A Sony patent reveals that the company could be developing a mobile gaming device. Rather than operating like their most recent handheld, the PlayStation Vita—a fully self-contained console—this controller appears to leverage the user’s smartphone for gameplay.
When Will the PlayStation Mobile Controller Be Released?
Video Games Chronicle first reported the patent in late November 2021. You can check out the Sony patent here.
The source doesn’t have any details about a release date because all the patent includes are drawings and lots of text about how it works. It says it has a “left side grip portion and a right side grip portion gripped by the left and right hands of the user, and a direction button and an operation button arranged on the front surface of the controller.”
The BackBone One — PlayStation Edition was announced in July 2022, but it’s not clear if that’s the same device as the one from the patent.
One clue Sony is interested in mobile gaming is what Sony Interactive Entertainment CEO Jim Ryan said during a 2021 corporate strategy meeting:
PlayStation Mobile Controller Price Rumors
We expect this to sit somewhere between $80 to $120.
Lifewire’s Release Date Estimate
Patents don’t always pan out, so there’s no good way to estimate a release date without some published leaks or official word from Sony. We’ll say 2023 for now, but expect that timeline to move as we inch closer.
It sounds like a device that will function as a controller attached to your phone, which significantly shaves down the price compared to other handhelds that include the actual console portion.
The idea of a mobile controller that hooks up to your phone isn’t new, so we can look at similar products and assume that Sony’s version might cost around $100. The Razer Kishi and Backbone One are around that price point.
There’s little reason to believe that it’ll be much more than that. The Steam Deck and Nintendo Switch OLED are decent comparisons since they also work as handheld gaming devices. But they have more powerful, on-device functionality and are only a few hundred dollars more than those controller-only devices.
Pre-Order Information
Without a precise release date, there’s no way to know when pre-orders for the PlayStation mobile controller will commence.
We’ll keep an eye out for announcements from Sony and update this page as we learn more.
PlayStation Mobile Controller Features
The most likely reason Sony is developing this is to introduce another method for users to access Remote Play, its cloud-based gaming mechanism where you can stream PlayStation games to your phone and other devices.
PS Remote Play is already available on Android and iOS devices, and you can use PlayStation controllers with it. This new Sony patent presumes to provide a compact controller that you can easily tuck away in a bag and pull out and attach to your phone to game anywhere.
While Bluetooth is the current way Remote Play works with DUALSHOCK or DualSense controllers, this new method might involve a physical connection for smoother playback. Plus, since there’s a built-in holder for your phone, you don’t have to find a good place to prop up the screen.
PlayStation Mobile Controller Specs and Hardware
Right now, we only have the patent to understand how it works. One part says the controllers have a shaft portion that the user can tilt and can detect the tilting direction and amount of tilt.
This wording might mean it’ll be suitable as a gesture-based controller for games that would benefit from a gyroscope, such as racing games.
We’ll know more about the hardware if and when other details emerge.
The Latest News About the PlayStation Mobile Controller
You can get more gaming news from Lifewire. Here are some of the latest rumors and other related stories regarding this mobile gaming PlayStation controller:
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