- A Sony filed patent has revealed designs for a “buttonless” controller
- It would use touchscreens instead of the traditional buttons, d-pad and more
- Elements could be resized and moved around as desired
Sony has patented a controller design that appears to do away with buttons, as well as the d-pad and thumbsticks.
The patent (spotted by Insider Gaming) was filed on January 27, 2026 and is now available to the public. It describes a “buttonless” controller that, as suggested in the URL, could be an early concept for a potential PlayStation 6 controller rather than something for the PS5. Of course, take it with a grain of salt, as patents often do not lead to a fully realized product.
The images in the patent show a controller with two large touchscreens, placed where the d-pad, face buttons and thumbsticks would be. The touchscreens are located on the left and right sides of the pad, with a central “push button” dividing the two.
The patent also shows that the usual physical functions of a controller are now elements that can be interacted with on the touchscreen. Players would be able to assign button, d-pad, and stick elements, as well as move them around and resize them to preference. An image shows that elements can even overlap.
The background section of the patent provides some insight into how such a product could be beneficial to the end user from an accessibility standpoint.
“One of the drawbacks of existing designs [of controllers] may be the fixed configuration,” it reads. “For example, a fixed layout may be too small or too large for a user. Likewise, a fixed layout may not be comfortable for a user.”
It goes on to state that: “A desire exists for game controllers to allow for different configurations and accommodate hand sizes without having to adapt or manufacture controller sizes.”
We’ve certainly seen evidence of this from PlayStation itself. The PlayStation Access controller, for example, is an accessibility-driven device that is highly modular and allows for a variety of layouts and setups.
Modern controllers also employ more advanced features, such as interchangeable thumbstick layouts and additional switchable buttons. The likes of the Victrix Pro BFG Reloaded and the Razer Raiju V3 Pro come to mind here.
It remains to be seen if Sony will do anything about this buttonless controller patent. But it’s certainly an interesting idea that – if you can get over the loss of physicality that comes with touchscreens – could be useful for creating accessibility-driven button layouts without the need for custom hardware setups.
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