Sony has filed a new patent for an analogue stick system that produced haptic feedback and provides pressure. Now if you’re a PS5 owner haptic feedback is nothing new. The DualSense controller features some fantastic vibration motors inside it that are able to produce smaller, detailed nudges in the controller called haptic feedback. This vibration system is completely different to those used in say, the Xbox Wireless Controller which uses one standard vibration motor to produce the same feeling for every action.

The new patent suggests that Sony might be looking to implement haptic feedback in the analogue sticks themselves so that users can feel these nudges and vibrations through their thumbs. In addition to the haptic feedback, the patent also details a force feedback system that would act the same as the DualSense Controller’s adaptive triggers and push back on your thumbs as you play games.

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Of course, this is just a patent so there’s a good chance Sony will never make this a reality but the idea of it sounds great on paper. According to the patent, the analogue sticks will feature a pressure system that moves the stick up and down and provides friction when a user clicks it in. It also enables the analogue stick to provide a stop system across its depth sensor which will act similar to the adaptive triggers when shooting in games like Returnal and Ratchet and Clank. 

Sony has patented two methods to get this done. The first is a motorized system that provides pressure on the analogue sticks while also delivering haptic feedback. The second is quite different. Instead of a motor, it will pump fluid into the bottom of the analogue stick system. This is described as Non-Newtonian fluid and if you don’t know what that fluid is, Non-Newtonian fluid can change its form to either a solid or liquid form when under pressure.

This means the fluid could enter the analogue stick system and harden to provide that pressure-sensitive experience. It would then leave the system and ease the pressure.  While the idea of Non-Newtonian-powered analogue sticks sounds a bit sci-fi, it might be a possibility of things to come from Sony in the future.

Source: Metro