On February 20th you may be hearing a lot about the next generation Sony PlayStation console and much of what you've heard so far will be similar, but one thing you may not have heard of yet is what Sony is planning for a next generation controller.
In a recent patent Sony received, a touch sensitive LCD controller was featured. The LCD can be configured for various configurations, dual-analog, left-right conversion, face buttons and a d-pad, etc. Users would simply apply pressure to the "analog stick" or "face buttons" to activate them. The design allows for the remaining LCD to be used to provide visual feedback or additional space for buttons.
In addition to acting as a controller, the unit itself can be turned in a portrait position to provide a "Gameboy" style hand-held experience. So not only could the device act as a controller for a home console, but it could also function as a small hand-held. Not sure the latter would be a realistic use of the device, since it only offers limited screen space, but with small form factor games it may offer a retro experience.
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