PS5 leak just revealed a killer upgrade to beat Xbox Series X

News
By published

The PS5 DualSense controller could detect users by touch — here's how

Sony PS5 Dualsense Controller
(Image credit: Sony via thegameawards YouTube)

The PS5 DualSense controller might be able to identify who’s holding it by sensing a user’s grip, though such a feature likely won't arrive until after launch.

A new patent spotted by SegmentNext details how a system could use sensors such as a gyroscope and accelerometers to effectively figure out how specific users of the controller hold on to it. From there, it could determine who’s holding it and enable them to automatically login to their corresponding PlayStation Network account or PS5 user profile. Such a feature would be useful in a household with all lot of PlayStation accounts holders using one console. 

 “As internet connectivity for games consoles has become more widespread, it has become increasingly common for users to be able to login to the same user account as they use on their own console when playing on a different console, “ the patent explained. “This is desirable, as a user may be able to track their in-game progress or access their account-specific content even when playing at a friend house.”  

The patent details how telemetry data could be harvested by a controller and used to then effectively create a profile for the user when they manually log into their account. After that, each time they use the controller it would detect their unique grip and log them into their PSN or PS5 profile automatically. 

It would be a small thing, but it’s another way to make console gaming feel seamless and effort-free. Add such a feature on top of super-fast loading times courtesy of the PS5’s SSD storage, and you could be looking at a next-generation games console that feels highly intuitive to use. 

It’s not clear whether such a system could be retrofitted into a DualSense controller through a software update, or if a new controller or add-on would be needed to aid in the grip sensing. The patent did say the tech could work with other devices like the PSVR headset and Move Motion controllers, so we’d suspect it would be a software-based system that could use the PS5’s processing power to crunch data sucked up by controller sensors. 

With the PS5 due to launch in a matter of months, we doubt the DualSense controller will have such features at launch. But later on down the line, it could get an upgrade or firmware update to unlock this exciting new feature. 

Roland Moore-Colyer
Roland Moore-Colyer

Roland Moore-Colyer a Managing Editor at Tom’s Guide with a focus on news, features and opinion articles. He often writes about gaming, phones, laptops and other bits of hardware; he’s also got an interest in cars. When not at his desk Roland can be found wandering around London, often with a look of curiosity on his face.