Sony Files Patent For Non-Newtonian Fluid-Based Analog Sticks

[thicc_girls_are_teh_best]

So came across this on Era (there's prob a thread for it on GAF too) and thought to make a thread for it here with some spar time. Quite interesting; I was thinking a new innovation building on DualSense would've been to have haptic feedback in the analog sticks themselves, and apparently from what can be read here, that seems to be what this feature is.

Sony is still developing concepts which could see controllers improve even more, and Sony’s latest patent describes a new kind of analog stick which is able to retract into the body of the controller. There are also plans to include a non-Newtonian fluid which would be displaced by the collapsible analog stick. A non-Newtonian fluid is a liquid which hardens in response to sudden pressure, and this should provide these analog sticks with a kind of inbuilt haptic resistance similar to the DualSense’s triggers. The fluid in the stick would also likely help to reset the analog stick fairly quickly once the player lifts pressure from them.

This is an interesting design choice which could introduce a range of new gameplay features for developers to implement. These collapsible control sticks could act like two extra analog trigger inputs on the face of the controller, with which the player could maintain fine control of the game's analog inputs. Camera controls for 3D games are almost universally mapped to the right analog stick, and an extra dimension to move this stick in could allow players to easily zoom or focus the camera on a specific element of the environment.

However, there's no telling when this may actually make it into a new controller. Could be something for the rumored DualSense Pro controller, or maybe something they save for a 10th-gen DualSense paired with the PS6. Both have their advantages and disadvantages; with the former you can get the feature out into the market in a real product earlier and maybe get some games to support such feature, but on the downside, it'll only be accessed by a portion of the total playerbase and that may limit how many games actually adapt usage of them (think the original PS1 DualShock controller).

If it's a feature (along with maybe other features) they bring into a new mainline DualSense controller for PS6, the upside is that every owner will have the controller, so the market of players who can access it will be 100% (of that new console). Downside should be obvious: we probably won't be seeing a PS6 (or Series X2/S2 for that matter) until 5+ years from now, I'd say 2028 at earliest.

I hear a lot of great things about DualSense and can't wait to try them out, but what are some gameplay ideas you guys think could manifest with introduction of haptic joysticks?

 

[Deleted member 38]

Anything, if it improves the inherent drift on the sticks of the PS5 controller.

 

[thicc_girls_are_teh_best]

Anything, if it improves the inherent drift on the sticks of the PS5 controller.

They haven't fixed that yet? Is it a problem affecting all DualSenses? How bad is it?

Because I usually hear only great things about that controller, and I know there was something lately with the company who supplied the sticks facing some type of suit (or at least, they were in the news).

 

[Deleted member 38]

They haven't fixed that yet? Is it a problem affecting all DualSenses? How bad is it?

Because I usually hear only great things about that controller, and I know there was something lately with the company who supplied the sticks facing some type of suit (or at least, they were in the news).

Needless to say I am at my 4th controller already; some have developed drift on both left and right stick. It's really, really bad from this perspective. I have had 3 controllers in total throughout the entire PS4 live.

 

[thicc_girls_are_teh_best]

Needless to say I am at my 4th controller already; some have developed drift on both left and right stick. It's really, really bad from this perspective. I have had 3 controllers in total throughout the entire PS4 live.

Wow, that sounds like a bummer. Guessing you've had your system since launch? 4 controllers in ~2 years because of stick drift is a no-go for me. But I don't think any 3P companies make DualSense-style controllers, do they?

I guess when I pick up a PS5 I'll also get a 3P controller and use that for games I don't need the DualSense features for. But if the stick drift is really that much an issue, Sony need to fix it ASAP (and maybe offer some rebates or discounts for people who've purchased known affected controllers & can provide receipt of purchase, they have to have a database of codes for the peripherals I'm sure).