Sony has filed a patent application for a new PlayStation 5 controller that can store and charge earbuds.
Filed on April 7th, 2022 and published on October 12th, 2023, the document outlines an iteration of the DualSense gamepad that can house earbuds either behind the touchpad or on each controller handle. The pair of slots would then charge the buds. However, these were just used as examples, and Sony writes that the slots could, in theory, be placed elsewhere in the controller, like the front or back.
In the patent, Sony notes that “as portability and gaming anywhere becomes more and more mainstream and important, the audio experience also becomes equally important.”
On that note, the company explains that the controller serving as both a headphone case and charger eliminates the need to manage two different devices. It adds that “integrating earbuds into the controller itself provides a proprietary low-latency audio connection to the gaming device.”
Of course, the existence of a patent doesn’t mean that we’ll end up getting a product like this, but it does indicate Sony’s current line of thinking and could give an idea of a future iteration of the DualSense. (Earlier this year, the company released an Xbox Elite Controller-style customizable ‘DualSense Edge’ controller, but it did not include any special headphone functionality.)
And to Sony’s point about mobile gaming, the company has previously said it wants to increase its footprint in that market. Part of that will presumably be through its “aggressive” plans for cloud gaming, allowing people to stream titles to their mobile devices. This would build upon its existing Remote Play offering, which lets people cast games from their consoles to mobile.
But for now, Sony is set to release the $269 PlayStation Portal handheld, which is a dedicated Backbone-like Remote Play device, in November. It will also launch Elite earbuds for $199.99 USD (about $270 CAD), although a specific date and Canadian pricing has yet to be revealed. The buds will use new ‘PlayStation Link’ tech to enable lossless audio and low-latency performance.
Source: Sony (United States Patent Application) Via: Insider Gaming
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