Sony is apparently looking to develop a rear button accessory for the DualSense controller of PlayStation 5, according to a new patent.
On February 4, a new document of ‘Add-on device for controller with customizable presets’‘in the World Intellectual Property Organization database, as noted by GamingRoute, which suggests that Sony wants to develop the accessory to work with the PS5 gamepad. Under the patent, Sony submitted the required documentation on June 29, 2020, and publication of the document would apparently allow Sony to begin production of a rear button accessory for the DualSense.
The images (below) appear to show a near-identical peripheral to the PS4 rear button accessory released last year. In his day we spoke of him as an accessory “easy to recommend”, despite being “bit strange”. At the time, we even wondered if that meant the DualSense would have built-in rear buttons, but that didn’t; It seems that Sony would now offer an option for that.
Like the PlayStation 4 DualShock controller peripheral, the DualSense accessory would dock into the input slots on the base of the PS5 controller. The buttons on the accessory would also be fully customizable, allowing users to assign command presets based on each button press. The patent indicates that the back button plugin would allow more buttons to be “within the user’s reach while using certain functions”, since some indications of the buttons “may be out of reach while using certain functions.”.
It is unclear if Sony will go ahead with production of its rear button plug-in for the DualSense, or if it is simply hedging against third-party accessories. Sony has previously lobbied Customize My Plates, a third-party PS5 plate maker, to cancel its custom-built orders, and the PS5 back button patent may be a way to prevent other companies from creating their own custom accessories. back buttons.
The news of this PS5 back button plug-in patent comes after Sony revealed that the DualSense controller would not automatically come equipped with such a device. In September 2020, Sony confirmed that the gamepad would not have the rear button, but this patent document suggests that it may not be long before the peripheral is official.
