PlayStation maker Sony Interactive Entertainment has been granted a patent for a controller that doesn't have a single physical button, as revealed by some newly published regulatory filings. While the concept lacks many of the traditional inputs typically associated with gamepads, it represents only one possible implementation, as the patent focuses primarily on input technology rather than hinting at future PlayStation controller designs.
At least a handful of new controller-related Sony patents are granted and published each year. While these filings vary widely in terms of design and functionality, most incorporate some form of physical buttons. Breaking from that pattern is a newly published USPTO patent dated January 27, 2026.
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Sony's Latest Controller Concept Has Multiple Screens, No Buttons
Identified by grant number 12533573, the newly secured patent (first spotted by VGC) describes a gamepad that forgoes traditional physical inputs altogether. In their place are touchscreens paired with some additional sensors that can detect finger position, as well as taps, long presses, and swipes. These input readings are used to dynamically illuminate and adjust virtual controls on the device’s displays, allowing the interface to shift based on how the user holds and interacts with the unconventional PlayStation controller depicted in the illustrations attached to the patent.
Figure Drawings From Sony's New Controller Patent
What Sony Is Saying About the Purpose of This Unusual Invention
The patent's original application, filed in February 2023, describes the screen-and-sensor approach to reading player inputs as something that offers more flexibility compared to physical stick-and-button layouts, thus allowing gaming accessory manufacturers to accommodate different hand sizes, play styles, or accessibility needs with a single device rather than developing and mass-producing multiple specialized controllers. For now, Sony continues to address different accessibility needs with dedicated hardware, such as the PlayStation 5 Access Controller, which launched in December 2023.
New PlayStation Controller Patent Doesn't Actually Require a Complete Lack of Buttons
While some implementations described in the new Sony patent reference the use of touchscreens and illuminated display elements to present virtual controls, the core claims do not mandate the presence of multiple screens or even a dedicated display. Instead, the patent broadly covers adaptive input surfaces that interpret input without physical buttons, with visual output presented only as an optional feature. In other words, the technology described in the patent could in theory be implemented in a more traditional controller that also offers some kind of physical input.
Estimating the Chances of Sony’s Patent 12533573 Being Used in a Real Product
According to a recent study by Parola Analytics, the USPTO granted 2,256 Sony Group patents over the course of 2025. This makes the tech giant the 14th most prolific patent filer of the year, ranked immediately below Dell and above Intel. For added context, a snapshot of the USPTO database reviewed by TheBestWarGames reveals that Sony Group and its many subsidiaries hold 133,506 U.S. Patents as of January 31, 2026. The vast majority of these protected inventions have never been commercialized. Given that context, the statistical likelihood of this particular controller ever being turned into a commercial product appears relatively low.
All of that said, accessibility has become an increasingly important focus for gamepad manufacturers. This includes greater efforts to accommodate players with physical disabilities, as well as those who rely on unconventional setups for comfort or practical reasons. For instance, another recent Sony patent suggested that future PlayStation controllers could detect when users are playing in a reclined or lying-down position and automatically adjust their functionality to match. Given those circumstances, an accessibility-focused filing such as patent 12533573 may stand a greater chance of eventually being translated into a commercial product than the average Sony patent that appears in the USPTO database.
Source: VGC