News and Expected Price, Release Date, Specs; & More Rumors

A Sony patent reveals that the company could develop a mobile gaming device. Rather than function like their newest handheld, PlayStation Vita, a fully self-contained console, this controller appears to leverage the user’s smartphone for gaming.

When will the PlayStation Mobile controller be released?

Video Games Chronicle first reported the patent at the end of November 2021. You can check the Sony patent here.

The source has no details on a release date because all the patent includes are drawings and a lot of text on how it works. He says he has a “grip portion on the left side and a grip portion on the right side gripped by the user’s left and right hands, and a direction button and an operation button arranged on the front surface of the controller. ”

One clue that Sony is interested in mobile gaming is what Jim Ryan, CEO of Sony Interactive Entertainment, said during a 2021 corporate strategy meeting:

Mobile is just one of the areas we are exploring to reach millions of players across our platforms. PlayStation has a large catalog of different proprietary IPs that can switch to smartphone games and integrate our AAA games or live service games. We’re exploring the mobile market with some great PlayStation franchises, so stay tuned.

PlayStation Mobile Controller Pricing Rumors

We expect this to be between $ 80 and $ 120.

It looks like a device that will function as a controller connected to the phone, which significantly reduces the price compared to other handhelds that include the actual console part.

The idea of ​​a mobile controller that plugs into your phone isn’t new, so we can look at similar products and assume that Sony’s version could cost around $ 100. The Razer Kishi and Backbone One are around that price.

There is little reason to believe it will be much more. Steam Deck and Nintendo Switch OLED are decent comparisons since they also function as portable gaming devices. But they have more powerful on-device features and cost 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 begin.

We’ll be keeping an eye on Sony’s announcements and updating this page as we learn more.

Features of the PlayStation Mobile controller

The most likely reason Sony is developing it is to introduce another method for allowing 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 store in a bag and take out and attach to your phone to play anywhere.

Although Bluetooth is the current way remote play works with DUALSHOCK or DualSense controllers, this new method may involve a physical connection for smoother playback. Also, since there’s built-in stand for your phone, you don’t have to find a good place to prop the screen.

PlayStation Mobile controller hardware and specifications

At the moment, we only have the patent to understand how it works. One part says that controllers have a part of the shaft that the user can tilt and can sense the direction of tilt and the amount of tilt.

This wording could mean that it will be suitable as a gesture-based controller for games that would benefit from a gyroscope, such as racing games.

We will know more about the hardware if and when more details emerge.

The latest news on the PlayStation Mobile controller

You can get more game news from Lifewire. Here are some of the latest rumors and other related stories about this PlayStation mobile gaming controller: