Sony Develops a Universal Game Console Controller

Go Rumors has discovered that Sony recently applied for a patent on a "universal game console controller." According to the patent filing, the controller "includes a hand-holdable housing and a touch sensitive liquid crystal display (LCD) on the housing. The LCD is caused to present, depending on what type of game console a user has selected, a controller key layout for a first type of game console or a controller key layout for a second type of game console. A key layout includes plural keys selectable by a user to input commands to a game console."

Comments

Re:Awful

[rugatero]

I'm always curious about the high praise for 360 controllers. First of all, I'm not that keen on the shoulder button arrangement, but that is a minor gripe. For me the issue was always the analogue sticks. I find that they feel rather loose, providing little to no resistance and I therefore find fine control tricky (of course, a balance is required here – analogue sticks that are too stiff are even worse).

But, since I seem to be the only one I know who has this issue, maybe my experience has been tainted by the store demo models, which to date is the only means by which I have played a 360. It's reasonable to suspect that these controllers have been somewhat overused and abused, and the quality of the sticks may have diminished because of this. If so, it seems somewhat ironic to me that I may have been (unfairly) dissuaded from purchasing a 360 due to the substandard experience offered by the units installed to promote it.