Oliver Cragg / Android Authority
TL;DR
- Sony has filed a patent for a new PS5 controller.
- The patent shows a controller that can store, pair, and charge earbuds.
- The charging slot could appear on the front, back, sides, top, or bottom of the device.
With built-in speakers, a microphone, a touchpad, haptic triggers, and more, the DualSense is already a feature-rich controller. But Sony could be looking to pack in even more functionality by merging its next PS5 controller with an earbuds charging case.
According to a patent filed by Sony, first spotted by GameRant, the company is looking into potentially giving its next controller the ability to store, pair, and charge earbuds. The DualSense successor would feature a charging case-like compartment in the back where you can place your earbuds and charge them. But that’s not the only way you would be able to power up the audio device.
The document goes on to mention that the “pair of slots” is “not restricted to be defined on the back side of the controller but can also be defined on other surfaces of the controller, including the front side, any one or both the lateral surfaces, the top surface, or the bottom surface.” Based on the images, one of the areas being considered is the side of the controller, with the slot locations residing in the handles.
As mentioned earlier, this controller would also allow you to pair the earbuds with the controller. As stated by the patent, the controller would have a processor capable of pairing it to a computing device, and it would then share that pairing with the earbuds sitting in the slots. In short, it’s essentially a method to simplify the whole pairing process.
Last, but not least, the document says this technology would provide a “greater opportunity for the earbuds and the controller to work together.” For example, the patent states that the earbuds and the built-in microphone and speaker could be used together to “triangulate the audio source so that the audio can be processed to provide better audio quality.”
It’s important to point out that a patent doesn’t guarantee that this controller will ever see the light of day. Earlier this year, we wrote about a Sony patent for a controller that could change temperature and deform. However, Sony did recently release two new gaming-focused earbuds the Pulse Explore and INZONE Buds.
