Sony may be working on a new variety of DualSense controller that will have the capability of selectively lighting up its button faces to provide gameplay action hints, as per some recently surfaced patent documentation. It is unclear whether this solution will be made available for purchase. Seemingly, this technology has the potential to increase the gaming accessibility of Playstation if it is released.

In late 2020, DualSense was released with Playstation 5 and it had significant upgrades over Dualshock 4 which was released with PS4.The current-generation controller added haptic feedback support and adaptive triggers. Also it replaced the microUSB port on the DualShock 4 with a USB-C port.

Sony has reportedly been experimenting with an improved Dual Sense gamepad. It can provide gameplay actions by lighting up its button faces, as per a controller patent of the gaming giant. The patent was obtained on 30th November, which explains a predictive assistance program that uses a machine learning model to continuously track the performance of players. It also identifies when assistance might be necessary. If the system determines that the player is stuck or is going to be stuck, then the controller buttons will be automatically illuminated to alert the player. It will also provide a suggested next step.

The Controller Patent from Sony Contains Features for Predictive AI Assistance

The Controller’s touchpad will also work as a display and provide button hints.This is not the first patent that suggests the DualSense 2 will have a touchscreen rather than a touchpad. Last September, another similar IP filing surfaced online. Maybe the controller will be able to light up both of its analog sticks in addition to its buttons and shoulder triggers.

The Idea of Dynamic Button Lights in Gaming Is Not New

The AI-driven system that will determine when to use this hardware feature is relatively new.    But the concept of lighting up buttons to improve accessibility is not new. For example, every gaming keyboard available today supports Razer Chroma Profiles, which helps users and developers to create custom colour schemes that emphasise mapped controls specifically for each game.