gameplay, similar to the DualSense’s innovative analog sticks. Recent patent filings are not limited to special thumbsticks, however. It seems that on Jan. 6, PS5 architect Mark Cerny filed a patent (opens in new tab) with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, or USPTO, that allows for backwards compatibility of past PlayStation titles. If it does come to fruition, that means titles stuck on the PS3’s complicated hardware, such as inFAMOUS or Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots, can finally be played on modern hardware. Granted, the words “PlayStation” or “PS3” were never mentioned in the filing, but were implied. Either way, if any of the above patents do come true, then it could make the PS5 an even more excellent system, one that can not only deliver of next-gen controller functionality, but also some solid backwards compatibility.
